King of the Midgets

Image by Richard Spiegleman
Today's car has a fond place in my heart, as its history is shared in part by my father-in-law, who worked for Midget Motors of Athens, Ohio, many years ago.

The King Midget was truly an American original.  It was first offered as a build-from-plans car, then as a kit, and finally as a complete production vehicle.

It has been claimed that it is the smallest production car ever produced in the U.S., and it is one of many whose factory was nowhere near Detroit.  The King Midget was produced in the small college town of Athens, Ohio, from 1946 until 1970, when it couldn't keep up with advancing federal safety regulations.
Midget Motors is now under different ownership, and was last seen (on the web, anyway) working toward a new kit version.
Here are some links to bring you further into the fanciful world of the King Midget:
The International King Midget Car Club
Midget Motors

Grinder Squared

Here's a great example of American ingenuity in action:  the Hot Wheels Twin Mill.  It started out as one of those designs dreamed up as a toy, as in the little gravity-powered toy racers a lot of us enjoyed immensely as kids.
Then somebody got the great idea to turn it into an actual car.  A few years, a whole bunch of man-hours, and some tractor-pulling multi-engine technology later, the real car was actually ready to drive into car shows across the country.  Amazing.  And you should see the view through the windshield.


Photo by chevellenut69ss on flickr.
And of course some more info on the Twin Mill:
http://www.streetrodderweb.com/milestones/0307sr_milestone_twin_mill/index.html
http://hotwheels.wikia.com/wiki/Twin_Mill