When gasoline hit the ridiculous price of $1.00/gallon in the late 1970s, car manufacturers were asking themselves the question, “Is there a better way?” One such company was H-M-Vehicles, Inc., whose solution to the problem was the Freeway. It was a 3-wheel, fiberglass-bodied car that carried just one passenger but could get up to 100 mpg. Apparently, the idea didn’t fly with consumers, and only 700 were built before they closed up shop (open 1979 to 1982). This 1981 example has been sitting in a carport for 25 years and hopes to be in service again someday. Located in Clarkrange, Tennessee, this little oddity is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $8,900.
The company’s name stands for High Mileage Vehicles, and the Freeway may be the only thing they ever built out of Burnsville, Minnesota. Four sources of power were developed: a 12 hp gas engine, a 16 hp gas engine, a 4 hp electric motor, and a diesel (which was never put into production). If you could drive at a steady 40 mph with one of these cars, the company swore you could get 100 miles per gallon out of the 12 hp gas engine version with a 3-gallon gas tank (a 10-gallon tank was extra). The freeway is probably the last place I would want to drive one of these, especially on a windy day.
For gasoline models, the engine sat behind the driver and used a CVT belt transmission not unlike that of a snowmobile. The final drive was a chain, and there was no reserve gear. A fiberglass body surrounded the welded tubular frame, and the vehicle only had one headlight, which enabled it to be registered as a motorcycle in some states. Most came finished in red, yellow, or orange, but the seller’s version is a seafoam green.
We’re told this Freeway has seen 10,000 miles of use, so it didn’t begin living in a garage until about 25 years ago. No mention is made if it runs or what it would take to get it going. But the design was simple, so a shade tree mechanic could figure it out, right? But if you need parts, where would you get them? The seller says the little car comes with manuals, so maybe they would help you figure it out. Sell your Tesla and buy this! And thanks for the tip, PRA4SNW.
Nice one, Russ, and great find, PRA4SNW!
$1 a gallon gas in 1979 is $4.55 today, about $0.50 more than where I live, but less than what a lot of folks are paying. Whatever it is, it’s still cheaper than the 16-oz, $7 foamy, sugary “coffee” drinks that a lot of folks buy and then complain how much “coffee” costs these days.
I wonder if this would be street legal in some states. It certainly looks pretty dangerous to the operator.