A LONG TIME ago people bought tiny cars for many reasons, mainly price. Not any more. Today, the less one gets in a special interest car, the more it costs. Calculating the price per kilogram for some is horrific.
Small, basic cars have been here for more than a century, but gained prominence in the 1950s when the world had its first oil shortage and petrol was either unavailable or expensive.
Buyers wanted transport that went further on a gallon and brands including Vespa, Isetta, Trojan and Messerschmitt made cars that often had three wheels and motorcycle engines.
The miniature 1950s car the world embraced was Fiat’s 500 and its proper four-stroke engine with room for at least fourlow-cost compacts like the Mazda 360 and Subaru R-2, which in the 1960s gave way to more modern designs like the Suzuki Fronte, Honda Scamp and Zot.
