A very special microcar suddenly appeared on the horizon. Or rather: he flaunted in front of the façade of garage company Benthem in Noordwolde, Friesland. A fiberglass shell without doors, painted in a beautiful blue color, and equipped with rally shields that testify to a participation in the Liège-Brescia-Liège rally. The hubcaps with the Glas logo increase our curiosity. This is a rare Goggomobil Dart. And we want to know much more about that.
The small rally car has the successful Goggo as a technical basis. In Australia, Glass importer Bill Buckle saw good opportunities to develop a sports car from the Goggomobil. The choice to assemble the Goggomobil Dart in Australia and not in Germany was a deliberate one. For fiscal reasons, the Goggomobil chassis (including engine and powertrain) was shipped from Dingolfing to Australia, and Buckle's company turned it into a complete sports car in Sydney. The bodywork was built from fiberglass, and because of the low structure, it had no doors.
Split windshield, small shell
The lightweight carriage designed by Bill Buckle and produced in Sydney is a real sports car. The split forward due to the small tub adorns is striking. The mini-instruments and the streamline also stand out. Technically, the trolley is very similar to the Goggomobil. That means at the time of production: an air-cooled two-stroke 293 cc or 400 cc rear engine. The chassis and the Goggomobil chassis also have the familiar basis of the microcar from Hans Glas GmbH. The Goggomobil Dart is built from 1959 to 1961, and the production numbers vary depending on various sources - built from 700 to 770. Possibly three (!) Copies have been preserved in Europe.
True Goggofanate
The copy we see is from Anne Benthem. He has a great preference for the micro work of Hans Glas GmbH and its derivatives. He is currently restoring a Goggomobil and insiders know his small van, the TL250, too. Benthem has also had the Goggomobil Dart 400 in his possession for years: since 2005. He had the minuscule interior reupholstered, and the dashboard was given a new one shortly after purchase. dek. He also placed a stainless steel gas tank. He did this in part to neutralize the effect of petrol fumes on the part that is close to the petrol tank. At an earlier stage, they did not miss their effect on the fiberglass.
International rally
The rally shields are the silent witnesses of a real participation in the Liège-Brescia-Liège rally of 2008. During that rally, no kilometer of highway asphalt was used, all kilometers were covered by inland roads. Almost seamlessly, Benthem completed the journey with the Australian-German feat. "We drove four teams, a wonderful experience and the excellent Glass technology proved a great service," said Anne Benthem.
Curio
The Australian with German technology will never again leave the Benthem collection. Nowadays it is a rarity, of which there are reportedly still around one hundred copies worldwide. This beautiful Goggomobil Dart has visible life experience. He gives the Australian Goggo absolute character. Yet Anne Benthem will someday bring him back to competition. Anyway: it is a special car, certainly a curio in the Benelux.
