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Founded by Hans Glas of Dingolfing, Germany in 1883 to produce farm machinery, it was not until well after World War 2 that the company would commence automobile manufacture. Following the war cheap and cheerful cars were borne through necessity rather than desire, and Glas turned their hand to the manufacture of a scooter that proved very successful. Few could afford fully fledged automobiles, and with a burgeoning micro car market it made sense that taking the next step up the ladder would involve manufacturing something that had more than 2 wheels, and less than 4 cylinders. Sales of three-wheelers were going through the roof, and once powerful manufacturers such as Messerschmitt and Heinkel were busy manufacturing their own unique iterations.

The Goggomobil’s would hit the market in 1955, and were in many ways vastly superior to much of the competition, whose vehicles resembled more a covered over scooter than an automobile. The Goggomobil would soon be outselling practically all other micro-cars from the era – right up until BMW took control (their survival being in no small part due to the 3 wheeled Iso Isetta). Sydney company Buckle Motors would begin the import of Glas chassis and mechanical components in 1958, fashioning fiberglass replacements for the original steel Goggomobil bodies – and in doing so avoiding Australian import taxes. The All-Aussie bodies looked the same, but were marginally disproportionate and, more importantly, were lighter.

The weight advantage gave the Australian iterations a performance and handling edge over their German stable-mates, and despite Australia not suffering the economic hardship as was being experienced in Europe, the little “Goggo” proved very popular, with approximately 5,000 being assembled until 1962.

Glas Goggomobil  

Glas Goggomobil

1955 - 1965
German manufacturing company Glas made the Goggomobil T300 from 1955-67 and T400 from '55 to 69. More >>
Glas Goggomobil Dart  

Glas Goggomobil Dart

1955 - 1965
When German Production of the Goggomobil ceased in 1969, Sydney man Bill Buckle began importing the rolling chassis from Germany and fitting his own fiberglass bodies. More >>
Glas 2600 V8

Glas 2600 V8

1966 - 1968
One of the lesser known models to come from Glas was the 2600 V8 Coupe. The car was the design of Pietro Frua, who had already penned such great looking automobiles as the Maserati GT350 and the first-generation Quattroporte before being comissioned by Glas to complete the 2600. More >>
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