The Clipper was developed by inventor David Gottlieb. Engineer Gilbert Jepson designed the chassis, while Hordern-Richmond, an aircraft engineering firm, manufactured the body.

It had:

• Three wheels, with one steering wheel in front

• A 346 cc Villiers single-cylinder two-stroke engine

• About 8 horsepower

• A three-speed gearbox

• A claimed top speed of roughly 40 mph

• Claimed fuel economy of 60 to 70 mpg

• A weight of about 672 pounds

The body consisted of fiberglass panels bonded together over a steel chassis.

Fiberglass offered several advantages: It wouldn’t rust, less expensive factory tooling than stamped steel, color could be placed directly into the material, so no painting. And it was light enough for a small motorcycle engine to move.

Advertisements rather optimistically described the body as “indestructible.” It may have been Britain’s first production car with a fiberglass body.

The advertised price was about £268 including purchase tax (£9,500 or $12,700 in today’s dollars).

The Clipper’s basic idea made sense: use a light, rustproof body, a small engine, simple mechanical parts, and extremely low fuel consumption. But he actual vehicle suffered from poor execution.

The V-belt transmission was unreliable. The fiberglass molds caused repeated production delays and had to be remade.

Hordern-Richmond eventually sought more money for the bodies, but the Clipper’s low selling price left almost no room for higher production costs.

The project was abandoned during 1955.