c.1950 Whizzer 2 1/2hp, Engine no. H-116862

c.1950 Whizzer 2 1/2hp
Engine no. H-116862
Introduced in the USA in 1939 by the Breene-Taylor Engineering Company, a Los Angeles, California-based airplane parts manufacturer, the Whizzer bicycle engine kit was produced through until 1965. Said engine was first sold as kit to 'clip on a bicycle frame,' preferably a frame that was made by Schwinn, that the kit customer would source. The do-it-yourself Whizzer kit motor was also produced in Belgium and Luxembourg for the European market. After sales of about 2,500 kits the company was sold to a Dietrich Kohisatt and Martin Goldman. The 138 cc side-valve, 2-1/2 horsepower, single Whizzer engine drove the rear wheel by means of a belt-driven friction roller beneath the bottom bracket. 'After WW2, by which time the design had been refined to incorporate belt drive to the rear wheel, the Whizzer could be purchased as a complete machine with Schwinn-designed frame' and called the 'Pacemaker.' It was popular in its day, particularly with teenagers, but ultimately could not compete with the more-modern, forward-looking Japanese lightweights, and disappeared in the 1960s. Today the Whizzer enjoys cult status and is highly sought after by collectors.

This handsome Schwinn-framed Whizzer is nicely constructed and in very good shape. Its story is unknown for there is no history file.