Not-So-Mini

Have you noticed how big retro small cars are becoming?

Take the Fiat 500. The original, from 1957, was a masterpiece of miniaturisation. The 50th anniversary reprise was heavier, longer, wider, taller, but almost certainly safer.

Volkswagen's 1997 re-imagining of the original Beetle was nowhere near as bloated. But then, the original Beetle wasn't a particularly small car.

 (Note that all the images here are to the same scale)

Another big (cough) culprit is BMW with their 21st century Mini ... sorry MINI ... series. The abandoned Mini Rocketman model would have reversed the trend, but as it is, they just keep getting bigger.