The Small Car Page
'the less than 11 foot club'
Small cars have to be less than 11' (3.35m) long, otherwise they are simply not short enough to be called small; and less than 5' (1.5m) wide (including the mirrors) to be nimble enough to squeeze past cars turning across traffic. In an age when the motor manufacturers consider that small has to be bigger and fatter I pay tribute to the best past and present small cars. Some of which I have owned or driven, some I have not. Above all the must be nippy and nimble enough to make driving around town fun.
The Mini
Fiat 500
Berkeley SS
Suzuki Cappuccino
Remember the following mainstream manufacturers do not make a car small enough to fit on this page.
Any American car manufacturer
Citroen - their smallest car is the longest of all european manufacturers.
New Mini - no longer a small car, too long and fat now its a BMW, a small car for Americans.
Peugeot - the 106 is too fat and too long.
Renault - the twingo is too long, fat and tacky.
Rover - lost the plot with the demise of the metro and loss of the mini name to BMW.
Seat - the Arosa is a Lupo in disguise, see Volkswagen.
Volkswagen - the Lupo, a non-small car with middle age Germanic spread.