Tax Evader

Tax Evader

I purchased a collection of Heinkel parts recently and found this gear selector indicator:

Heinkel Car Gear Shift Selector

Notice anything missing?

It turns out that in the UK you could register a three wheeled vehicle as a motorcycle and pay less road tax. It must have been significant (or the purchasers of the vehicles were stingy) because there was a catch- the vehicle could not have a reverse gear.

Microcar manufacturers appear to have removed the reverse option in several ways:

1. Don’t install a reverse gear;
2. Make the cable or shift linkage in a way that it was impossible to access reverse (or fourth gear, take your pick);
3. Make a shift selector that precludes shifting into reverse.

I’ve experienced the latter two. My first car had either 4^th or reverse (not both) until I installed a longer cable from the UK club. And now here’s an example of a no-reverse shifter gate.

Heinkel Gear Selectors

Does anyone need one for an “authentic” restoration?