Rambling Observations in the UK

Having been back to the UK recently, I happened to notice a few more things about the cars that were on the road.

I saw quite a few Vauxhall sports cars, the 220's, and was quite impressed with the looks of them. I seem to remember reading that there were plans to bring these stateside, badged as Pontiacs........anyone else remember that? Any more information out there?

There were several of those Smart" cars, and some of the sporty versions too....not bad looking, and make a lot of sense on the crowded roads in the cities over there.

The newer Nissan Micra is styled an awful lot like the classic Mini, especially from the rear three-quarter view.

Many Rover cars (all newer) were in evidence, together with some MGs. The ZT is a nice-looking car "in the flesh", and I could see a market for it over here. Would beat the heck out of the Toyota Valium......oops, sorry, Camry .

Ugly is in! Some really awful designs parading themselves around, notably from some of the european makers such as Peugeot and Renault. The Ford Ka is an acquired taste too. The new larger Citroen was, thankfully, nice-looking but I'll bet that it has conventional suspension though.....have to look it up.

Sorry about rambling on like this, just thought that a few others might be interested.

[ 02-19-2004: Message edited by: Steve ]</p>

You’re being really kind about the Ka. “Acquired taste” is one way to put it! My cousin has one….it hurts my eyes! The little Ka roadster isn’t bad, though.
The Vauxhall VX220 / Opel Speedster is basically an Elise variant, at least as far as the chassis is concerned. I think they’re pretty neat. I would guess (as you have said) that the new Pontiac 2-seater is related too.
We rented a Nissan Micra in Ireland……it does remind me of a Mini.
I saw a Smart car at Lime Rock last Fall….it looks like a hugely practical car for congested areas. Styling is sort of like “phone booth on wheels”. I posted a note here recently about a bunch of them on e-Bay for sale in the US (minus engines).