Item Description
Original Item: In the later stages of the war in Europe, Allied paratroopers used these scooters to maintain contact between units, increase their mobility and haul small loads. The Cushman Motor Works designed the Model 53 Airborne Scooter to be airdropped by parachute or carried by glider. Some scooters, like this one, had a hitch to pull a model M3A4 general-purpose utility cart. By adding certain equipment, the cart could be converted to carry a .30-cal. or .50-cal. machine gun or even an 81mm mortar.
Cushman made 4,734 airborne scooters for the military beginning in 1944. The rugged, simple Model 53 could travel through a foot of water, climb a 25 percent grade and had a range of approximately 100 miles.
Technical notes:
Engine: Cushman 1-cylinder 16M71 of 4.6 hp
Maximum speed: 40 mph
Weight: 255 lbs
This scooter has had a full and complete take down and restoration. It is comprised of 80% WWII issue parts and NOS parts. It runs beautifully as you can see in the YouTube video. The original data plate was present but was made from aluminum and was literally disintegrating as were trying to conserve them. We were able to transfer the data from the plats to a newly made data plate, so it is marked with the original delivery date and serial number. Bottom line is that all of the original nomenclature and manufacturing data is historically accurate but we couldn't use the old plates. Allot of attention was paid to the resurfacing the driver's seat, as the seat takes the brunt of all of the vibration that the scooter generates when riding. To be precise the scooter was fully disassembled, motor stripped and everything media blasted and rebuilt bolt by bolt.
Accessories included are-
Original M1 Carbine Leather Scabbard With WW2 Date Stamp
Replica Non-Firing M1 Carbine Paratrooper Folding Stock Display Gun
Two Original U.S. WWII Haversacks
Original WWII Military Encryption Device M209-B Carry Bag (Bag Only no Device)
Price is Ex-NJ Warehouse. Truck Freight will be additional to the total quoted when checking out. In general terms fully insured truck freight curbside delivery in a custom wood crate for the east coast USA is $600, Central USA is $800 and West Coast USA is $1000. International orders please email for ocean quote. Exact Transit costs will be calculated after purchase.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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