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Tiny Cars in Amsterdam

One of the things I really love about European cities is the tiny cars, we don't have these in Australia, over here we feel the need to prove our worth by having oversized cars even though there are plenty of us who barely drive, we need to embrace these little things, so I present to you the tiny cars which took my fancy as I wandered around Amsterdam for a 3 or 4 days back in Mid June.

Tiny Car - by comparision.jpg

This is what I mean by Tiny, not Japanese Kei Car tiny, this is smaller still, things that don't need a proper license and I'm sure have all sort of special rules, but could also easily fit inside another 'regular' sized car.

Tiny Car - Cantas.jpg

This is Cantas - The Cantas began life in the mid-1990s as a bespoke microcar designed for disabled drivers in the Netherlands, this is I think the newer EV version it has a top speed near 45 km/h and range of about 100km it's also just over a 1 metre wide, and yeah I saw a few of this driving straight onto the passnger ferries which was cool.

Tiny car - gaffer tape.jpg

I love a car which is held togetehr by Gaffer tape - just perfect

Tiny Car - Opel Spark.jpg

This is actually the one I saw the most it's the Opel version of the Citreon Ami or maybe the Fiat Topolino it called the Rocks it is very cool, but not a cool at the Fiat version in my opinion, but that is the classic German, Italian divide.

Tiny Car some fiat.jpg

Here is the Fiat - I of course prefer the pale green version, perferably with the rope doors.

Tiny Car - The three.jpg

Okay so this thing is weird - it's the Microlino and bubble car, electric of course from a company called Micro and yes that is a front opening door, believe it or not there are versions of this with a range of 230km - I can't imagine spending 230km in this thing in a single drive, I mean cute and cool for in the city but not much more. Also a 45km top speed as all these quadracycles (they aren't cars, technically) it would take a while too.

Tiny Car Unknown.jpg

So google tells me this is a Estrima Birò, It is certainly the most golf cart like of all of them, and interestingly given the name the least like a pen.

Tiny Cars - Motion Mirage.jpg

Last but not least (well maybe least) this is the Motion Mirage - it lacks, well any sort of grace at all really.

Comments · 2

  • @jacobtothe(77)· 10h

    Here in the rural US, a lot of folks use four-wheelers (quad bikes? Not sure what else they're called elsewhere) and side-by-side ATVs instead of cars. I think the US is worse than Australia for automotive bloat, and people are reverting to smaller, dubiously-street-legal options. Many here want Kei cars to be embraced, but several state regulatory agencies are opposed to even allowing these 25-year-old cars now being imported to be registered. It's so stupid. The Friend-Shaped Car is big enough, but my roof is lower than the average mew pickup hood. Intersections are scary.

  • @stresskiller(73)· 20h

    most of those are not allowed on the highway , because they have speed limitations of 45km/h :)