Absolutely beautiful!! I’ve never seen one of these before. So cute I could die. Somewhere between a scooter, an ice cream cart, a streamline train and a bumper car.
Nickname: The Little Hippo
Claim to fame: This little stunner bankrupted France’s oldest motorcycle company in 1963. After producing 350 of these beauties, most of which did not sell, the Terrot firm was sold. The Italian scooters were better made and the Franc devalued in the same year, making exports of the Scooterrot impossible…
As tempting as that sounds, the one and only time I ever rode a scooter I was so reckless on the road I knew that I could never get back on one again, at least with me in the driver seat. So I’m merely an admirer from afar. But I can’t even tell you how cute that would look parked in my drive. If we were in a day that songwriters still got paid for their music I’d snap that puppy up real fast!!
terrotman
I am interested to buy it …to keep company to the one I already own.
Joking apart, I use mine to go to work daily and would love to get another one to restore like new as you have with yours and try to keep it that way
Mark Milligan
I love everything about that design!
It’s like vintage peddle car meets vespa.
Great post, great picture, thanks for sharing this wonderful work of art!
Aside from the crazy looks, “the Little Hippo” has a bizarre ‘pre-selector’ gearbox where you select the next gear you want, but it doesn’t go into that gear until you press and release a floor pedal…madness! The Cezeta is equally mad in that the petrol tank is placed over the front wheel! Like a Pinto in reverse…
Allee Willis
Absolutely beautiful!! I’ve never seen one of these before. So cute I could die. Somewhere between a scooter, an ice cream cart, a streamline train and a bumper car.
Where were these made and how popular were they?
Erasmus Thump
Nickname: The Little Hippo
Claim to fame: This little stunner bankrupted France’s oldest motorcycle company in 1963. After producing 350 of these beauties, most of which did not sell, the Terrot firm was sold. The Italian scooters were better made and the Franc devalued in the same year, making exports of the Scooterrot impossible…
Allee Willis
Are they big collector items today? Had I ridden a scooter and seen this it would still be parked in front of my house today.
Erasmus Thump
I’ve got a second one…complete…that need restoration if you feel so inclined….
Allee Willis
As tempting as that sounds, the one and only time I ever rode a scooter I was so reckless on the road I knew that I could never get back on one again, at least with me in the driver seat. So I’m merely an admirer from afar. But I can’t even tell you how cute that would look parked in my drive. If we were in a day that songwriters still got paid for their music I’d snap that puppy up real fast!!
terrotman
I am interested to buy it …to keep company to the one I already own.
Joking apart, I use mine to go to work daily and would love to get another one to restore like new as you have with yours and try to keep it that way
Mark Milligan
I love everything about that design!
It’s like vintage peddle car meets vespa.
Great post, great picture, thanks for sharing this wonderful work of art!
Allee Willis
A lot more of Thump’s cycles coming…
Erasmus Thump
Aside from the crazy looks, “the Little Hippo” has a bizarre ‘pre-selector’ gearbox where you select the next gear you want, but it doesn’t go into that gear until you press and release a floor pedal…madness! The Cezeta is equally mad in that the petrol tank is placed over the front wheel! Like a Pinto in reverse…
BeeJay
Too cute!
Nessa
I love it!