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JAWA Special 500cc — 1952/53

Microcar with JAWA 500 cc engine from the early 1950s.

Johan Ålander
Valuator
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Rebecca R Bengtsson
Case manager
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"An exciting object to tackle and further research its past fortunes."

COUNTDOWN
CURRENT BID
ENDED
120 000SEK
LOT NUMBER
LOCATION
17652
HORNDAL
RESERVE PRICE
Reached
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Johan Ålander
Valuator
Send message
Rebecca R Bengtsson
Case manager
Send message

"An exciting object to tackle and further research its past fortunes."

Description

Parts of the story about this exciting car come from men who were present when it arrived in Gästrikland and met the young men who brought it, who were only around 25 years old at the time. Some of the story also comes from other oral sources.

The story of the microcar begins on December 29, 1953, when a catastrophic storm hit Gästrikland. The worst-affected areas were Hedesunda and Österfärnebo. Finland was the quickest to offer help, but the loggers who came from there weren’t enough, which led to involvement from Swedish embassies, particularly those in Eastern Europe.

The embassy in Prague sent a request through Czech authorities, asking for loggers to be sent to Sweden. Two young men accepted the offer. Transport to Sweden was the biggest problem. However, it turned out that the men had a relative who worked at the JAWA factory. There, they had some prototypes, which were part of preliminary studies for a possible production run that JAWA had considered but never realized. The young men acquired one of these prototypes and drove it all the way to Österfärnebo in the summer of 1954. When their work was finished, they left the car behind and acquired a larger and more comfortable vehicle for their journey home.

The microcar was left at the farm where it stayed until well into the 1980s and was occasionally driven before being put away.

The car is reportedly featured in a photograph in an American car book from the 1970s, where the article covers several microcars JAWA planned to build. There were four different cars, one of which was an open-top model identical to the one now for sale. The article mentions that the utility cars were intended to have two-stroke engines of various sizes, but the open-top model had a Jawa 500 cc four-stroke engine. We have not been able to locate the specific magazine, but a reliable source has recalled the article for us. It might have been in Automobile Quarterly. It would be strange if multiple identical prototypes had been built. The photos in the article were reportedly taken in 1952, which aligns with the timeline. It’s uncertain whether JAWA built the body of this specific car because, a year later, a racing series began with this type of car, featuring JAWA’s 500 cc engine mounted over the rear axle. However, the drivers had to assemble the cars themselves to participate. All the drivers were state-nominated. One of these cars is said to be on display in a museum in Prague and is nearly identical to the one for sale.

There seem to be slight differences in the wheels and possibly the rear axle. The reason no cars were mass-produced by JAWA is said to be due to a shortage of materials. This led to the Velorex, with its flimsy body and three wheels, being mass-produced instead of the metal-bodied, four-wheeled micro prototypes.

The bodies for the racing cars and the possible prototype were apparently built by someone other than JAWA but under their supervision.

Technical data

  • Year
    1952/53 
  • Registration date
     
  • Mileage
     
  • Kw / hp
     
  • Fuel Type
    Petrol 
  • Transmission
    Manual 
  • Interior finish
     
  • Colour
     

Condition

  • Mechanical condition:

    JAWA 500 cc engine that turns over. Exhaust pipe is missing. What you see in the pictures is what is included. Nothing else is left. Restoration project like the rest of the car.

  • Interior condition:

    See pictures. A seat cushion is missing, as are instruments and controls. The upper attachment of the steering column is broken.

  • Exterior condition:

    Fairly healthy body and it seems to have been prepared for repainting at one time. As can be seen in the pictures, a lot is missing, including lights, grill, and windshield. Tires are dry cracked.

  • General condition:

    What you see in the pictures is what is included. Nothing else remains. However, what is left is in surprisingly good, restorable condition.

Facts about the model

The suspension likely comes from a French microcar, the Rovin. The engine is a four-stroke 500cc OHV model 15/00 from JAWA, built in 1952. It features forced-controlled valves and a shaft-driven camshaft. The car measures approximately 2.5 meters in length and 1.2 meters in width. It has mechanical brakes, a transverse front leaf spring, rear coil springs, a chain-driven rear axle, rack-and-pinion steering, a manual gearbox, and an air-cooled engine with an electric fuel pump.

Location and viewing Information

Location: Horndal

For viewing the vehicle, contact the inspector/case manager:

Johan Ålander
+46 705-80 91 17
johan@bilwebauctions.se

Pick up

Collection must take place before: 2024-11-14.

NOTE! Payment (deposit to our account) must be made within 5 days and before collection.

Auction information

General information about the condition of the vehicles .
  • At this auction, many vehicles have been included in car collections and have been stored (mothballed) for a long time. For this reason, they are described from a collector's perspective and may need technical reviews and maintenance service - oil, battery replacement, new tires, brake review, etc. - before they can be used. .
  • During the auction days information about a vehicle may be updated up to the day before the auction ends. When you bid at the end of the auction period - and also if you have made an earlier bid - we therefore ask you to read the descriptions carefully, in case something has been changed due to new information.
Important to know before placing your bids!
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  • When you need to retrieve a called in object we want you to examine it carefully. If you consider that the item does not match our description you do not need to complete the purchase. In this case the deposited purchase sum and the entry fee are refunded.
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  • If you make the entire purchase exclusively at a distance you have 14 days to cancel, but must return the item at your own expense.
  • Your shipping costs and other costs are not reimbursed when the right of withdrawal is exercised. Swedish court applies.
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