THE OPPERMAN

by Tony Marshall (published in the Isetta Gazette May 1980)

I hope that readers will feel that I am justified in including this make of car as a 'rare bubble', although it does not strictly come under the class of 'bubble' being more of a miniature of a normal car in appearance.

The firm of S.F.Opperman had been making small horticultural vehicles of the type often seen on smallholdings and nursery gardens for some years, and had actually achieved the distinction of having one of their vehicles reproduced in scale model form by Meccano Ltd as part of their 'Dinky Toy' range. It was called the 'Motorcart'. Then, in the 1950's, the firm of Opperman decided to build cars. Their first offering was the 'Unicar', which seemed to be designated the Model T, although what Henry Ford would have thought of it might be unprintable. The Unicar made its first appearance in 1956, at a time when petrol was rationed due to the Suez crisis.

The Unicar was a car shaped four wheeler. It was based on a steel chassis, with two front wheels which steered the car in the normal way, and two rear driving wheels. The rear track was less than the front, as the rear axle was solid with no differential, and so a wide track would have prevented the car going around corners. Unfortunately, the rear track was still too great, and this little car had an unbelievably large turning circle.

The two door body was of glass fibre, and featured what must be one of the most extensive parcel shelves in motoring history. However, there is no boot space, and no opening bonnet, so access to the mechanical units is limited. As with so many micro-cars, the engine is not where you would expect. In fact, it seems likely that it was omitted from the original plans, and the only available space was the back seat! The result is that the passenger accommodation is restricted to the front of the car, where there is a bench seat, and this tilts forwards so that small children can be placed in the rear seats, either side of the hump that conceals the engine.

The engines used in the early models were the Anzani 322cc two stroke twin type, but these only produced 15 BHP and could be troublesome, so they were replaced later by the Excelsior 328cc two stroke twin which produced 18 BHP, but were still troublesome, and beset by overheating problems.

The price when introduced was £399 10s, including purchase tax, and production continued until 1959, when Opperman announced their new model, the Stirling.

Personally, I have yet to see one of these cars, but they look far more desirable in pictures, not being dissimilar to the NSU Sport Prinz. The Stirling was completely different from the Unicar, the body being of Coupe style, with room for two adults in the front seats, and a full width rear seat. The rear axle incorporated a differential, and so was the same width track as the front.

The engine of the Stirling was the redesigned Excelsior twin, this time up to 424cc, and the output was up to an incredible 25 BHP, which boosted a top speed to a claimed 70 MPH.

Sadly, it seems that only a handful of Stirlings were made, perhaps due to the high (at that time) price of £541 7s, including purchase tax. The final fling for the Stirling came when Opperman announced that they were to do a deal with the Austrian firm of Steyn, who would supply the engines for an improved version of 493cc capacity. Whether this type ever came out is not known, but it appears that the result would have been a rather nice car. The Stirling never lasted to see the new decade in.

A point of interest is that both Opperman models, the Unicar and the Stirling, were designed by that indefatigable doyen of the micro car, Laurie Bond, who was also responsible for the Minicar which bears his name, and for the Berkeley.

There are several surviving examples of Unicar known in various parts of Britain, as well as one that made its way to Holland in 1978. However, try as we might, we simply cannot find any surviving Stirlings. Does any member know the whereabouts of one?