For TopGear fans - The Reliant Robin

[Pat McCotter]

http://www.wimp.com/reliantrobin/

[Jim Johnson]

           

[Lex]

This thread should be titled, "If government built cars..."

[KBCraig]

Pat K once looked at a Robin, and it turned over.

[Pat K]

I love Topgear.

They once tried to rent me this in Flowda.

When I walked up to in the lot, I got back on the shuttle
and told the desk folk I don't drive cars that I out weigh.
They tried to assure me it would be fine.  I told them they could rent me something over 3000 lbs and No one would have to get hurt.

I was back from Flowda for  a few days and reading the paper,
I saw that a lady was pulling out of the post office in a Metro and was hit
in the side, by a motorcycle . The car was flipped on to it's side!

A little tip from your uncle Pat = If your car can be knocked
over by a motorcycle, it's to small!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FreelanceFreedomFighter]

One reason why these (types) of cars are so popular (at least internationally) is that in a number of countries (Japan is the best example) you have to actually own a place to park the car if it is over a certain size. By buying a reeeeaaaaaaaalllllly small car, you avoid that requirement. In fact, there are/were Japanese versions of the Reliant Robin that were made only in pastel colors, marketed mainly to women (as a cheap "second" car), and sold in grocery stores!

I was doing some consulting/contract work for a company a number of years ago and had to fly out to one of their locations. I found out when I landed that they rented my one of those Geo Metros. Unless I wanted to personally pay for a different vehicle, that's what I was going to get. After circling the block at their offices for nearly 45 minutes trying to find a suitable parking space, I figured out why these cars are so good. I found a spot that had literally a couple of inches on each end more space than the length of this little POS. I stopped, lined things up and PUSHED the damn thing sideways into the space. It wasn't really easy, but it was "doable" with those small wheels. (I noticed during the next week that the tires had a "flat spot" and the frontend alignment was out of whack, but TFB...)

[KBCraig]

In college, one of the guys down the hall had one of the first-generation Honda Civics. We loved to "re-park" it for him. He would come out and find it parked sideways in the parking spot, parked over the curb between the power pole and the guy wire, parked between the stairs and the bicycle rack...