i of course rode somebody's Whizzer when a child. can't remember whose though. i never knew they made the Sportsman or Ambassador until i saw a Sportsman at the Art of the Bicycle Show. i liked it, i sat on it, but sadly, i don't think i could ride one very far with my screwed up knee. they started making them in 1949 after people began to see the one Whizzer designer Donald White made especially for his boy. people apparently called the factory and said they wanted one too. the Sportsman had no pedals like the regular Whizzers and had 20" wheels and a smaller frame. it had a 4 stroke 138cc engine that put out 3bhp which was good for a top speed of 40mph. the Sportsman had a single speed with a clutch. for one year there was a deluxe Sportsman which had a two speed Bi-Matic semi-automatic transmission. it was somewhat troublesome so was not used after that. in 1951 and only that year another Whizzer with no pedals called the Ambassador was made. it had 24" wheels and larger frame and all had the Bi-Matic transmission. the Sportsman was produced from 1949-53 and a total of 4876 were produced. 1128 Ambassadors were produced in 1951. these little critters were very stylish and even though i don't fit on one very well i would like to have one. i bet i could make it a little ways before my knee gave up. the first pic is an ad for the Sportsman. second pic is an Ambassador and the last three of course are Sportsmans.
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