Before you read the 1998 article, we thought you may like to know some real useless information?

You though the Smart car was small? Well, the Peel P50 which was constructed by the Peel Engineering company on the Isle of Man in 1962, was only 4’ 5” long and 3’ 3” wide, and was a little over 4’ in height. It weighed about the same as the Smart cars engine, at 132lbs.

The heaviest car in recent production was the Soviet built Zil-41407 limousine, which had 12ft 9ins wheel base, weighed almost 7500lbs. 

A stretch version, of which only two or three were made annually, was used by former president Mikhail Gorbachev until Dec 1991.

It weighed 13,440lbs, and used 3” armor plated steel for protection in key areas. This eight cylinder giant got 6 mpg.

Europe Takes To the Road In a Small Way, Micro-Cars Gain a Toehold Published: April 21, 1998. Europe Takes To the Road In a Small Way; Despite Hefty Price Tags, Micro-Cars Gain a Toehold Published: April 21, 1998. Published New York Times April 21, 1998 by JOHN TAGLIABUE

Imagine a car 8 feet 2 inches long, with just two seats, whose diesel engine, purring like an outboard motor, propels it at a top speed of 27 miles an hour. Imagine a transmission so basic that it has only two settings, forward and reverse.

Yes, there is such a car, and it is made in this town in western France. Amazingly, it sells for about 10 percent more than the smallest fully equipped models of Nissan, Ford or Fiat.

What is the selling point? Simple. The car can be driven without a driver's license. Indeed, in several large European countries, like Italy and Spain, it can be driven by anyone 14 and older. For the half-dozen or so French and Italian companies that make the diminutive vehicles -- called voiturettes in France and quadricicli in Italy -- that has been enough to create a thriving market, particularly among the elderly and the very young.

In fact, Europe's streets are so congested, and gasoline prices so high, that even licensed drivers are squeezing into these midget cars. The contrast with the United States, where drivers increasingly favor ever-bigger, ever-more-powerful vehicles, could not be more stark. Two of these tiny cars, parked end to end, could hide behind the Ford Motor Company's Expedition sport utility vehicle with room to spare.

Voiturettes, which get about 68 miles a gallon, are probably the only automobiles, if they are in fact automobiles, with their roots in a legal loophole. French law exempts people who drive certain light vehicles from needing a license. The law was intended for motor scooters, but since it does not mention the number of wheels, enterprising French companies began building the bulbous four-wheeled runabouts two decades ago and found a ready customer base among people who for whatever reason lacked driver's licenses.

But the manufacturers have expanded their market, two years ago banding together and lobbying successfully to have the cars legalized in much of the rest of Europe. In 1997, sales of the nine-member trade association totaled 16,000 voiturettes and are expected to rise this year to about 25,000. Top manufacturers like Microcar and Aixam, both of France, expect sales to double by 2000.