Today in Ballmer, Merlin, the temps were back down to the mid-30's deg F -- yet still managed 50.2 MPG running around in-town. And it looks like rain for the next three days. bHummer! While rooting around the www to keep my spirits up, I found this: 1959 F.G. L. Alicante "What a Find!" indeed. There are 20+ cars to see, just hit the <Next Microcar> to see each in turn. Now, if none of these actually produced little jewels doesn't bring a smile to your face, then maybe you're driving a SUV -- or trying to sell them. I wonder if any forum-mates have driven any of these cars? Whether or not you have any direct experience with them, which one is your favorite?
None of those but almost. I had a Fiat 850 coupe which was great fun and as reliable as earthquakes. My other little car was a 1100cc Morris Mini panel van, or my friends called it the pygmy f*** truck. Maximum number of people carried in the Mini was 8, 6 in the back and 2 in the front. All the rear passengers thought it would be funny to sway in sync to rock the whole car from side to side. The back seat of the Fiat was a joke but it had good front leg room and a big luggage space in the front (rear engine). Both of these would max out at about 90 miles per hour, yes the speedos on both were in miles per hour because they were both made in the 60s. My 1968 Toyota Crown also has a MPH speedo.
The original 'smiley face' -- Who could resist the 1958-60 Austin Healey Sprite? Last-minute cancellation of planned hidden headlamps gave early Austin-Healey Sprites their distinctive "bugeye" or "frogeye" look, nicknames that persist even today.
Pat Sparks; Wow, I really like that Mini Morris Panel Van. Did it run 11" tires? I drove a Fiat (Fix it again Tony) 125 while in Italy, made me smile when I got out of it! American Muscle from the mid 1960- early 70's. Except Vett's, I don't care much for them. Nash Metro's Old VW's, not just the bug but campers too. Ford model A's The huge old Caddy's with 12 or 16 cylinders
The mini had 10 inch wheels. The cars in my post are not my cars but they are exactly the same right down to colour although my Mini had alloy wheels. really wide ones, 5 inches wide!! I also squeezed 9 inch wide tyres on the 4 inch wide rims on the Fiat, what fun! While I owned the Fiat I was on first name terms with the guys at TAIF which was the Fiat parts place of choice in Adelaide.
Great site. The Scootacar reminds me of the SmartCar. There was a SmartCar parked next to my Prius when I left work yesterday. It took up only half of the parking space and made my Prius look enormous! Having gone from a mid-size SUV to a Prius, I have definitely thought of the Prius as a small car, but seeing the SmartCar next to it gave me an entirely different perspective. Did you know that in the Smart-for-Two the passenger's seat is slightly behind the driver's seat? Otherwise, there isn't enough shoulder room for two average sized people. I also love Consumer Reports' write-up on the Smart Car. For example, they almost ran out of track before they got it up to 60 mph.
It's offset by 6 inches I believe. Two average sized people can sit side-by-side. (It's just as narrow as say a Lotus Elise between seats). The offset is for larger people.. but I suppose you do call them normal down south
I saw one in person today at work, he was dropping off a passenger at MSP while I was up fixing a curbeside terminal. None of the photos do the smart justice, very cool looking car, not as cool as the Prius mind you, but still cool. :typing:
Here's a DIY MicroCar that was determined roadworthy in The Great State of Maine in '05 or '06: View attachment 8229 Read about it here: How to Build Moonbeam
My first car, a 1968 VW Beetle, which was Semi Automatic. I loved that car. And it always made me smile.
Much to my surprise, I saw a Citroen 2CV, "deux chevaux," in NE Ballamer yesterday: http://priuschat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8695&stc=1&d=1208604068 Here's more info on this diminutive French cutie: Citroën 2CV - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I always lusted after the Volkswagen SP-2, Brazilian made sports car with the air cooled flat four in the rear: The car has a really gorgeous back end: I also always smile whenever I see a Fiat 147, first car I drove and owned, mine was "Ferrari Red":