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Are we ever going to see another thrifty, sippy, easy to work on, supergroovy car?
I hope so!
The Citroen 2CV used to satisfy all those demands. It would get 45mpg with one of its two cylinders tied behind its back. Today car makers strain to deliver 40mpg…and superhighhorsepower…and unrepairable sexiness.
Well, simple is often sexy.
And flat is always more reparable than curvy — and flat can be sexy.
OK, you say that a lowpower car can’t do 80mph freeway speeds or handle headon collisions at that speed. Well, a Smart Car ain’t so hot at that mission either. Small has its limitations.
Lowpower can be made to readily go 70mph, which is all we need. And it can be safe enough. Let the buyer beware. A little skill and lack of drunkenness go a long way.
Doncha think there’s a market for a car that can easily be repaired at home? My hunch is that folks would trade a little surround-sound padding to get that. Heck, motorcycles are popular and they don’t have ANY airbags. So, c’mon!
And, last I heard, some folks don’t have a lot of money.
Young people are famous for it in any economy, even.
Why forget that the 2CV sold millions worldwide amid a lot of competition?
Today who would even be there to go up against it? Who would take a stand for a sub-100hp motor?
I want a curtain-rod roll-back tarp-roof and a hammock bench seat!
Today’s mini and econo cars all seem to have to look like a prototype concept car maker’s wet dream. All blobular and bulbous. There’s another way to skin that cat! OK, I suppose with today’s mandated safety maybe the options are more limited, but even there I bet simplicity could be snuck in. Or is it that once computers are involved then complexity makes it impossible for a shade-tree mechanic to get very far? Something tells me there’s always a way. People customize their computers with cheap plug’n’play components at home every day, taking them apart with glee. No, there’s still a place for simplicity in cars. (Maybe?)
(I also pine for the mini-pickups of the 1980’s that also got 40mpg without trying. A little manual shifting goes a long way in a simple vehicle. How easy is it to find such a shifter today? And what about the Saturn S cars? They also got 40mpg before the horsepower race commenced.)
Here’s your own paper model to print out and glue up.
A car design that keeps making the all time world’s great lists in both car-making and just plain design. Yet it’s simple, so simple. C’mon, some maker take the dare!
