Description
The Glas Buckle Goggomobil 250 Dart was one of the most distinctive and unusual cars to carry the Goggomobil name, and it holds a unique place in both German and Australian automotive history. Produced between 1959 and 1961, the Dart was not built in Germany by Glas, but rather in Australia by Buckle Motors, which had secured the rights to assemble and sell Goggomobil cars locally. The Dart was Buckle’s own creation, a tiny two-seat roadster that used Goggomobil mechanicals but was given an entirely original fiberglass sports car body.
The design of the Goggomobil Dart was striking and playful, almost cartoonish in its proportions. With no doors, owners had to climb over the sides into the cabin, adding to its quirky character. The rounded front, protruding headlights, and sweeping curves gave it a futuristic yet whimsical appearance, while the rear tapered into a boat-tail style that enhanced its sporty personality. The entire body was made of lightweight fiberglass, a material Buckle Motors had already experimented with in its racing specials. Its small scale and unique styling quickly made it one of the most memorable microcars ever produced.
Inside, the Dart was as simple as it was unconventional. The two-seat cockpit was minimal, with basic upholstery, a small steering wheel, and a dashboard limited to just the essential gauges. There was little in the way of comfort, and luggage space was virtually nonexistent, but practicality was never the Dart’s aim. Instead, it offered Australian drivers a fun, cheap, and cheerful way to enjoy open-air motoring in an era when cars of this type were almost non-existent locally.
Underneath the flamboyant bodywork, the Dart borrowed its mechanicals directly from the German Goggomobil microcars. The 250 model was powered by a 247 cc two-stroke, two-cylinder engine producing around 13 horsepower, paired with a four-speed manual gearbox. With a curb weight of under 400 kg, the Dart could reach a top speed of around 90 km/h (56 mph). While its performance was modest, the car’s featherlight build and tiny footprint made it lively and enjoyable in city driving. Later versions were offered with the larger 300 cc engine from the Goggomobil TS 300, providing a slight boost in power.
The Dart was never meant to be a mass-market car. It was aimed at young, adventurous drivers who wanted something fun and affordable. Its unusual looks, lack of doors, and open-air design made it stand out in the conservative Australian car market of the time, and it quickly became something of a cultural icon. While not produced in large numbers—estimates suggest just over 700 Darts were built in total—it developed a loyal following and remains one of the most recognizable Australian cars of the era.
Today, the Glas Buckle Goggomobil Dart is considered a classic oddity and is highly collectible. Its rarity, quirky styling, and unique Australian-German connection make it especially prized among microcar enthusiasts. Surviving examples often attract attention at shows, where their unusual design and cheerful personality make them crowd favorites. More than just a novelty, the Dart represents the creativity and resourcefulness of Buckle Motors in adapting a humble German microcar into one of the most distinctive sports cars of its time. It stands as both an eccentric chapter in the Goggomobil story and an important piece of Australia’s motoring heritage.