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What are the smallest displacement car engines you have ever driven?

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7.2K views 125 replies 110 participants last post by  SoTxBill  
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#1 ·
Inspired by Gateway's thread below, what is the smallest displacement car engine you have ever driven? Street, production cars only, no motorcycles, golf carts, or anything like that.
For me, it was a Renault 4 when I was 12 years old (many thanks to Petter, my Norwegian cousin). I don't recall the exact displacement, but, it was less than 1.0l for sure.
Also, European Ford Fiesta, 1.1l.
 
#6 ·
Re: What are the smallest displacement car engines you have ever driven? (Juniper Monkeys)

I know I drove a Geo Metro once... which would be either 1.0L or 1.3L... probably 1.0L
 
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#11 ·
Re: What are the smallest displacement car engines you have ever driven? (Cerebral Provocation)

You guys need drive in Europe some more.
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During the two years I lived in Italy (1990 and 1991) I only once--once--got to drive a car. Was it a Ferrari? A Lamborghini, perhaps? A rare old Lancia, or even a desirable Alfa?
Hardly.
It was an ancient Fiat Panda 600. The sound and the fury was generated by a 600cc two cylinder two stroke engine making about 26 HP according to the car magazines I read at the time. The unsynchronized 4-speed transmission did its best to hinder you from extracting whatever "performance" the meager powerplant might have tried to offer, so I was little more than a roadblock on wheels when driving this thing. Not surprisingly, the engine sounded a lot like a (large) riding lawn mower... or more like a hornet's nest, actually. You'd start off and the hornets would get a buzzin' but you were barely moving; you'd prod the throttle and you still couldn't feel any measurable acceleration--the hornets just got more angry.
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It made my sister's 1986 Chevy Sprint (1.0L 3-cyl) feel thoroughly modern and downright peppy by comparison. Really.
Edit: added pic.


Modified by TurboMinivan at 9:31 AM 4-29-2005
 
#18 ·
Re: (VdubChaos)

Quote, originally posted by VdubChaos »

Fiat 126p
.6 liter

Hey--that's the same engine in my vote... although the Panda had the engine up front while the 126 put it out back. Here is the body style of the 126 while I was in Italy:
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Is that the style of the one you drove?
 
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#19 ·
Re: (TurboMinivan)

Quote, originally posted by TurboMinivan »

Hey--that's the same engine in my vote... although the Panda had the engine up front while the 126 put it out back. Here is the body style of the 126 while I was in Italy:
Image

Is that the style of the one you drove?

Of course
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Someone please post a video of the one with 4 wheel steering....driving backwards.
Funniest shiiiiiit ever.
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Modified by VdubChaos at 8:38 AM 4-29-2005
 
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