Rapid 1946-1947 - Tiny open Swiss two-seaters
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Summary
There were around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of them have disappeared. One of these vanished brands is Rapid from Switzerland, which had plans for mass production of motor vehicles in 1946. The planned small car with a single-cylinder opposed-piston engine had many advanced design features, but the production, which was sponsored by the employment office of the Canton of Zurich, was nevertheless discontinued for economic reasons after four prototypes and an initial series of 30 units.
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Preview (beginning of the article)
At the Lucerne Museum of Transport (in Switzerland), we recently took a look at the Rapid on the revolving platform of the display rack in the new road traffic hall. This close-up view was only made possible by vigorously activating two selector buttons and analog family assistance. Normally, the majority of visitors choose the Sauber F1 or the Lamborghini Miura as a stand-alone presentation. Rapid motor mowers were once a Swiss household name. However, it is hardly known that a tiny open two-seater was also created at Rapid in Dietikon in 1946. The designer was the Budapest-born small car pioneer Joseph Ganz. The design was notable for its streamlined curves with covered rear wheels.
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