Happy Halloween - with a Mini-sized pumpkin

Linus' Great Pumpkin had nothing on this monster -- shown at the Annual Pumpkin Show in Netley, near Southampton, Hants (UK).

According to the Daily Mail, the pumpkin weighed in at 1,457 pounds (that's 104 stone if you come from England) -- described as weighing more than an original Mini car. (The original Mini weighed in at 1,360 pounds.)

But...even though we tend toward smaller things, it should be pointed out that the world's heaviest-ever pumpkin weighed in at 1,689lbs and was grown by Joe Jutras of Rhode Island, USA, in 2007. (We grow everything big here in the States.)

Happy Halloween!

Fairthorpe Atom - A Microcar That Would Make Fisher-Price Happy

The Fairthorpe Atom was an experiment in fiberglass. It was the first product of Fairthorpe Ltd., a car company founded by Air Vice Marshall D.C.T. Bennett CB, CBE, DSO (an RAF officer, airline founder, and member of Parliament).

As quoted on the Fairthorpe Sports Car Site, "In the mid fifties fibreglass was in it’s infancy and everyone was learning how to work it including Don Bennett. His first attempts at car manufacture produced what we today would call a microcar, seating just two people and using a motorcycle engine in the rear. It was called the ATOM but perhaps did not go like one. The Excelsior two stroke, BSA 250cc and Gold Flash 650 engines were options but despite a great deal of development work and export orders from America, the car was not a great commercial success."

But...the Atom was the forerunner of the Fairthorpe Electron, a more substantial sports car that enjoyed greater success.

The Smallest "Car" We've ever Seen

Well...all we know about this car (or is it a motorbike) is what you can see on this YouTube video. It doesn't look very safe, and it can't be very maneuverable -- but it sure looks like fun. (At least until you end up with a major case of "Road Rash" by taking a spill with this diminutive vehicle.)

If you know any more about this, please let us know.

007 May Drive an Aston Martin, But the Bond Girls Like Smaller Cars

"Bond...James Bond."
"Shaken, not stirred."
Who can forget some of the classic Bond lines -- and who can forget some of the classic Bond cars. The Aston Martin and the Lotus. (Oh yeah, he went for a BMW in one of the films, but he seems more dedicated to British cars.)
But...as much as we like Bond, we really like the Bond girls. And the new Bond girl in Quantum of Solace that opens in theaters on October 29th, will be driving a Ford Ka. A Ford Ka? Camille, played by Olga Kurylenko will be driving a new Ford Ka.
It's not truly a minicar (the engine is a whopping 1.3 liter job), but it is downright small compared to Bond's ride.

Check out the Ka's introduction at the Paris Auto Show.

Early Japanese microcar

This politically incorrect article was seen on the www.modernmechanix.com site

Looks Like smart Will Launch Brabus Version

According to AutoBlog, smart will begin selling a BRABUS-tuned version in 2009:

Those looking for a little bit more punch from their microcars are in luck as smart will begin offering the BRABUS-tuned version of its fortwo in the U.S. beginning in February 2009. News of its impending arrival was apparently emailed to potential smart owners who have already placed reservation deposits but have not yet configured their new fortwo. These people in line for a regular smart fortwo will have the option of changing their reservation to the limited edition BRABUS model beginning 8PM EST tonight. The American-ized version should feature the same 98-horsepower turbocharged three-cylinder engine as the BRABUS fortwo in Europe, as well as the same styling tweaks and handling package. Even with the increase in power, the European BRABUS fortwo is still able to achieve 45 miles per U.S. gallon. While it's 10-second run to 60 won't break any records, that's a precious few ticks quicker that the standard model and would surely make the microcar a lot more fun to drive. Still, we'll take what we can get.

Happy birthday to me ! ! !

Greetings, HOOP here - I hope you microcar people out there have a day as bright as my King Midget. I think Minnie the dog wants to go for a ride now. Here are some of my HOOPMOBILE "Art Cars".

http://outofsight.co.nz/Bakers/exb14.htm