mongooz
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(now before everyone goes "postal" about this week's entry, when i was a kid the grounds maintenance guys had a couple of these, in orange, and with an open bed and i loved the things. something about a vehicle sized that a 12 y.o. could drive)
Rick Sprague never had any secret desire to be a postal carrier.
But he has never been able to hide his affinity for the transportation they once used. In Sprague’s case, the machine of his affections is the Westcoaster Mailster, a memorable little three-wheeled glorified golf cart that puttered around U.S. residential areas hauling mail during much of the 1950s and ‘60s.
Sprague got ahold of his first Mailster when he was only 13, and he’s never really let go. He’s now on his fourth one — which is also the nicest he’s had. It’s a retired 1963 model that once delivered mail somewhere in Pennsylvania.
“I was always into min-bikes and lawn mowers and stuff when I was a kid, and I had my hands on small engines for many years,” laughs Sprague, a resident of Racine, Wis. “And I learned over time how to fix a lot of things.
“I had never heard of [a Mailster], but then I got one when I was a kid, probably 13 years old. The Post Office in town was selling some of them for $200 apiece and a kid in my neighborhood bought one, but the kid’s dad didn’t want him to have it. I got it from him. I think I gave him his 200 bucks back for it. My dad didn’t know I had one at first — I kept it away from the house for the first few days. But he let me keep it.”
Sprague never drove that Mailster on the road legally. It was more of a toy than transportation, but it was plenty of fun to tinker around with and gave him an appreciation for the unique three-wheelers that continues to this day.
read more: https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/car-of-the-week/car-of-the-week-1963-westcoaster-mailster
Rick Sprague never had any secret desire to be a postal carrier.
But he has never been able to hide his affinity for the transportation they once used. In Sprague’s case, the machine of his affections is the Westcoaster Mailster, a memorable little three-wheeled glorified golf cart that puttered around U.S. residential areas hauling mail during much of the 1950s and ‘60s.
Sprague got ahold of his first Mailster when he was only 13, and he’s never really let go. He’s now on his fourth one — which is also the nicest he’s had. It’s a retired 1963 model that once delivered mail somewhere in Pennsylvania.
“I was always into min-bikes and lawn mowers and stuff when I was a kid, and I had my hands on small engines for many years,” laughs Sprague, a resident of Racine, Wis. “And I learned over time how to fix a lot of things.
“I had never heard of [a Mailster], but then I got one when I was a kid, probably 13 years old. The Post Office in town was selling some of them for $200 apiece and a kid in my neighborhood bought one, but the kid’s dad didn’t want him to have it. I got it from him. I think I gave him his 200 bucks back for it. My dad didn’t know I had one at first — I kept it away from the house for the first few days. But he let me keep it.”
Sprague never drove that Mailster on the road legally. It was more of a toy than transportation, but it was plenty of fun to tinker around with and gave him an appreciation for the unique three-wheelers that continues to this day.
read more: https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/car-of-the-week/car-of-the-week-1963-westcoaster-mailster
