What cars offer the most fun? (Hint: microcars.)

What cars are the most fun? Of course, it’s a loaded question as it’s the people, not necessarily the vehicles, that cause the fun to ensue.

While we don’t presently own one, we might argue that microcar owners have the most fun.

For the second time in as many months, we got invited to an event involving microcars. This time, we were asked if we wanted to drive a car in last weekend’s Mardi Gras Dog Parade in DeLand, Florida.

Our steed was an early-’60s Fiat 600 Multipla. Also in attendance were an Autobianchi, a Messerschmitt and a Heinkel.

The idea was to drive the cars to the parade launching point, decorate them with as much crazy stuff as we could stick on, and then enter them in the parade.

People love micro cars. They stopped by to take pictures, wanted to talk about the cars and seem to just be drawn to them. Microcars just make people, including those of us driving them, just smile.

The cars themselves are mostly not great drivers. They were cheaply built, typically by small companies, many of which were located in impoverished nations after World War II. Other than having a top speed of about 50 mph, and minimal legroom for a six-footer, the Fiat is the exception to the rule. It seems well designed and built, has pretty decent ergonomics and is easy to drive.

There is not a huge value proposition with these cars, either. They are mostly not terribly expensive to purchase, but they are not that cheap and easy to restore with limited knowledge (especially with the rarer models) and little or no mass-produced parts availability.

So, what is the appeal? Other than being easy to store, due to their diminutive size, it has to be the people.

Think about it: Some car people and clubs have egos and attitudes. Not with microcars. We just couldn’t imagine any microcar owners coming into a cars and coffee event with an ego and attitude screaming, Look at me.

Check out the photos of the microcars, especially once decorated. I guess you either get this scene, or you don’t. As for us, we are quickly becoming intoxicated. Hope it’s not just the two-stroke fumes.

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Comments

David S. Wallens Editorial Director
2/15/24 11:44 a.m.

I do miss our Mini–a ’71 Innocenti Cooper.

And did it stop traffic.

ddavidv UltimaDork
2/16/24 7:12 a.m.

My '79 Mini was the perfect car for a young, single guy. Unfortunately, I was well past that while I had mine. These are not cars for introverts. They are fun, but nothing you want to drive for long distances.