Myth Buster
Debunking the most common old wives’ tales
AC Petite
1 THEY HAD ODDSIZED WHEELS
That’s true enough of the 1953-55 versions of these three-wheeler microcars, which had two 18-inch wheels at the rear and an eightinch wheel up front. But with the more refined MkIIs of 1955, all three wheels were the same 12 inches.
2 THEY WERE INVALID CARS
AC was a major invalid car manufacturer, but while Petites were similar to AC’s three-wheeled mobility machines, with rearmounted Villiers engines driving the back wheels, they were on a larger scale with 346cc engines rather than 147cc units.
3 THEY COULD SEAT THREE PEOPLE
One advert showed an example with three people on its bench seat, though two were small children. To be honest, it would have been a squeeze even for one adult and two kids. They could really only seat two full-size adults who had to be prepared to get cosy. Especially in the corners.
4 THEY USED MOTORCYCLE ENGINES
It was common for microcars to have motorcycle engines, but the AC’s Villiers 346cc 27B and 28B single-cylinder two-strokes of were actually industrial engines, intended for items like cultivators, ploughs, chainsaws and pumps. They were reliable and economical, if not especially sophisticated.
5 THEY COULD GO ANYWHERE
AC trumpeted the Petite’s ‘go anywhere’ abilities as cheap utility vehicles to use on farms, estates, etc. In actual fact, these threewheelers’ off-road qualities were rather more limited, although they did have light weight on their side.