What in the World Is a 1985 Replicar Cursor?

Scratching your head and not because it’s itchy? Same. So what exactly is this itty-bitty yellow-ish thing taking up an itty-bitty corner of Facebook, tucked within the Cary Illinois Buy & Sell group? Well, the UFO-lookalike is a 1985 Replicar Cursor. Oh, stop making that face. It’ll stay that way, you know (according to moms everywhere). 

If it looks like a kid’s toy, that’s because it kinda sorta is. Back in the early ’80s, Alan Hatswell designed a three-wheel microcar that required only a moped license to operate. Why? According to Mecum Auctions, this was so 16-year-olds could gain real-world driving experience on U.K. roads for a full year before being legally allowed to apply for a vehicle license. 

Distributed by Kent-based Replicar Ltd, which Hatswell owned, the Cursor was offered in single- and two-seat configurations. Although Hatswell’s heart was in the right place, the Cursor had a short shelf life by default. Once you get your full-fledged driving license, why go back to the boxed-in moped? You’re off to bigger and better things! With more seats! And power!

The Cursor features a hinged canopy for a door, and its body is made of reinforced fiberglass that is mounted onto a square-tube chassis. To keep things off-beat (actually, to minimize production costs), paint wasn’t sprayed on. Instead, pigments were applied to the fiberglass shell during manufacturing, creating a self-coloring effect. Of course, because traditional painting methods weren’t used, the colors tended to fade and distort after prolonged sunlight exposure.

Also, the Cursor was expensive for its time. Brightwells, a global auction site, said the microcar cost 2,200 British pounds ($2,831)—more than double the 1,000 GBP needed for a standard moped. After a short run, cursor production ceased circa 1987.

There’s debate over exactly how many were sold. Some say a total of 100 made their way into the hands of first-time drivers. Others suggest that the number refers to the single-seaters sold, like the one listed on Facebook. Although a two-seater Cursor was available, the consensus is that its sales numbers did not reach double digits.

The Facebook seller himself is unsure of how many were made but claims his vehicle is number 37. No VIN plate or related paperwork is shown so *shrug*? But it’s definitely a Cursor. There’s a bit of undercarriage rust but its overall body appears to be in good shape. The seller admits the vehicle hasn’t been driven in years but that the engine, a single-cylinder 50cc Suzuki CS50 power unit, has a spark and will turn over. Just add fluids.

Note that classic car archives list the engine as being 49cc and not 50cc, but at that size, it’s likely inconsequential. With a three-speed transmission, the Cursor had a moped-matching top speed of 26 mph. Of course, find a hill and let gravity do its thing, and the vehicle will spin its wheels a bit faster. The fuel economy was epic, though, and said to be around 90 mpg. Granted, there was little room for added weight in the form of bags or trinkets. There isn’t even a cupholder. Just you, your moped pretending to be a spacecraft and the road.

Not likely to be road-legal in the U.S. or possibly in the U.K. anymore, Replicar Cursor No. 37 is being sold out of Cary, Illinois, which is about 50 miles northwest of Chicago. The vehicle odometer shows 4,501 miles; the listing says 4,900. But if you don’t care about vehicle titles or mileage, have a soft spot for obscure cars, and have $5,500 sitting in a no-interest savings account, some guy in the Midwest wants to sell you a British guy’s dream.