Put your eye on this Microcar!

In 1957, Automotive designer Robert Cumberford and cartoon artist/creative visionary Stan Mott created the very first Cyclops II. It was made from a single rectangular piece of metal bent into a “U” shape. Sections were cut out for windshield and backlight. It had a huge Lucas P-100 headlamp centered in the front. The Cyclops was introduced in Road and Track’s March 1957 issue in an article titled ‘Beyond Belief.’ The car was road tested in the September 1957 Road and Track issue and in the last fifty three years has been featured in twenty two articles. Part microcar and part go-kart the Cyclops II has become a fixture of American motoring history.

In 2010, father and son team, Glen and Matt Thomas built a representation of the Cyclops II from scratch. It was a project, which started with the picture of Stan Mott in the original, a three view drawing of the Cyclops II and the road test article with the overall dimensions. Glenn developed a layout using a go-cart drive and steering type system. They built the car in their garage using simple tools such as circular saw, drill press, hand jigsaw and a 110 Mig welder. The rolled panels were accomplished using a homemade roller, which consisted of a pipe sitting on wood. The basic materials are 16-gauge steel and 3/4-inch plywood for the floor.

The Cincinnati Concours d’Elegance Foundation is proud to announce that this faithful reproduction of the iconic Cyclops II has been accepted into the 2014 Ault Park Concours d’Elegance to be held on June 8, 2014.