1955 Inter 175A Berline
Length: 9’8”
Seating: 2
Power: 8.5 hp
Estimate: $40,000 – $50,000
The Inter looks a bit like a Messerschmitt Kabinenroller, albeit with a boxier body and a single headlamp. The two microcars share more than just looks, as both were crafted by companies with aeronautical roots – in this case the French Nord Aviation firm, which would later become part of Aerospatiale and, ultimately, EADS. When first shown at the 1953 Paris show, Nord proposed a folding front suspension like the one on the earlier Reyonnah, but that idea was ultimately abandoned in favor of a fixed design. A two-stroke, 175-cc single-cylinder engine gave 8.5 hp and was fired by way of an unusual manual gyroscopic starter. Fewer than 300 cars were built, and because the firm was constantly tinkering with the design, few were truly alike.
