Egg-citing Adventures on Wheels: The Hilarious Saga of L’Œuf électrique, the Egg-shaped Speedster!

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and feast your eyes on the incredible marvel of the past, the one and only L’Œuf électrique (The Electric Egg)! It’s not just a cyclecar; it’s an electric adventure on wheels designed way back in 1938, a time when the world was still trying to figure out what exactly a cyclecar should be.

h/t: vintag.es

Now, take a good look at this futuristic egg on wheels! It’s like a time traveler from the past, with its spherical bodywork, a fastback rear, and a design that says, “I’m a bubble, a drop of water, and an egg all rolled into one!” Can you imagine driving this thing on the streets of 1942? You’d turn heads, and probably cause some bewildered looks too!

This masterpiece was the brainchild of the ingenious industrial designer Paul Arzens. He must have thought, “Why settle for a boring old car when you can have an electric egg on wheels?” So, there it was, strutting its stuff with an aluminum body and a Duralinox tube chassis, making all the other cars jealous of its distinctive look.

Now, let’s talk about the power source, shall we? Arzens had to deal with fuel rationing during World War II, so he decided, “Hey, why not go electric?” Five 12-volt batteries nestled under the bench seat, giving this egg-on-wheels the jolt it needed to zip around town at a top speed of 70 kilometers per hour. Not bad for a bionic egg, huh?

But wait, there’s more! After the war, Arzens decided to give the electric life a break and swapped out the motor for a 125 cc Peugeot engine. It went from being an electric egg to a petrol-powered speedy egg! With 5.5 horsepower, it reached a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour, making it the coolest egg-shaped racer around.

Folks, if you want to see this egg-cellent piece of history for yourselves, head on over to the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris or the Cité de l’Automobile in Mulhouse. It’s a rare gem, a relic from the days when the world was obsessed with eggs on wheels. So, there you have it, the egg-stravagant tale of L’Œuf électrique, a quirky, egg-shaped cyclecar that proves that even in the past, people had a sense of humor when it came to designing cars!