There’s also the fact that they can be driven (in France at least) without a licence, by anyone over 14. That includes people who have been disqualified for drink driving.
A family friend used to have a Bond Bug, which 10-year-old me thought was the coolest thing ever:
One of the problems with lots of microcars (and many bigger cars, and enclosed/cabin motorcycles) are the front pillars for the roof and and windscreen (structurally required as part of the safety requirements), they are frequently wide enough to hide a pedestrian/cyclist/motorcyclist/horse. Still they are cute.
The last few minutes of that episode may well make it one of the worst Top Gear episodes ever.
I always wanted one of these
I miss my smart car, I crave the citroen ami “cargo”, but alas I live in the land of SUVs.
Our daughter has a Fiat 500, when she bought it they gave her a ridiculous lifetime warranty that she doesn’t pay for.
The car is around 10 years old. A couple years ago the power sunroof needed to be replaced, warranty covered the entire cost, over 2 grand.
But, it’s getting to the point where the clause about value of the car vs. repair cost is going to come into play.
That’s when we get a tiny car because she knows I’ll buy it at a fair price less the dad discount.
While it’s not as tiny as the tiny cars in the story, it is fun to drive.
or as a way to village-hop in rural France
The voiture sans permis is allowed because they recognise that if you lose your licence it could be personally disastrous in darkest rural France.
The VSP is a small two-seater car (and there are several brands) which is limited to a top speed of 45kmh (28mph). I think there’s a max engine size, too. Basically, you can drive it without a licence as long as you are insured (though insurance can be pricey if the reason for licence loss is alcohol, which it often is).
Axiom seems to be a major manufacturer and trying to make them a bit ‘sexy’. Most of the ones I end up stuck behind in rural France are ancient and look more like the one in the BBC news item above.
ETA Much of which is touched on in the Ars Technica article, of course.
That looks like you could stick a couple plungers on it and drive around screaming “Exterminate!” I want one!
Well, Fiat just brought out the Topolino, an electric vehicle than can be charged using a normal* plug. It’s a rebrand of the Citroën Ami, and I thought about eventually replacing my aging Smart Fortwo with it, but I’m instead trending toward a Panda or a Renault Twingo.
*240v, normal for Europe
The Aixam Scouty please!
I charge my Renault Zoe from an external 13A socket. It fills up about 12-13kWh a night at super cheap rate. 1kWh gives me about 4 miles of range as a cost of 2p a mile.
The Isetta used to be called the “advent car” because its door takes up the whole front of the vehicle, and a very popular German advent hymn is Macht hoch die Tür (“Fling Wide the Door”).
Seriously, I’d buy a Gurgel, any Gurgel, just for the name alone.
It seems everyone ignores the Austin Mini.
Way too large.
He even made an electric car when Mr. Musk was just a toddler.
