In the not-too-distant past, Americans were able to buy some seriously compact cars. The Smart Fortwo, Fiat 500, Honda Fit, and Scion iQ were among the smallest modern cars money could buy. Heck, when you compare lengths, cars like the Smart Fortwo are even smaller than the micro machines you could buy in the past like the Subaru 360 or the subject of today’s Cold Start, the Honda N600.

Seriously, the American-spec Fortwo is 8.8 feet long. The Subaru 360 and the Honda N600 were both a whole foot longer at a touch over 9.8 feet. I suppose this also ties in well with Lewin’s post about a website that allows you to sit cars of varying sizes next to each other.

While it might be a bit startling to learn your Triumph Spitfire sits under the beltline of a Smart Fortwo, it’s still sad to see all of these rockin’ small cars bite the dust. Perhaps it’s time we say something about these endangered species.

Reader D-dub has just the thing:

David Attenborough voice

This is the N600. A diminutive example of its kind, but not to be underestimated. It was introduced to the North American continent after stowing away aboard a trans-Pacific cargo ship, and had no natural competition on these shores. For decades it and its fellow Hondas have been rapidly consuming the native market. Breeding pairs of local varieties of the genus were first pushed out toward Mexico and Canada, then recently went extinct altogether. Only the larger truck and SUV native species still remain.

I would watch a show about discontinued cars narrated by Attenborough! For a second nomination, let’s take a peek at David’s drive of the MrBeast ‘Feastables’ Ford GT, where some lady told David this:

At one point, a woman pulled up next to me and asked me to roll down my window. The first thing she said was: “My son is going to be just like you.” She told me his name, and talked about how proud of him she was, and how she knows he’s going to be successful enough to own such a car. I told her the car wasn’t mine, but she just kept talking about her son and how he’s going to make it big someday.

I thought that was awesome. What a great mom.

She later helped me get out of a bit of a traffic jam, and waved goodbye as she sped off.

If only she knew David’s secrets. How would you process shower spaghetti, tools frozen to a garage floor, or an alternator under a tree? Leave it to EmotionalSupportBMW:

“My son is going to grow up just like you!”- Random Woman

“Ma’am, I’m international known for eating spaghetti in the shower.”- Hollywood DT

Have a great evening, everyone!

(Topshot: Honda, The Autopian, and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website – www.dfat.gov.au)