In the late 1930s this one-of-a-kind Helicron was placed in a barn and forgotten. Rediscovered in 2000, rebuilt, and reintroduced to the world with its original Rosengart chassis, suspension, and brakes. Unfortunately the original motor has been lost to time but it has since been fitted with a 1980s Citroen GS 4-cylinder motor... Although the manufacturer is unknown, it's believed that this car was built in France 1932
Following the first World War it was not uncommon for recently displaced airplane engineers to look towards the automobile industry for employment. As in this example, a few entrepreneurs developed propeller-powered cars with the notion that propeller power was an efficient means of moving a vehicle. See the 1922 Helica:
http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2007/03/1922-helica-propeller-driven-car.html
On this car, when the wooden propeller is spinning at full speed and efficiently, this little 1,000-pound boat-tailed skiff can hit freeway speeds exceeding 75 mph. This is the one and only Helicron in existence, owned by Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, TN.
Strange arrangement of controls... why the rider in the back gets to adjust the speed, but can't see if the bike and riders are likely to run into anything... that doesn't seem like the best idea.
Click on the above for a big full screen version
Look close at the chain, it's the only one I've seen like it. I wonder why they thought this double roller type would be better than a single link and roller
