From the Palisades Amusement Park: 1954 IHLE Schottenring Car

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Bidding Starts At

$10,000

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TIME LEFT

4D 16HRS

ENDING

Mon, Mar 16th, 4:00pm

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STATUS

WATCHERS

30

VIEWS

3904

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Comments: 9

Vehicle Location

Sandusky, Ohio 44870

Seller

davidheldt

VIN

016

Odometer

N/A

Engine

Kohler 305-cc L-head four-stroke single

Transmission

Automatic

Body Style

Convertible

Exterior Color

Red and black

Interior

Black vinyl

Auction Type

Reserve

This 1954 IHLE Schottenring car was built in Germany, expressly for amusement park tracks. This example was employed at the Palisades Amusement Park, high up on the Bergen County, New Jersey cliffs facing Manhattan, from 1955-1971, when the park closed. The seller’s research says the Schottenring cars were stored until the early 1980s and then sold to the public. He found this one for sale in Hemmings Motor News in March 1984 and bought it from a collector in New York State, needing a full restoration. (Boomer bonus fact: The 1962 song Palisades Park, written by Chuck Barris and made a #3 Billboard 100 hit by Freddy Cannon, was about this Jersey attraction.)

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“The car was heavily damaged from storage, and it appeared to have been partially underwater for some time,” he explains. “I completely disassembled the car and replaced the floorpan and four inches of lower body all the way around. The fenders were solid but dented. It took weeks of work to restore them to original shape.” The original 7-horsepower Hirth 125-cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine was beyond repair, so he replaced it with an 8-horsepower Kohler K181 four-stroke single, making this a bit of a restomod. The original cars used push start, with a bored and underpaid teenage amusement park worker doing the pushing. The seller made this IHLE electric start, with a dash-mounted key switch like a grown-up car. As from the factory, there is no transmission, just a small torque converter and chain drive to the rear axle.

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The seller completed his restoration in 1985 and continued to tweak the car over the years. He made the headlights functional and added working taillights, including brake lights, from the IHLE’s fellow German citizen, a Volkswagen Beetle. There are even turn signals to let kids on bicycles know you are turning. He describes the car as mechanically sound with some minor wear but in overall good condition.



The IHLE Schottenring car’s origin story has a very-BMW connection. Frank and Thomas Ihle had built racecars based on the Dixie, the tiny Austin Seven that BMW built under license in the 1920s. The brothers are credited with developing the signature BMW kidney grille for their racers. After selling their racecar business to BMW, they went even smaller, making cars for amusement parks with their new company, Gebr. Ihle (Ihle Brothers), also known as IHLE.

 

FEATURES

• This 1954 IHLE Schottenring car was restored and modified from stock.
• It is fully drivable, but probably not street legal.
• The floorpan was fully replaced.
• Rusted metal was replaced on the body’s lower 4 inches, all the way around.
• The body was restored and repainted with acrylic enamel in 1985.
• Dents in the original fenders were repaired.
• A Kohler 305-cc L-head single replaced the original Hirth 125-cc two-stroke single.
• The new engine makes 8 hp versus 7 hp originally, so it’s a bit of a restomod.
• The seller made a custom wood dash to house the ignition switch, choke knob, and horn.
• The steering wheel appears to be original.
• The engine uses electric start, with a key switch on the dash.
• The seller also replaced the torque converter.
• The exterior handle on the driver’s side works the cable-operated rear brakes.
• (“Rockford turns,” anyone?)
• Rack-and-pinion steering ups the handling.
• The seller made the headlights functional.
• He installed taillights, brake lights, and turn signals for safer driving.
• The 93-inch car fits in any garage or backyard shed, and some pickup truck beds.

COMES WITH

• No extras are indicated for this 1954 IHLE Schottenring car.

 

NEEDS

• This German former amusement park car has no current problems, according to the seller.

OVERVIEW

• This German-built 1954 IHLE Schottenring car has been restored and modified.
• It spent about 17 years working at New Jersey’s Palisades Amusement Park.
• The seller did considerable metal work to restore the tiny car.
• It was painted with acrylic enamel in 1985.
• He swapped out the broken two-stroke single for a Kohler K181 four-stroke.
• Working lights all around make this car road-ready, if not exactly road-legal.
• He describes the car as in good condition with some wear, and running well.

 

DOCUMENTATION

The seller states that this vehicle will be sold on a bill of sale for the proper transfer of ownership. This 1954 IHLE Schottenring car had a 17-year career giving fun times for kids and adults at New Jersey’s famous Palisades Amusement Park park until it closed in 1971. The seller bought it from a collector in 1984 and essentially restomodded it, restoring the body and giving it an engine transplant. If you ever rode something like this as a kid and fantasized about driving it out of the park, this might be your chance to make that dream come true.

Photos

EXTERIOR

 

 

+12

INTERIOR

 

ENGINE

 

CHASSIS

TAGS & DOCUMENTATION

 

Comments (9)

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HowardLB 2 hours ago Interesting looking amusement park ride. The front of the car is similar to a 1950 Studebaker Bullet Nose.

Seller davidheldt

3 hours ago RE: @OldNed The pedal that you see is the accelerator pedal. As you push it, it releases the brakes, and accelerates the engine. In the pictures marked 'interior' you can see an outside lever with a white top on the drivers side. It is directly connected to the floor pedal. Pushing it forward releases the brakes and accelerated the car the same as the floor pedal. Pulling it back slows the engine and applies the brakes. In addition to the lever, there is a spring under the car to assist.