1976 William Cyclo, Louise Barrett

Meet Tessa, the 1976/77 William Cyclo, bought by Louise at 3am when she was mid-nightshift on the Covid area of A&E. 

One of two known William Cyclos in existence, Tessa is the only road registered version in the world. She is a microcar, run from a 49cc engine, with no reverse gear and a tiny turning circle.

Tessa has two seats and a pedal on the passenger side. Louise says: “Not only can you share the fun with a friend, but you can have them ‘work’ for it, in the form of pedalling her when she runs out of petrol - but she only pedals forward.”

Louise is unable to trailer Tessa to shows, so drives her to them all. The longest journey taken so far is a 40-mile round trip. On every single car show adventure, the AA has been called out for some form of roadside repair. The latest escapade involved a 20mph max speed on the A3 - shutting a lane, the fire brigade, contact with the British Transport Police, the AA, and a push into the competition. Unfortunately, Louise was then disqualified as she was over three hours late.

Despite all the tribulations, Louise adores her fun-size car. She has even started collecting photos of Tessa with the AA and Surrey Fire and Rescue crews. 

Louise says: “Although I’m often laughed at and no-one expects a woman to pop out of her when I pull up, I am most definitely a proud owner.”