I've always had a soft spot for small cars. That was something I acquired, quite accidentally, when a friend loaned me his 1952 Ford Anglia for a brief drive into downtown Toronto. Until then I'd only driven Detroit-built cars with their typical sloppy steering and goose-grease handling. During the run to town I was terrified, for this odd-looking and definitely perpendicular vehicle kept darting right and left. But on the return trip I got the hang of it and realised that small cars, though short on acceleration, could be a ton of fun. That's why you will often find the most humble of cars featured here. Example: the Austin Nippy, a tiny 2-seater from the early 30's based on the Austin Seven , a British economy sedan. Yawn... ho hum, but wait a minute! BMW got its start in the car business by licensing the build-rights for the Seven and manufacturing it as the Dixie. Aircraft builder BMW must have known something about small cars, as witness its growth. This little sweetie was photographed at the Vancouver Steamworks concours where many spectators walked by, totally ignorant of the renowned automobile journalist LJK Setright's opinion that "it's more fun to drive a slow car quickly than a fast car slowly."

[Photo: Philip Powell]