Iconic Vehicles at Next House Copenhagen
Take a journey through time in the lobby of Next House Copenhagen.
Nimbus - Denmark´s Only Series-produced Motorcycle
Nimbus was a Danish motorcycle brand produced from 1919 to 1960 by ’Fisker and Nielsen’, which also produces Nilfisk vacuums and other industrial cleaning machines.
Denmark’s only series-produced motorcycle, which was produced in two different versions, both with a 4-cylinder inline engine of 750 cc, is remarkable in several ways.
Together with H.M. Nielsen, P.A. Fisker produced electric motors, and from around 1910 the first vacuum cleaners in Europe. Fisker believed he could develop a motorcycle with his own special design and in late 1918, he decided to build a prototype.
"Kakkelovnsrøret" and "Humlebien"
It had a 4-cylinder inline engine with a displacement of 746 cc, which pulled the rear wheel through a driveshaft instead of a chain drive as most other motorcycles had, and still have. Its approximately 10 horsepower gave it a top speed of around 85 km/h with a sidecar attached.
It had suspension on both the front and rear wheels, and it got the nickname ”Kakkelovnsrøret” (the tile stove pipe) early on due to the fuel tank’s shape in a thick pipe, which also was a part of the frame construction.
Two more machines were made in 1919, but mass production did not start until 1920, after the company ’Fisker & Nielsen’ had been formed. Its distinctive exhaust sound quickly gave it the nickname ’Humlebien’ (the bumblebee).
Both the postal service, the military, and the police were major customers. From the mid-1930s until about 20 years ago, Denmark was teeming with Nimbuses with sidecars.
The police rode on them, the postal service rode on them, there is even a stamp with it, and the military rode on them. Not to mention the countless courier companies and small businesses that rode Nimbuses with sidecars.
From the Police to Next House Copenhagen
The Danish army bought around 20% of the total production, and the postal service bought a lot and used them as late as 1976.
However, the police, who were also a major customer, phased out the Nimbus quite early, in the late 1950s, as they were too slow to catch up with modern cars and motorcycles; the top speed of the solo motorcycle was only 120 km/h, and that only for a short ’sprint’.
As the interest in small cars increased in the late 1950s, because of these becoming cheaper and thus easier to acquire, the interest in motorcycles and therefore the sales of Nimbus decreased, which stopped in 1960 when the last delivery to the army was made.
Of the approximately 12,000 produced Nimbuses, there are still more than 4,000 registered and probably roadworthy in Denmark alone, as well as possibly a few 100 outside Denmark, mostly in Germany and the USA.
Perhaps around 4,000 more are certainly still in museums and collections, which are not registered. Here in the lobby at Next House Copenhagen, a beautiful example from 1954 is on display.
Morgan - An Iconic Beauty on the Road
HFS Morgan founded Morgan Motor Company in 1909 in England. Morgan’s first four-wheeled motor came in 1935. For most of its history, the Morgan family has owned the company.
The exhibited car is a Morgan +4 from 1964.
The popular Morgan +4 was first produced in 1936 and is still produced today. Thus, the Morgan +4 is the car that has had the longest production time in the world.
Every time a new model is made, these three core elements are used: tree, aluminum, and leather. Every single model must be unique and hand-built to the highest standard.
Hand Assembled and Built on a Wooden Frame
The Morgan car factory is based in Malvern Link, an area in Malvern, Worcestershire, and employs approximately 220 people today. Morgan produces 850 cars per year, all assembled by hand.
The waiting list for a car is long and has sometimes been as long as ten years.
Morgan cars are unusual in that wood has been used in their construction for a century and is still used in the 21st century to frame the body.
The production of the Morgan Plus 4 ran from 1950 to 1969. It was revived in 1985 and filled the gap between the 4/4 and Plus 8 until 2000.
It was produced again from 2005 until it was replaced in 2020 by the ’completely new’ Plus Four built on an aluminum platform.
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