Amdanyn Ni / About Us

It's between Ireland and England.

Be' ni'n siarad? What do we speak?

Cymraeg / Welsh is the oldest spoken language in Europe, but only about 20% of the population can speak it, so most speak English. Clwb Y Meicrocar (Welsh Microcar Club) was born in April '96 with just 5 prospective members by Paul Rossiter (aka 'Chop') when the first (very basic) issue of our newsletter 'AERO' gave us something tangible to get all us Welsh 'micronauts' together. It was conceived as a low cost club with the emphasis on enthusiasm (we didn't limit ourselves to owners of machines of a certain c.c. or to only Welsh enthusiasts). We existed to promote the ownership and use of any small, electric, weird, or 3-wheeled vehicles, but also counted amongst our numbers members with full-sized vintage, classic, and kit cars, and we intended to lobby our government to give more incentives to the users of these amazing little machines! After all, they are small enough to park in half the space (or less!) of normal cars, they use less fuel, they're much lighter, causing less damage to the road surface. And any vehicle which lasts as long as ours have, has to be a very 'green' machine! Why? A lot of the pollution caused, and energy expended, is in the original construction, so the longer it keeps running, the greener it is!
But you try telling the EEC 'Idiocrats' that !!!!
A new breed of Microcar is waiting in the wings, modern, quiet and comfortable, powered by batteries, solar energy, hybrid motors, fuel cell technology and even Human-powered Microcars. These, I feel, should be welcomed along with their 'forward-thinking' owners and not pidgeon-holed as 'not REAL Microcars'
We had over 80 members ( a good few were enthused by this club to go out and buy their first Microcar and the Microcar movement needs new blood to keep things going!!!!)

Unfortunately petty politics took over as in so many other clubs. People thought they could do a better job than me. The result is a club limited to a small group with no newsletters, regular meetings or anything tangible if you pay any subs. I must therefore distance myself from this group.

I am however retaining the right to the name C.Y.M. (Clwb Y Meicrocar)

The Welsh Microcar Club can continue in any form.

I intend to revive my poor neglected site and continue 'electronically' until the time comes when I can spend sufficient time at home and once more devote the large amount of time and energy necessary to keep enthusiasm from hibernating again
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My 1959 BMW 600, and 1959 Berkeley Caravette

A nice lineup of Bonds and Bond Bugs at Bath

A few of our characters and their Microcars

I'm Paul 'Chop' Rossiter and my only form of daily, all year round transport is my 1959 BMW 600 Isetta, it can be seen above with Steve Pepper's (of Micro-Caravan Newsand International Register of Micro-caravans (I.R.O.M.) fame) 1959 Berkeley Caravette micro-caravan, which I used for many rallies and meetings, loaded with bicycles, toys and all the other things that go with three children! Sleeping in a caravan the size of a small double-bed with Siôn (9), Jac (3) and Nia (2) was an experience to say the least! I have since bought a 1962 Travelette Weekender folding caravan, which has proved to be a lot more practical than the Berkeley, with Me, Laurie, my little Breton (France) friend and 3 kids getting very cosy in it!!. And just recently, I succeeded, with the the help and company of Ian Frankland of 'Taffspeed' fame, to take this amazingly practical outfit 5,000 miles to the 1999 Nordkapp Rally in Northern Norway !!! (which was the adventure to beat all adventures). Previously I used a Messerschmitt Kr200 all around Europe until there was not enough room for the kids, so I swapped it for the 600, the 'Schmitt's in Japan now, but I have a great momento because a company called Zip TV made a six-part series (in English) called 'Border Patrol', in which Dave Peterson (son of Jack Peterson, former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion) drives it down the Offa's Dyke (the Welsh \ English border). Contact HTV Wales, Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff if you are in a position where buying and marketing a TV programme is viable. I'm still the Welsh Rep. for the Messerschmitt Enthusiasts Club and a member of the Bristol Microcar Club, Isetta Club Ev. Germany.
Then there's Martin 'Moneybags' Jones who uses one of his two Trojan 200s regularly all year round and who has bought one of 'Tri-Tech's' Zettas (replica 300 Isetta) which he's going to power with a BMW K75 3-cyl. water-cooled motorcycle engine!

Or Roy Young who sold his 'Schmitt Kr200 for £60 back in the sixties and then found it in an auction at the National Classic Car Show in Birmingham in 1996, it cost him £5,000 to buy it back!!! Using the money him and Sylvie had saved for a new kitchen!!
She's forgiven him now.

Or how about Hugh Williams of Usk, he made his own unique 2-seater HTW mini-engined Microcar, if you get a chance, check out the detail on things like his home made interior.
And that's only scratching the surface!!!!!

	(Left) 1996 LLanishen Show, and CYM members exhibits include (right-left) Bern & Wendy's Isetta, Rob's Isetta custom, Dave Morgan's Nobel 4-wheel, My BMW 600 and Wayne Evan's Bond-Bug. (photo, Jeff)
(below) Mike Shepherd's lovely Heinkel (I)reland cabriolet (photo 'Moneybags')	(above) Frank Coleman's cute Goggomobil saloon. (photo, Frank)