Though all 18000 examples were officially recalled and scrapped in the 1970s there are a number of examples which are in the British roads today as “historic” vehicles in private ownership.

ooks like the Invacar was too cool for the Ministry of Pensions to handle

Often referred to by the derogatory term 'Spazwagon'

The program was ended in 1973 primarily due to safety concerns. The cars had virtually no crash protection, were notorious unstable due to the 3-wheel configuration, and the drivers did not have to take proper driving tests to qualify to drive one.

Most of them have been taken off the road and scrapped because they were owned by the Government program rather than personally owned. With the EU regulations on cars and motorcycles officially killing them off in 2003.

However like a similar fiberglass 3-wheeled car the Reliant Robin, they have a special place in British pop culture with many of the few remaining examples being tuned or modified. Remaining on the road under classic car licenses.

Having seen some of these up close I think it was basic requirements safety that was the end of them :), they did have some funky features such as to get in you could actually slide the seat towards the door once seated you could slide it back into the central position. They were driven almost exclusively with hand controls, a throttle like a motorbike, handle bars for steering and most amusingly you pushed down on the handle bars to brake.

>The Invacar was that vehicle

......redundancy

Well, you'll have to lodge a complaint then with the Ministry of Redundancy, Excess Overages Agency, Department of Surplus Words and Phrases.

And made by AC who also gave us the iconic Cobra.

Defense, Social Security, Health, Housing, Education, Silly Walks ...

I spotted that after I pressed post :( my inner pedant is crying.

Yes indeed around 9000 were built by AC with the remaining once built by Greaves motorcycles

Greaves? Blimey, I didn't know that, cool.

Also affectionately known as The Plastic Pig round us.

Whilst Greaves no longer make motor cycles the family still have an engineering works in the same building where the Invacars were made, and if you ask nicely they still have new old stock spare parts :)

The plastic pig around us was almost exclusively reserved for true reliant robin :)

I wouldn't have known the difference.

Love it! Living history!

‘Spaz chariot’ was the universal name for them growing up

I remember seeing them on the touch lines at football matches, usually five or six of them at each corner.

I think I remember reading that the first one was made for one of the Greaves family.

A brief drive in an Invacar

HubNut is fantastic

Edit:spelling

That explains the name of a major manufacturer of wheelchairs--Invacare. Drive around much in the Invacar and you will be needing to roll around in an Invacare!

Silly walks just doesn’t get the funding it used to…

Is that why it was called Invacar? Invalid car?

I’ve seen a Reliant Robin, except it was in Aspen, CO.

Good fucking luck driving that thing around there 9 months of the year.

yup, Political correctness wasn't a thing back then

Interesting thanks

By an amazing coincidence I saw a 3 wheel car here in France this morning. It was a small 1975 Vespa customised to be a little fourgonnette van. It was inside a large Corsican charcuterie delivery van. It looked in good nick. I wonder if it was going to a show, or more likely on its way back from one.

The redundancy department of redundancy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invacar