Descrizione
Zündapp Janus was a type of midget car manufactured by Zündapp in 1957 and 1958. In 1954, Zündapp decided to produce cars as well as motorcycles. Because the development costs for their own car would be too high, they studied a few designs from Kroboth, Brütsch and Fuldamobil, among others, before deciding on a design from Dornier (Dornier Delta).
Because the front and back of the car were so similar, the car was named after the Roman god Janus, the two-faced god. In the Janus, the front and rear seats were rotated 180° in relation to each other so that the passengers faced the rear. The doors were not on the side, as was usual, but on the front and rear of the vehicle, which made it very difficult for the driver to get in and out, since the steering wheel could not be folded away like on the BMW Isetta. When the front and rear seats were folded, they could serve as a double bed.
The car's engine was located in the center of the car between the front and rear seats. It was a 245 cc, single-cylinder, two-stroke engine that produced 14 hp. The top speed of the Janus was around 80 km/ h.
Production of the Janus began in June 1957 but ceased in 1958 after the factory was sold to Bosch. A total of 6902 Zundapp Janussen were produced.
