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Tiny shite


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I A-framed this back from sunny Essex behind the Rover last night.

 

Ligier001.jpg

 

Ligier002.jpg

 

It's a Ligier Ambra GLX diesel. I'd wanted to try one of these things for ages - since I was about 6, in fact, and saw them bimbling around rural France, usually driven by ancient alcoholic farmers.

 

Being a top of the range GLX, it has electric windows, central locking and a leather interior. 8)

 

Ligier003.jpg

 

The engine is a 505cc 2-cylinder Lombardini diesel, which makes about 8bhp.

 

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I've just been for my first drive in it, and it's just as rubbish as I'd hoped. Top speed seems to be about 40 on the flat; it actually gets off the line reasonably well but after that the acceleration is leisurely in the extreme. I had half contemplated driving it to work occasionally, but I think trying to pull out onto the by-pass in it at rush hour would be more than my nerves could stand. It's also extremely noisy, with assorted rattles and bangs adding to the racket created by the engine. And the footwell is extremely narrow, so it's quite easy to mash both pedals at once, not that either of them does a great deal. Engine braking is fierce though. Steering is incredibly light, it'll turn on a sixpence and actually feels more stable than I'd anticipated, although that could be helped by the previous owner having fitted wider (145 section) tyres to it.

 

I can't see myself keeping it overly long to be honest. I'll probably use it for local pottering for a month or two and then sell it on. It comes with an A-frame that bolts onto the front bumper bar, and the rear lights have been wired to a trailer lead, so it's GR17 4 towing behind a ludicrously oversized camper van. I am seriously glad I didn't try to drive it back from Canvey Island though - I think the experience would have killed both me and the car. And I can now say I've done A-framing, joining the hallowed ranks of Bo11ox, Bickle et al.

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Variomatic ehh......in my experiance variomatics will do nearly the same speed in reverse.....great fun conditions permiting, but it shags the correct function of the drive system and the engine ends up running faster than needs be for a given speed/load etc.

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I believe, in France, you don't need a car licence to drive one, I see dozens of micro-car variations whenever I vist normandy or loire,

they sound like washing machines on fast spin at they pass, but very practical. also loads in southern Spain, and bournemouth !!! :roll:

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Are there any actual advantages to these over here apart from (presumably) miserly economy and ease of parkingness? Are they cheap to tax and insure, for example?

Not particularly - they cost the same to tax as any other sub-1549cc car. Don't know about insurance because I've just stuck it on my traders, but from what I hear they're more expensive to insure than you'd think. Main advantages are teeny size, up to 100mpg (allegedly), and the fact that they're below 750kg gross weight so legal to A-frame without worrying about brakes. And you can drive one on a B1 license, for what it's worth.

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I do hope it was cheap.

 

Bet its done more miles on the A frame -than driven. Variomatic gearbox oK for towing-is it?

It seems to be - when you stick it in neutral it just disconnects everything at the diff end so nothing is spinning. It was cheap enough that hopefully if I can avoid killing it I should get my money back easily enough when I sell.

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As I understand it, in France, if you get banned from driving say for consuming a tad too much vin ordinaire you can legally drive one of these because as noted above, you don't need a licence. So nobody bothers about the drink drive regs. Allegedly.

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