Mini Roadster

From the 1930s to 1984, there were various manufacturers of so-called microcars in France. In 1984, there was a change in the law that made it impossible to use microcars in normal traffic. The small vehicles were classified as too dangerous to take part in regular traffic. This is understandable and it is all the more surprising that today, more and more micro-vehicles are becoming more and more widespread, with safety apparently being given little consideration. Just think of the various semi- or fully electric mini delivery vans or a wide variety of cargo bikes, which are often larger than historic microcars. The safety or rather insecurity of all the e-scooters should only be mentioned in passing here. In the past, these microcars had to be cheap above all or allow driving without a license.

Marcel Tamine manufactured his first microcar in Nanterre near Paris in 1932, or in his time this type of vehicle was called a cyclecar. From 1934 onwards he sold his cyclecars under the company name Ardex and only after his death in 1968 did the production and sale of Ardex vehicles end. The Ardex company made cyclecars made of wood and aluminium, with three and four wheels, as petrol, electric or simply as pedal cars, with and without auxiliary motor. The whole Tamine family was somehow involved in the company. For 36 years the whole family was able to live off the income from the small cars and even during the war production was maintained until 1943 and after the war production was resumed from 1947. In 1949 there was a sleek three-wheeled small sports car made of aluminium, reminiscent of the Morgan three-wheelers. From 1954 to ’56 there was the T-53 model, a two-seater mini roadster with a pretty body made of plywood. The vehicle was powered by a single-cylinder two-stroke engine from Briban Pantin with 100 or 125 cc and 4 or 5 hp. The 2.4 meter long car weighs just 95 kg.

We were given this Ardex T-53 for sale by a collector of microcars who had to vacate his hall because of a new building. The small vehicle is in its original condition, but has not been started or driven for years. It would certainly be possible to get the Ardex running again, but we are more likely to assume that the microcar will end up in another collection or museum. Unfortunately, there are no documents for the vehicle, as they have unfortunately been lost for decades. In the book “French Microcars 1935 – 1960” by Jan de Lange, published in 2023, there is a 24-page treatise on Ardex. The condition is really very good, but the fabrics of the seat covers and the hood are brittle and therefore in need of replacement. If necessary, we can talk about putting it back into operation and possibly registering it, e.g. as a quad. We assume that there are perhaps five vehicles left in the world and this is probably the only one in its completely original condition. A mini roadster that you could perhaps even put in your home as a display piece. Just please take good care of the little car, it would be a shame if it were left to decay.