The energy-fraught 1970s were dark days for performance cars. But a handful of entrepreneurial mavericks responded with innovative vehicle designs. Aspiring niche automakers sprung up with alternative transportation machines that promised excellent fuel economy.
Dave Edmonson, based in Burnsville, Minn., introduced the HMV Freeway in 1979. Edmonson believed there was no need to waste space on additional seats when nearly all commuters traveled solo. Thus, the single-seat, three-wheel runabout for sale on eBay for $6,200.
HMV Freeway = Triple-Digit Fuel Economy
The primary selling feature of the Freeway was fuel thriftiness. HM Vehicles—the acronym is for “high mileage”—guaranteed an impressive 100 mpg, or buyers got their money back. (That guarantee came with caveats bigger than the car.)
One of two possible small air-cooled single-cylinder engines powered the 100-mpg model. Tecumseh, a manufacturer better known for making lawn mower engines, provided the two gasoline engines—with 12 or 16 horsepower—used in the Freeway. There was also a four-horsepower electric motor that could deliver around 20 miles of range on a single charge.
Achieving triple-digit efficiency required a steady-state 40-mile-per-hour trip. Despite that detail, the promise of ground-breaking mileage was intriguing enough for around 700 Freeways to find homes between 1979 and 1982.
The HMV Freeway’s bare bones interior.
The Freeway’s no-frills cabin was bare fiberglass surrounding the single non-adjustable seat. HM used a continuously variable transmission (CVT) found in many snowmobiles. After all, HM Vehicles’ home base was Minnesota. There was no reverse gear. However, the 700-pound Freeway was easy to push backward.
You Can’t Fight City Hall
Actress Karen Burch piloting a Peel P50 in London, circa 1962.
HM Vehicles was not alone in offering a high-mileage single-seater. Britain’s Peel P50, offered in the 1960s, was highlighted in a memorable spot by Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear. He drove the minuscule Peel through the offices of the BBC.
More recent iterations include the Electra Meccanica SOLO, an electric three-wheel single-seater that made its way to customers in the past year.
Automakers producing niche one-seat cars haven’t had much luck breaking from the tradition of four wheels and at least two seats. That’s what HMV discovered. Americans were happy to return to larger cars when the economy stabilized, and fuel prices fell back to earth. Facing financial difficulties, the company closed shop in 1982.
However, with a renewed interest in throwback vehicles from the 1980s, an enthusiast might enjoy rolling up to car events (or gas stations) in this funky HMV Freeway for sale on eBay. Besides, with gas prices on a roller-coaster ride these days, a functional 100-mpg commuter car looks tempting.
