Cars

My Merry Gogomobile

By Ruth Hyman

September–October 2022

Historical September–October 2022 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.

Our family was “way cool” in 1961 when we bought a yellow Gogomobile, a car smaller than a Volkswagen Beetle. Herb and I had three children by the time we lived on 5765 McPherson.

He drove every day to his advertising business, Kentheon Arts, located on Branch and 11th Street. Herb’s brother Ted was always searching the classified ads for bargains.

He called us one day with an exciting piece of news.

A small auto dealer on DeBaliviere Blvd. had two brand new imported cars for sale at $ 200. Herb suggested that I hurry there to see them. That day while the kids were in school, I jumped on my balloon tire bike and raced over there to be the first in line.

On the lot were two shiny Gogomobiles, one red and one yellow.

Each had a sunroof, two front bucket seats and a back bench seat.

It was perfect for Herb and me in the front and 3 small children in back.

The engine was in back; the trunk, which was in front, had room for 4 bags of groceries.

All that for only $ 200. What a bargain for a brand new car!

I fell in love with the bright yellow one.

But I needed a driving lesson first, because it had a 4 speed electric gearbox controlled by a small toggle switch on the dashboard.

The salesman was skeptical about my ability to coordinate the clutch on the floor with the switch, but I was determined to learn.

I had the process mastered after one time around the block. That evening Herb and I picked it up. That was the beginning of 3 years of adventure without going out of the City of St. Louis. Today we would be arrested and fined for driving such a totally unsafe vehicle with no seat belts and tiny tires.

But in 1961, with no such restrictions, I had gained some independence and didn’t think we would be unsafe if I drove carefully and defensively. Our children attended Hamilton School, only two blocks from our house, but I needed to drive them to music lessons, doctor’s appointments and social events. Everywhere we went, people stared, made cat calls, and whistled. Our kids loved it. Even though we rode very close to the ground on the tiny tires, they could see best by standing up and sticking their heads out of the sunroof.

They probably inhaled a lifetime quota of exhaust fumes that way.

The only times I felt unsafe and claustrophobic was when we were caught between trucks front and aft.

I was sure the drivers couldn’t see us, so I used the horn to make sure they could at least hear us. Herb rarely got his hands on the “Go Go”. Everyone wanted to have a ride in it, and I think I regressed to being a teenager in spirit. One afternoon I was asked to drive 2 cousins to a family party.

The two women were large, each weighing close to 200 pounds, so it was not easy for them to squeeze in, but one sat in front and one sat sideways in back.

All went well until we came to a steep hill.

The party was in a house perched on top of the hill.

The Gogomobile wouldn’t go. One of my cousins had to get out and walk up. Of course, we had no trouble going down the hill at a scary speed.

It was an event we all laughed about for many years.

The little yellow car appealed to people like a toy and was always the center of attention wherever we went. People were curious about it and wanted to touch it.

Each year on Halloween night, pranksters would pick up the car and place it, unhurt, on the sidewalk in front of our house on the 5700 block of McPherson near DeBaliviere. Note: We are grateful to Ruth Hyman for contributing one of her own stories to our long-running neighborhood history series and look forward to another in our next issue.

From Garavellis to “Evelyn West and her $50,000 Treasure Chest”, you can read more on our website http://sdtimes.org. Click on DeBaliviere Stories. –Jo Ann Vatcha jvatcha@gmail.com