The smallest cars

The global automotive industry is over 130 years old. I don’t know if there is any intelligible statistics, how many different models have been released during this time - I think it’s unlikely. If only because the results will vary greatly depending on the methodology with which to approach this task.
One thing is certain - for such a solid time period, a considerable number of outlandish, unusual, strange, amazing cars saw the light.

The network is full of materials like “10 fastest cars” or “Top ugliest” or “Most massive”. And an infinite number of different other "most-most". The theme is win-win and always arouses the curiosity of the audience.
Frankly, I also decided to hype the reader's interest in everything unusual. Conceived an article with a title like "The most amazing cars in the history of the auto industry." Thought it would be a cakewalk for tens of thousands of views. Naive Chukchi boy!



I think today's material will be the first in a series. From time to time I will prepare thematic collections of interesting cars, united by some criterion.

Today it will be small cars.
I’ll make a reservation right away: the rating is compiled exclusively subjectively and reflects only my personal opinion. To all questions like “why did this car get on the list, but this one didn’t?”, There is only one answer - I am an artist, I see it that way!
In this collection and in all subsequent ones, I will talk about five cars. Why five and not three, not ten or twelve? Three is not enough, you will get tired of reading about ten, and five is optimal. Fits neatly into the format.

So small cars. I do not set the task of finding the five smallest cars and arranging them by height. In my list, first of all, models that surprised me, interested or even delighted me. It's just that they are all united by one quality - they are compact.

And now a little spoiler. It must be understood that in the format of one article it will not work to tell in detail about all the machines. Therefore, I decided that I would make a separate detailed material about the model that received the most votes in the voting.
Here we go?

Before introducing the first car of my rating, I encourage the reader to close their eyes and mentally play the theme song from the movie "Boomer". Or "Brigade" - also suitable. Because we have a real BMW! Cry fans!

BMW Isetta

post-war Europe. Hunger, destruction, poverty. BMW is desperately trying to survive in Germany. And in Italy, the Iso company, engaged in the production of scooters and refrigerators, decides to expand the range and is preparing a car for production. Well, like a car...
Refrigerator manufacturers tried to make a car, but it turned out to be a refrigerator again. Only on wheels. From a scooter. Enterprising Italians sold the license for the production of this hybrid right and left. And just somewhere on the left stood the sad and half-dead company BMW, which enthusiastically seized on the offer of its former allies.



This is how the BMW Isetta was born. A few words about the design. Double body with one single door. And this door, as befits a refrigerator, is in front. Engine from a scooter with a capacity of as much as 13 hp. located on the side. Excuse me, where they managed to fit it, they shoved it in there! Dimensions:

• ★ Length - 2285 mm
• ★ Width - 1380 mm
• ★ Height - 1340 mm
• ★ Weight - 360 kg
  

Production began in 1955. Oddly enough, Isetta turned out to be a very suitable car for the cities of those years. Compact, with a very moderate appetite - what you need for a poor burgher. However, not only the burgher. In addition to Germany and Italy, Isetta was produced in France, England, Brazil. And it was sold all over Europe. For eight years, BMW has produced as many as 160 of these refrigerators. Moreover, the design was developed and soon the Germans introduced a new model - the BMW 600. Already a four-seater. And yes, with two doors, the second was attached to the side. By the way, the photo of the P600 is in the title of the article.



It is clear that such a car was doomed to receive a lot of nicknames. Sometimes kind, sometimes funny, sometimes offensive. From "Sargwagen" (coffin truck) in Germany to "Yogurt pot" (jug of yogurt) in France. However, our Russian ear is most close to the name coined in Chile - "Huevito", which means "egg" in Spanish.

Messerschmitt KR200

In early 50s Germany, not only BMW had a hard time. The company Messerschmitt felt even sadder, which literally had its wings clipped - it was forbidden to produce aircraft. Also in 1955, they rolled out their version of a small city vehicle, the KR200, to the market.



If an Italian manufacturer of refrigerators turned out to have a car that looked like a refrigerator, then what should the car from the manufacturer of the Me-109 fighter look like? That's right, on the plane. Only without wings.
Compared to the BMW Isetta, the Messerschmidt turned out to be longer, but narrower:

• ★ Length - 2819 mm
• ★ Width - 1219 mm
• ★ Height - 1199 mm
  

The car was also double, but the landing was consistent - the passenger was not sitting on the side, but behind the driver. Well, like in a fighter jet, you get the idea. There are no doors, landing was carried out through a folding plexiglass cap. Although, by analogy with aircraft, it would be correct to call it a "lantern".



The engine was, of course, not an aircraft. Power - only 9,9 hp However, due to the low weight and "aviation" aerodynamics, Messerschmitt accelerated to almost 100 km / h! You can't go faster - he tried to take off.

Peel p50

In 1963, when BMW had already lost interest in its Isetta, and Messerschmitt returned to the production of aircraft, the P50 appeared on Foggy Albion.
The brainchild of Peel Engineering Company, a three-wheeled motorized carriage designed for one person was produced in an amount of only 47 pieces. Yes, not 47 thousand, but only 47. Forty-seven pieces. Such a small production volume does not mean that the P50 does not deserve our attention. If only because it is officially recognized as the smallest production car in the world.

• ★ Length - 1340 mm
• ★ Width - 990 mm
• ★ Height - 1200 mm
• ★ Weight - 59 kg
  

4,2 hp motorcycle engine accelerates this capsule to 61 km / h. Further, the limiter is probably triggered, in the role of which the driver's sense of self-preservation acts. There is no reverse gear. Instead, there is a handrail that you can grab onto and turn the car around. Or roll it into the garage. With a mass of 59 kg, this is not difficult to do.



Surprisingly, the production of the P50, stopped in 1964, was resumed in 2010. True, there is no data on the scale of sales. However, given the price exceeding 10 thousand dollars, there are hardly many who want to buy. If only what Russian oligarch will take to ride on his largest private jet.

SMZ S-3A

Where without a domestic car? Meet - a motorized carriage manufactured by the Serpukhov Motor Plant. It was produced from 1958 to 1970. In total, more than 200 thousand of these cars were produced. Dimensions:

• ★ Length - 2625 mm
• ★ Width - 1316 mm
• ★ Height - 1380 mm
• ★ Weight - 425 kg
  

Motorcycle engine, single-cylinder, two-stroke, 8 hp. The maximum speed did not exceed 60 km / h.
The body is double, open, with a fabric top. In short, a convertible, so you understand.



The machine is outstanding in all respects. In any European country, it would be lost quickly and without a trace. But in the USSR, she had nowhere to get lost - there were few cars. In addition, it must be admitted that the body of the "invalid" is not devoid of elegance. Unlike the angular SMZ S-3D, which replaced it in 1970.
And after the release of the film "Operation Y", the C-3A received the nickname "Morgunovka" and forever entrenched in the history of the domestic automobile industry.

Citroen Friend

In order not to get the feeling that small cars are a relic of a distant automotive past, look at this Citroen. Production and sales started as recently as 2020.



Ami cannot be called a full-fledged car. Firstly, it belongs to the class of ATVs of the L7e category - in France, these are allowed to be driven from the age of 14. Secondly, Ami is electric.
Dimensions:

• ★ Length - 2410 mm
• ★ Width - 1390 mm
• ★ Height - 1520 mm
• ★ Weight - 485 kg
  

The electric motor has a power of 8 hp. The battery with a capacity of 5,5 kWh provides a range of about 70 km. The indicator is modest by today's times, however, you can charge the "battery" from a regular household network in just 3 hours. The maximum speed is legally limited to 40 km/h. For strict European rules in the city - enough.



Fiberglass double body deserves special attention. In order to unify and reduce the cost of production, the front and rear of the car are completely the same. Only in front are headlights, and in the stern - taillights. Moreover, the doors are the same too! Therefore, the right door is traditionally suspended on the front hinges, and the left one is deployed and attached to the rear pillar! In my opinion, the solution is very elegant!



And the salon has an interior. True, there is no "music". Instead, there is a smartphone mount and a niche for installing a portable speaker. Fashionable, stylish, youthful.
Such a toy is not cheap - more than 10000 euros. However, it is not necessary to buy - you can rent it in carsharing. Moreover, the price is only one and a half times higher than renting a bike! That is, if you travel together, it is more profitable to take Ami. You don’t need to pedal, and the rain won’t get wet, if anything.

My hands are itching to write more. So many interesting things are left out of this review. Heinkel Kabine, Renault Twizy, Trabant, Mazda R360, Daewoo Matiz, FIAT 600Multipla…
But the format does not allow. And that means more to come!

And I remind you that the most interesting car of this review will be awarded a separate detailed story. So let's vote!