4 Stroke Rumen

Here’s your fresh idea for a car.

Don't get turned off by its neo-classic looks or available two-tone paint. Pay no mind to its small size: the Rumen is a story within a story.

The Rumen, by 4 Stroke Design, is one of the most interesting vehicles of the last few decades…maybe (probably).

4 Stroke's founder is Bulgarian-born Roumen Antonov, who has a few significant inventions to his name, from a Direct Shift (DSG) transmission to a bolt-on 2-speed supercharger, and some hybrid-adjacent technology that was swept up in a patent dispute with Toyota.

In addition to automotive components (and after his success in licensing and selling patents to automakers), he may also have started and funded a medical foundation for studying the effects of fungus in the human body.

Then wrote a book about all of it.

Strange résumé for the boss of a car company…but I appreciate the life experience.

Given the language barrier, it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction regarding its inventor, but the Rumen car definitely exists, and people have driven it — shocker, I know.

Early Rumen prototypes were powered by a rear-mounted smart fortwo three-cylinder engine, but according to an article in Caradisiac, the most recent prototypes (from 2008) featured a mid-mounted three-cylinder engine from the first generation of Peugeot 107 / Citroën C1 / Toyota Aygo triplets.

The car has been shown with both a semi-automatic transmission (from a smart, I believe) and a manual transmission. The all-white and red-and-white examples of the car you'll see online seem to be later designs; the styling, fit and finish, and overall look seems to be much more buttoned-down.

Its look was inspired by the Bugatti Type 57, if you hadn't guessed — Antonov has said the Rumen was one he’s been sketching since his youth.

The stated customers were 1) a teenaged Antonov and 2) wealthy women — disappointingly, I can’t see any compelling reason for why wealthy women would choose this over the (many) other options.

At a quoted price of around €50,000 in the late 2000s, it’s both a coachbuilt microcar and a missed opportunity. The interior is trimmed entirely in wood, leather, and chrome. The exterior is a blend of off-the-shelf parts, with lines that manage to look classic enough, with its unique structure preventing it from looking like your run-of-the-mill neoclassic.