Try as I might, I can’t get exercised by the Fiat 500’s seeming lack of horsepower -- 99 hp. This might be because I once spent a summer racing a 55-hp Renault Le Car.
Of course hardly anyone could tell that I was actually racing the Le Car. It looked more like a demonstration run since it didn’t make any noise except for the squealing Kleber tires. There were a number of other Le Cars out there with me, though, and every once in a while one would roll upside down just to get people’s attention, kind of like a bad puppy.
But at least I learned then that underpowered cars are actually way more fun than the opposite, since you can drive them around at full throttle without attracting any attention from the fun police.
And there’s always the opportunity for shaming some other similarly motivation-challenged appliance. Like the green Datsun B210 that bit the guardrail at the Lime Rock uphill while trying to keep up. (Same place as pictured above, strangely enough.) Or the MG Midget that puked its expensive pocketwatch-like motor while trying to stay ahead at Pocono. (Could have measured our lap times there with an egg timer, actually.)
Really the Fiat 500 is practically a Formula 1 racer compared to that old Le Car, so I think twice before whining about its engine power.
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, Edmunds.com
saturn95 says:
03:56 PM, 08/24/11
Le Sports Car? Ah, no.
desmolicious says:
04:08 PM, 08/24/11
".. Fiat 500’s seeming lack of horsepower -- 99 hp.."
Did it lose 2 hp since this post?:
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2011/08/2012-fiat-500-go-ahead-and-nail-it.html
_feloniousmonk says:
05:45 PM, 08/24/11
I drove a Le Car once... and that was enough.
noburgers says:
07:02 PM, 08/24/11
felonius: +1 rode in one in '78 I think--Lime Green. I called it Le POS
bc1960 says:
07:54 PM, 08/24/11
Oh, come on. Those 12-in 3-bolt wheels were *so* cute!
The 500's weight/power ratio is well within the mainstream of, or better than, similarly-sized 3-doors ("hot hatch" versions excepted) in the last 20 years, and better than the 70s and 80s.
firstwagon says:
02:41 AM, 08/25/11
I lived in Quebec back in the 80's and I remember Le Cars being very common. They did have character and were kinda fun to drive in an odd sort of way ( think Smart car).
If they hadn't all fallen apart after a few yews they might have even been a cult collectible by now.
fordson1 says:
07:35 AM, 08/25/11
Ah, yes. True French-car roll angles.
blueprint1 says:
09:37 AM, 08/25/11
I'm in Quebec and the Renault 5 (its real name out of the US) was a tremendous sales success, staying top-10 during the time it was offered up here. The suspension floated over potholes, and the bicycle tires were great in the snow. Low power, low weight, fwd all helped also.
Trivia gold: wheelbase of the R5 is different from left to right !!
My Renault-based Sentra still has only 4 lug wheels...
greenpony says:
10:15 AM, 08/25/11
"Trivia gold: wheelbase of the R5 is different from left to right !!"
Why?