UrbaCar

An Urban Runabout Powered by a 12 kW
Industrial Engine

UrbaCar was featured on the cover of Mechanix Illustrated magazine in April, 1975, and started a build-it-yourself car boomlet that would last nearly ten years. The original prototype was powered by a 12 kW (16 hp) single cylinder industrial engine mounted in the rear. It delivered a top speed of 95 km/h (60 mph) and fuel economy in the order of 23 km/l (55 mpg). The design featured removable gull-wing doors and a 10 gallon fuel tank that would hold enough gasoline for nearly 965 km (600 mi).

UrbaCar tips the scales at a mere 295 kg (650 lb). Because its minimal curb weight, the small 12 kW (16 hp) engine still gives it a power-to-weight ratio about equal to that of the early VW Beetle. The simple drive train uses a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which transfers power to an oil-bath chain drive and then through a differential to the rear wheels. A standard automotive starter motor drives the car in reverse. The integral power train (engine, transmission, and final drive mounted on a sub-frame) is suspended from the rear of the chassis at four points using soft rubber mounts. This allows for easy removal of the drive package, and it effectively isolates vibrations.

Ultimately, UrbaCar went through three generations of improvements and nearly reached production in Kitchener, Ontario.  Plans offered here are for the previously unpublished and vastly improved production chassis. A non-functional UrbaCar is on display at the American Museum of Science and Energy at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

UrbaCar's body is built of FRP/urethane foam composite. For more information on the body construction method, click on One-Off Construction Using FRP/Urethane Foam Composite. Click on the images to the left to view large images.

For maximum compatibility, CAD plans are supplied in AutoCAD R12 level dxf format on 3-1/2-inch disks. Other formats available on request include AutoCAD R14, R13 and R12 level dwg files.