THE SMART WAY TO GO

My colleague and I arrived at our rest stop in Hambach between visits to German BMW tuners, checked into our hotel and took a wander in search of supper. It was a beautiful place, all cobbled streets, timber-framed buildings and an inn where large people drank large beers and did a lot of laughing. There were Smart cars everywhere, both parked and on the move. A guy nipped by in the roofless, doorless Crossblade version, which made a curious whizzing sound as it went. Suddenly things began to feel pretty weird. The combination of tiny cars and picturesque village reminded me strongly of 1960s TV drama, The Prisoner.

Hambach is a border town. Over