Following the Second World War, U.S. Civil Air Patrol pilots Claud Dry and Dale Orcutt began discussing the idea of applying the light aircraft principles of good fuel economy, dependability and minimum weight to a small, low-priced automobile. With some further brainstorming, their concept of such a car gradually evolved.
Since the car would be quite small, they decided to call it the King Midget, and formed Midget Motors Manufacturing Co. in Athens, Ohio, in 1945. It was later renamed Midget Motors Corp.
Dry and Orcutt produced their first King Midget in 1946, a single-passenger model with a one-cylinder, six-horsepower, four-stroke, side-valve, air-cooled engine. Wisconsin was the main engine supplier, although Kohlers were also used. It was located in the rear with a chain driving the right rear wheel. There was no reverse.
Most people learned of the King Midget in the 1940s and 鈥�50s from home-craftsman magazines such as Popular Science and Popular Mechanics. Their small advertisements appeared along with ads for such technical wonders as Marvel Mystery Oil and the Original Whiz Saw.
The King Midget was billed as the 鈥渨orld鈥檚 lowest-priced car and promised 鈥渄riving for 75聽cents per week鈥� with 鈥渁mazing performance鈥� and 鈥渟urprising comfort.鈥�
Those first wooden-framed cars weighed just 140 kilograms and were initially sold as kits, but were soon offered fully assembled. With no doors or top, they somewhat resembled a midget race car, although the claimed top speed of 80 km/h was hardly racing performance. But at least it felt fast in a car so small.
The price was $100 in kit form without an engine. There were no King Midget dealers, but Midget-owning 鈥渞ider agents鈥� earned commissions demonstrating their cars to prospects. Customers either travelled to Athens and drove their Midgets home, or ordered by mail and received it in a crate.
That first Midget had modest sales, but was too small to be practical. This prompted development of the second-generation two-passenger Midget in 1951. With its larger size, windshield and folding canvas top, it was beginning to look more like a real car. Wheelbase was 1,829聽millimetres and overall length was 2,438 mm. It weighed about 227 kg and now had a reverse gear.
Although tiny, the King Midget had some regular-car features, including a generator and battery ignition system, making electric starting and sealed-beam headlamps possible.
With their aircraft background, Dry and Orcutt soon replaced the wood frame with a light, sturdy, perforated-steel girder-and-tube design. It could be lifted by one man, and to demonstrate its strength, a factory brochure pictured it supporting 20 men.
Four-wheel independent suspension used oil-immersed coil springs. Brakes were hydraulic on the rear wheels only in early models and four wheels later. A handbrake operated on the rear wheels.
With two centrifugal clutches operating like a two-speed automatic transmission (early ones had only one speed), driving a Midget was pure simplicity: move the small lever under the seat into Drive and step on the accelerator to go and on the brake pedal to stop. The lever also engaged reverse.
An even bigger third-generation King Midget arrived in 1957 with wheelbase now 1,943 mm and length 2,743 mm. Weight had increased to 304 kg and Its 377-cc Wisconsin engine developed 9.25聽horsepower at 3,400聽rpm. In 1966, this became a 12-horsepower Kohler. Fuel economy of 50 to 75 mpg was typical.
The Midget now had unit construction and was much more angular, somewhat resembling a shrunken Willys Jeepster. There was also some cargo space behind the seat and on an under-hood shelf. It had 5.70 by 8-inch tires.
The Midget鈥檚 small size presented a long-distance challenge to some owners. One was driven from Northern Michigan to Mexico City and back. Another was driven by a James B. Gilmer III from San Francisco to Atlantic City, New Jersey, in four days, 11聽hours and 21 minutes of driving time spread over seven days and three hours, covering a total of 4,985 km. Total cost was $26.35 for gasoline, oil and greasing.
Although King Midgets were too small to be considered real cars, they had an appealing novelty value that fostered the development of a cult following, and a King Midget club to keep the faith.
Although production ended in 1969, enthusiastic owners still gather each August at the King Midget Jamboree in Athens or other towns to swap tales, exchange parts and information and show their Midgets.
The King Midget was a small but interesting footnote in American automotive history.
Although definitely out of the mainstream, it managed to achieve total production of about 5,000 cars.