Lot 153: 1961 Heinkel Tourist 103 A2

One of Germany�s foremost aircraft manufacturers, Heinkel turned to the production of scooters and �bubble cars� after WW2, one of its most successful two-wheeled ventures being the Tourist scooter. The Tourist was a common sight on German roads during the 1950s, even the police used them, and such was Heinkel�s faith in their product that it offered gold plaques to owners whose machines passed the 100,000 kilometres mark. Unlike its major Italian rivals, which were two-stroke powered, the Tourist used a 150cc overhead-valve four-stroke engine developing 7.2bhp. The original Tourist 101 was superseded by the 175cc models 102 and 103, whose engine was also used in the �cabin scooter� bubble car. With 9.2bhp on tap, the larger Tourists were good for a top speed of around 57mph. This most elegant of German-built scooters was acquired by Professor Ehn in 1972 but because of some minor faults was never ridden. Kept in storage since acquisition, the machine is offered with original owner�s manual and Austrian Einzelgenehmigung.