These were made between 1928 and 1931 from what I can figure out, and they were powered by a 12 volt General Electric motor powered by 2 batteries under the hood.
The Cootie was a success primarily used for transportation at beach front boardwalks & by amusement parks as a kids bumper car
Notice how the first and second black and white photo are the same car as this color photo I took of a Coney Island bumper car, just a small bumper addition difference
All three of the above examples are the Cootie Car model, from about 1931
I think I've posted all three of these photos (found on http://www.atomicantiques.com/) before but seperately, not realizing that they were Custer Cars
Levitt Custer was inventive, and 1st awarded a patent in 1912 at the age of 24, for his Statoscope which registered the rise and fall of an aircraft. Approved and preferred over the competition by the Army and Navy it was Levitt's financial and professional stepping stone into business and creative success.
Custer had been working out of the old barn behind his home until 1916, that's when he decided to start his own company and had a four-story brick building constructed, on the second floor became an oceanarium, on the fourth floor he made the first indoor miniature golf course.
About 1925, he'd developed the Custer Park Car as an as an amusement park ride, the car was battery-operated and since it could be used on any track, it was immediately popular with amusement park operators who realized they could capitalize on the national craze for amusement parks by converting any vacant lot into a Custer Car Speedway.
Levitt Custer's was inventive, and 1st awarded a patent in 1912 at the age of 24, for his Statoscope which registered the rise and fall of an aircraft. Approved and preferred over the competition by the Army and Navy it was Levitt's financial and professional stepping stone into business and creative success.
Custer had been working out of the old barn behind his home until 1916, that's when he decided to start his own company and had a four-story brick building constructed, on the second floor became an oceanarium, on the fourth floor he made the first indoor miniature golf course.
About 1925, he'd developed the Custer Park Car as an as an amusement park ride, the car was battery-operated and since it could be used on any track, it was immediately popular with amusement park operators who realized they could capitalize on the national craze for amusement parks by converting any vacant lot into a Custer Car Speedway.
Custer's next success was the Custer "C" Cycle, a small, paddlewheel-propelled watercraft, that was also a popular ride at amusement parks. In the 1930's, Custer patented one of his greatest inventions, the Custer Car, which not meant for amusement parks. The Custer Car was a three-wheel motor vehicle with a small turning radius. Available with a gasoline motor or battery-operated, the car came with an unusual type of transmission: The driver moved the steering handle forward or backward, and the car would move in that direction.
The electric model was designed to be used by invalids as a sort of self-propelled wheelchair. It would travel 10 to 15 miles before it needed recharging and was quiet compared with its gasoline equivalent. This led to motorized sightseeing cars that were used during the 1939 World's Fair in New York. http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/1996/11/04/editorial2.html