This Is What It's Like to Drive the Worst Car in the World, the Hoffmann

To make things worse, the occupying allied forces imposed severe restrictions on what kind of cars could be built. As a result, most manufacturers started out with small motorcycle engines.

If you thought the Isetta 300 was weird, check out this 1951 Hoffmann, which dates to roughly the same period.

Somebody at Jalopnik had a friend at the Lane Motor Museum, and he managed to get behind the wheel of the Hoffmann. The result is a hilarious video where we learn about the worst car ever made.

This dinky little aluminum bug is not awful by accident, it's awful by intentional design. Only a Russian contortionist can get behind the wheel, but she would lack the strength needed to operate the controls.

Of course, being a car made in the early 50s, the Hoffmann is wildly interesting at first glance. The body is fabricated from aluminum in a very streamlined design. It looks like a steampunk ladybug with wheels made by the Zeppelin people.

Some of the parts mister M. Hoffman used are off the shelf, like the front axle, an army surplus component from the Kubelwagen. But the really weird part is at the back. Not only does that single wheel power the car, but it also takes care of the steering. It's mounted like a rudder, with an ILO 200cc engine sharing a simple pivot mechanism. That alone has to be the most retarded feature ever fitted to a car.

Not only does the rear-wheel steering design take up half the usable space inside the car, but it also makes the Hoffmann very unstable, even at pedestrian speeds. The gas filler also goes through the inside of the car for absolutely no reason and comes complete with a fume-leaky rubber cuff.