Soletta 750 1956 Cream

Soletta 750 1956 Cream by Autocult

The experimental Vehicle  
The Swiss Engineer Willi Ernst Salzmann addressed himself extensively to the design of vehicle axles. On his idea of an “elastic axle of motor vehicles” he received a patent. Due to the upcoming small car era of the 1950s, he wanted to monetize his idea by offering his axle design to the car industry.   In the course of the Geneva Motor Show, in the midst of the latest cars at that time, Ing. Salzmann wanted to present his axle design in 1956. But since just the ‘plain’ axle as a demonstration object would hardly attract enough attention, he decided to install it in a small car. In 1955, he began to build his own car, using the chassis and front suspension of a Renault 4CV. As a drive his company “Ingenieurbureau für Fahrzeugbau, Solothurn” went for a boxer engine of the company ‘Condor’. A four-stroke engine with 750cc and an output of 22 hp with a three-speed transmission. The special feature of the air-cooled boxer engine was the design of the motor unit swinging arm which was placed directly above the rear axle. This component also featured Willi Ernst Salzmann’s patented axle design and was the real reason for the construction of the car.   The car got the name ‘Soletta 750’ and was presented at two exhibitions, the Geneva Motor Show and the Paris Motor Show. Some of the experts and representatives of the car industry were very interested in his innovation and it is said that his office received several hundred inquiries at that time, but in the end none of them led to a licensing agreement.