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  • Bubble car
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  • Tandem seats

Inter 175 A Berline

Also known as Inter 175A, Inter Autoscooter

A fuselage on three wheels, steered by a handlebar and started like a helicopter: you pull a lever while a flywheel whines up to speed, then slam it down and hope the engine catches before the battery gives out.

Pale green three-wheeler from the front, its single headlamp in the nose, a front wheel in its own wing and sale papers in the windscreen.
A green 1956 Inter 175 A Berline at RM Sotheby’s Paris sale, Les Invalides, in 2017.Photo: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

The spec plate

Inter 175 A Berline

Inter 175 A · Lyon

Built
1953–⁠1956Shown in October 1953; built in series from 1954 to the autumn of 1956, and a few to late 1958
Country
FranceBuilt in SNCAN’s Lyon works for AEMS of Saint-Ouen
Maker
AEMS, Saint-Ouen; built by SNCANAteliers Électro-Mécaniques de la Seine; the nationalised aircraft maker built it
Engine
175 cc Ydral two-stroke singleChain drive to the rear wheel; a Westinghouse Gyrostarter
Power
8 hpAbout 6 kW; 7 bhp at 5,000 rpm by Dredge
Length
3,000 mm1,350 mm wide
Weight
175 kgBy the Weiner museum’s card
Seats
1 + 1In tandem, under a side-hinged canopy
Wheels
3Two steered at the front, one driven at the back
Production
about 100 to 300About 300 in most sources, about 100 in Linz and Schrader
Survives
YesAbout 20 to 30
Top speed
80km/h80 km/hAbout 50 mph

How big is it?

True proportion

3.00 m

It is 30 mm longer than a Fiat 500, about 1.7 adults laid end to end.

  • 1.35 m wide
  • 175 kg: about two adults
  • About 0.9 m wide with the front wheels folded, on early cars
  • Two seats, one behind the other
Drawn at true proportion. The track is 3.6 metres long; the adult stands at the same scale. The Peel P50 is the smallest production car, on every page for comparison.

The story

History

Starting an Inter was a small performance. The driver pulled a lever on the floor, an electric motor spun a flywheel up to speed with a rising whine, and when the lever was slammed down a clutch handed the flywheel’s energy to the engine.12 The device was a Westinghouse Gyrostarter, an inertia starter of the helicopter type, and it ran off a 6 V motorcycle battery in the tail.123 If the engine did not fire, Richard Dredge writes, “by the time you’d repeated the process three or four times, the battery would be flat and you’d be stuck”.3 The same starter went into another French three-wheeler of the decade, the fibreglass P. Vallée Chantecler from Blois, whose owners had to hold the lever up for at least ten seconds.4

The car was built by an aircraft maker. In the early 1950s SNCAN, the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord, began work on an unorthodox “auto-scooter” designed on aeronautical principles, which the Weiner museum calls a kindred spirit of the Messerschmitt KR175.1 It was built in SNCAN’s works at Lyon and designed and sold by the Ateliers Électro-Mécaniques de la Seine, AEMS, of Saint-Ouen, a name the German Wikipedia and RM spell Électromagnétiques.1526 Dredge says SNCAN later became part of Aérospatiale.3 SNCAN was a nationalised aircraft maker, which puts the Inter among the aircraft makers’ microcars.152

A fuselage for two

AEMS introduced the Inter at the Paris Salon in the autumn of 1953.12 Period publicity photographs show three versions differing only in their canopies, and RM says the three styles on show included a convertible; the one that went into production was the Berline, with its domed roof and skylight.15 An open Torpedo was designed, but the Weiner museum says that few if any were made. Dredge, however, illustrates one: the fifth car off the production line, thought to be the only surviving Torpedo, with no weather equipment beyond an aeroscreen.13 A single-seater was rumoured, without evidence.1

The Berline is a bubble car, the Messerschmitt’s kindred spirit, and a three-wheeler with two steered wheels in front and one driven wheel behind.56 Two people sat in tandem under a canopy hinged at the side, on the left by the Weiner museum’s account.15 The pointed nose carried a single central headlamp.17 A 175 cc Ydral two-stroke single of 8 hp sat ahead of the rear wheel, with a chain to drive it and three speeds and reverse, and gave about 80 km/h (50 mph). Changing gear took a knack: the lever had to move sideways through a stop between each gear.1523

The steering bar with its vertical grips, was even more aircraft-like than the Messerschmitt, as was the pointed ‘fuselage’.

Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum, describing its 1955 Inter, about 2002.1

The early cars had another trick. Their front wheels were carried on outriggers that folded forwards under the car, taking the width from 1.35 m (4 ft 5 in) to about 0.9 m (3 ft). RM puts it as some 18 in less, to just 36 in.153 The Reyonnah, whose prototype dates from 1947, had front wheels that folded too.8 The feature was dropped on later cars, and RM says the majority were built with fixed suspension.153

Unreliable and costly

Dredge counts about 300 made “officially” between 1954 and 1956. The last series cars came in the autumn of 1956, but a few were still being assembled until late 1958.31 Two things finished it, in his account. One was its name for unreliability, which came mostly from the starter; Ydral, he says, took Westinghouse to court over its quality. The other was cost, because so many parts were unique to the car.3 Where it could, it borrowed: engine-cover hinges and a brake master cylinder from Renault, the wheels of the Lambretta LD scooter, a standard 7-inch headlamp and the trim strips on its flanks from a Panhard of the day.3

Designed for urban commuters, the Autoscooter was unreliable and costly, yet 300 people bought one.

Richard Dredge, Below the Radar.3

It is said that no two Inters are identical.52 What became of AEMS has not been found.

Cream upright handlebar grips on a maroon bar with a central badge, behind a curved windscreen, in a pale turquoise body.
The cockpit of an Inter 175 A Berline with the canopy open, showing its handlebar steering.Photo: Buch-t, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons
Cream three-wheeler with its whole glazed canopy lifted, showing two red seats one behind the other, on a tiled floor.
A cream Inter 175 A Berline with its canopy raised in the foyer at Époqu’Auto, Lyon, in 2025.Photo: Pemberlaid, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pale green three-wheeler side-on, chrome strake along its flank and a long pointed tail, on red and black carpet by an RM Sotheby’s card.
RM Sotheby’s 1956 Inter 175 A Berline side-on at Les Invalides, Paris, in 2017, its body tapering to the single rear wheel.Photo: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pictures

More photographs, old and new

The car 3

  • Pale green three-wheeler with a single headlamp in its rounded nose, separate front wings and a glazed domed canopy. Opens a larger view

    1 The pale green Inter 175 A Berline in the Louwman Museum, The Hague, in 2011.

  • Weathered blue three-wheeler set in painted waves before a sea backdrop with a fish and a crab. Opens a larger view

    2 A blue Inter 175 A Berline displayed in an underwater scene at Rétromobile, Paris, in 1994.

  • Cream small electric car lettered POSTES with a brown fabric top, a pale green canopied three-wheeler parked behind it. Opens a larger view

    3 The Louwman Museum’s Inter 175 A Berline behind a Peugeot VLV electric car in Postes livery, 2023.

Picture credits (3)
  1. 1 Alf van Beem, CC0
  2. 2 Andrew Bone, CC BY 2.0
  3. 3 Andrew Bone, CC BY 2.0

Variants

Three canopies, one in series

The Inter range
VariantYearsWhat differsHow many
175 A Berline1954–⁠56Side-hinged canopy, domed, with a skylight; the only type built in series, a few assembled to 1958Nearly all
Berline, folding wheels1953–⁠54Early cars: the front outriggers fold forward under the carA minority, says RM
Torpedo1953–⁠54Open, with an aeroscreen and no weather equipmentFew if any, says the Weiner museum; Dredge knows one survivor
Third show car1953Another make-up of the canopy, shown at the SalonShow only
Single-seater—Rumoured; no evidence foundNone confirmed

Specification

From the Weiner museum’s card unless noted

Engine and drive

EngineYdral single-cylinder two-stroke, 175 cc, ahead of the rear wheel15
Power8 hp (about 6 kW)1527 bhp at 5,000 rpm, says Dredge
GearboxThree speeds and reverse; the lever moves sideways through a stop between each gear12
Final driveChain to the single rear wheel5
StarterWestinghouse Gyrostarter, on a 6 V motorcycle battery beside the tank in the tail13

Body and chassis

StructureNo separate chassis; a steel body
SuspensionPaulstra rubber at the front, Niemann rubber at the rear
BrakesCableDredge’s Renault brake master cylinder suggests hydraulics on some cars
SteeringRack and pinion, with a handlebar of vertical grips
Wheels4.00 × 8, from the Lambretta LD scooter13

Dimensions

Length3,000 mm
Width1,350 mm; about 900 mm with the wheels folded1RM: narrowed by some 18 in to just 36 in
Weight175 kg (386 lb)

Performance and running

Top speed80 km/h (50 mph)13
Electrics6 V13
Price newNot found

How many were built?

Every figure, with its source

About 100 to 300 builtAbout 300 is the figure usually quoted, and the Weiner museum says a few hundred; the German reference book gives about 100. None is documented.1

  1. about 3001953–⁠56 by RM and Lane; made “officially” 1954–⁠56 by DredgeUnconfirmed

    RM Sotheby’s, 2018; Lane Motor Museum; Richard Dredge, Below the Radar523

  2. about 100Inters in allUnconfirmed

    German Wikipedia, citing Linz and Schrader’s encyclopaedia6

  • Two sources agreetwo good sources give the figure
  • One sourcea good source, alone
  • Unconfirmeda lead only, not yet checked

Famous for

Three points

  1. Started like a helicopter

    A Westinghouse Gyrostarter: spin a flywheel up with a whine, then slam the lever down.

  2. Handlebar steering

    Vertical grips on a steering bar, even more aircraft-like than the Messerschmitt’s, said the Weiner museum.

  3. Wheels that fold

    On early cars the front outriggers folded under the body, cutting the width from 1.35 m to about 0.9 m.

Survivors and collecting

Today

About 20 to 30 Inters survive.1523 Dredge says the lack of working starters is the main reason most of them are off the road.3 One is in the Louwman Museum at The Hague, and Lane, in Nashville, has a 1956 Berline.62 The Weiner museum bought its car fully restored, in England.1 The open Torpedo that Dredge illustrates, the fifth car off the line, is thought to be the only one left.3 No club for the marque has been found (more in museums and meets).

Rarity has made it valuable. At RM Auctions’ sale of the Weiner museum in 2013 a 1955 Berline made $161,000, one of the highest prices of the sale.9 In 2018 a 1957 Berline, chassis 1207, from the Bruce Weiner Microcar Collection, restored over three years to concours standard in turquoise green with red vinyl and white piping, sold for $84,000.5

At auction
CarSalePrice
1955 Inter 175A BerlineRM Auctions, Weiner museum sale, 20139$161,000
A BerlineRM Sotheby’s, Rétromobile sale, Paris, 2017, by Dredge’s report3€78,400
1957 Berline, chassis 1207RM Sotheby’s, Amelia Island, 2018, lot 1205$84,000
Pale green three-wheeler with a domed, many-windowed canopy and chrome side strake, seen from the side in a museum.
The pale green 1955 Inter 175 A Berline in the Louwman Museum, The Hague, in 2023.Photo: Andrew Bone, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr

Sources

Numbered as in the text

No period road test and no French primary source has been read; the story rests on museum, auction and collector sources. Sources are given as plain text; the links are on the Credits page.

  1. Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum, “1955 Inter 175 A Berline”, tour page (© 2002), read in full.
  2. Lane Motor Museum, “Inter 175A Berline – 1956”, collection page, read in full.
  3. Richard Dredge, “SNCAN Inter 175A Autoscooter”, Below the Radar, read in full.
  4. RM Auctions, The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum, Madison, Georgia, 2013, lot 284, “1956 Paul Vallée”, catalogue text, on the Chantecler’s Gyrostarter.
  5. RM Sotheby’s, Amelia Island, March 2018, lot 120, “1957 Inter 175A Berline”, chassis 1207, catalogue text, read in full.
  6. German Wikipedia, Inter (Automarke), read in full; it cites Linz and Schrader, and Georgano’s Beaulieu Encyclopedia, not seen.
  7. English Wikipedia, Inter Autoscooter, read in full.
  8. Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum, “1950 Reyonnah”, tour page, on the Reyonnah’s folding front wheels.
  9. Report on RM Auctions’ sale of the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum, Madison, Georgia, 15–16 February 2013.