The Stranger Ranger by Burt Reif are simple cut-outs. With the optional top and side curtains, ease of entry and exit would be like that of a similarly attired Lotus Seven. But this car no longer has its top or side curtains, just some oddly shaped holes and lots of snaps.
“Does it float?” “No” “What is it?” “A Ranger Cub” “Oh. Where’s it from?” “England” “Can I take a picture?”
The driver controls things from the sidewalk side of the car, so a passenger is not needed for conversation, just a stoplight and pedestrians. As with any Mini, however, it is nice to have a passenger to do the smiling and waving while the driver is driving.
Drivers from nearby vehicles also strike up conversations using their Then the light changes, and I’m off to the passenger as an intermediary or next stoplight conversation. shouting from their perches on the far In its present configuration, the only protec- side of their voice muffling vehicles equipped with windows, tops and soft tion from the elements is the windshield. So the interior is controlled by the climate interiors. rather than climate controlled. According to Maximum Mini, the authoritative website and three volume The doors have no moving parts, as they book set for information on hundreds, 6
yes hundreds, of vehicles containing rounds on the internet: The Pandemic motivating bits from a Mini, about 18 Project. I had caught the Mini variant. Ranger Cub three wheelers and 2 four wheelers were produced. Also, I wanted to save the little fiberglass, boat-looking, three-wheeled car This particular one is very photogenic, from Jeremy and Paul’s fantasies of appearing in “googled” images from making it actually float. Floating cars both sides of the pond. and flying cars are a lot like the concept of multi-tasking ; they do many Jeff Drago provided for its passage things in a lackluster manner. along with a four-wheeled Hustler (Hustler’s other option was six (continued on page 8) wheels) to the U.S. After their tenure with Jeff, they both ended up with Jeremy because, well you know, he’s Jeremy. I had been ogling it for a while, finding it quite stylish from some angles and totally ridiculous from others. It disappeared into some kind of quasi ownership/storage for a while, but then was back taking up room again at JET Motors. In the spring of 2020 an idea more contagious than COVID 19 was making the 7
