Lightweight fun
Keeping weight down is a sure-fire method of getting the most out of a car’s performance and economy. It’s also a great way to making a car more fun, as our selection of some of the lightest cars ever made shows.
Low weight doesn’t have to be the preserve of sports cars or exotic machinery, either, and our pick of light fantastic classics has everything from humble family saloons to sporting greats.
The classic cars here are listed in descending order of weight.
All kerbweight figures are from www.carfolio.com, unless otherwise stated
1. Mazda MX-5 (970kg/2138lb)
The first-generation Mazda MX-5 took its inspiration from the Lotus Elan, so treading lightly on the scales was always part of this roadster’s ethos.
An all-up weight of 970kg was reasonably low for a sports car of the time, but it says a lot that Mazda’s two-seater is close to a tonne.
However, the MX-5 carried its weight very well with excellent balance and its honed rear-wheel-drive dynamics.
The 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine was also positioned well back in the engine bay to help with this, giving the Mazda the same sort of feel as its Elan muse.
2. Lancia Fulvia Coupé HF (895kg/1973lb)
Lancia Fulvia Coupé HF is what would now be called a homologation special, because it came with many of the parts used by the Rallye model that won the 1972 International Rally Championship.
The HF came with aluminium doors, bonnet and bootlid, plus Plexiglass windows.
These measures kept the Fulvia HF’s weight down to 895kg, though the full competition-spec model pared that back even further to 825kg (1818lb).
The Rallye in ultimate Group 4 competition trim made the most of this with a potent 165bhp 1.6-litre V4 engine.
3. Peugeot 205 Rallye (790kg/1741lb)
The 205 GTI might have grabbed the headlines, but the 205 Rallye was a true motorsport special.
Devised for Group A rallying after the demise of the fearsome Group B machines, Peugeot Talbot Sport came up with a three-door 205 stripped of most soundproofing and stereo, and with lightened bumpers.
Firmer, lowered suspension worked with GTI-spec brakes, while the 1.3-litre engine delivered its maximum of 102bhp at a giddy 6800rpm.
Allied to a close-ratio five-speed manual gearbox, the 790kg was a hoot to drive and only slightly slower than a 1.6 GTI from 0-60mph.
Demand for the 205 Rallye meant the original minimum of 5000 to qualify for competition turned into a total of 28,281 when production ceased in August 1990.
4. Austin A30 (685kg/1510lb)
Its tiny size helped keep the pounds off Austin’s baby saloon, the A30.
Further assisting the A30’s low weight was it being the first Austin to use unitary construction, so there was no hefty separate chassis to deal with.
Other ways Austin found to reduce weight included offering a second passenger side windscreen wiper as an option.
A passenger sunvisor was also optional, showing just how little was needed in the basic A30, powered by an 803cc A-series engine that could just nudge it to 70mph.
5. Suzuki Cappuccino (679kg/1496lb)
Weighing about the same as the froth on the coffee that leant its name to Suzuki’s roadster, the pint-sized Cappuccino tipped the scales at just 679kg.
That was almost 30kg less than the contemporary Mazda MX-5 and was a result of the Suzuki being built to Japan’s strict kei car rules.
None of this meant the Cappuccino did without luxuries. Unlike many cars that ditch the goodies to shed weight, the Suzuki came with electric windows, air conditioning and power steering.
This was on top of its nifty targa-style folding roof.
6. Citroën AX (675kg/1488lb)
As well as its good aerodynamics, the other factor in making the Citroén AX impressively fuel efficient was its low weight.
To achieve this, Citroën made the AX as compact as possible and used plastic for some of the body panels. The result was a car that offered 70mpg without any great effort, that could still carry four people.
For those who wanted something a bit more fun, the AX GT traded a little weight gain up to 722kg (1591lb) for a lively 85bhp 1.4-litre engine. Still very light on its feet, the GT was great to drive and managed 0-60mph in a brisk 8.4 secs.
7. Austin-Healey Sprite (664kg/1463lb)
It may be small on the outside, but the Austin-Healey Sprite Mk1 offered plenty of room inside.
This was thanks to its unitary construction, which freed it of a separate chassis, and it was the world’s first mass-produced sports car to use this method of build.
Reduced weight was a welcome result of the Sprite’s construction, and it saved adding any extra by ditching the pop-up headlights originally intended for the car.
Instead, fixed headlights were used and gave the car its Frogeye, or Bugeye in the US, nickname.
8. Rochdale Olympic II (650kg/1433lb)
Unlike many second-generation models, the Rochdale Olympic II was lighter than its predecessor.
The glassfibre monocoque body was already light and strong, but Rochdale realised it could make it with a thinner lay-up that saved 50kg overall.
That drop in weight, coupled to a switch to more powerful Ford engines over the previous BMW B-series motor, made the Olympic II a quick car capable of 0-60mph in 11.2 secs and 115mph with a Cortina 155GT installed.
9. Mini 850 (604kg/1332lb)
Full of innovative solutions to creating a four-seat family car within a tiny footprint, the original Mini was destined to be a lightweight machine.
The unitary-construction body was one element of this, while turning the engine through 90 degrees to drive the front wheels also did away with the need for a hefty rear axle.
Not quick by any standards with the 850’s modest 34bhp, the Mini was still great to drive, because little weight meant it made the most of what it had.
By the time the Cooper ‘S’ arrived, power had more than doubled yet weight had crept up by a mere 30kg (66lb).
10. Porsche 356 (600kg/1322lb)
You might think the lightest Porsche 356 would be the Speedster, but it’s the earliest model from the car’s launch in 1948.
Known as the Gmund cars after where they were built in Austria, only a handful were made before production shifted to Stuttgart and 356 sales really got under way in 1950.
While the very earliest 356 coupé came in at 600kg, the vanishingly rare Roadster model shaved a further 15kg (33lb) from that because it had no roof.
By comparison, a last-of-the-line 356C Coupe weighed in at 934kg (2059lb) due to its improved trim and luxury, although it also came with much more powerful engines to cope.
11. Lotus Elan (585kg/1289lb)
When considering lightweight models, Lotus is a company that often springs to mind and the Elan is an exemplar of Colin Chapman’s approach to building cars.
The backbone chassis was much lighter than a traditional ladder-frame type, while a glassfibre body saved weight over a steel equivalent.
So much of the Elan’s appeal came down to its low weight, which made the most of its superb twin-cam engine and modest power.
It also allowed the Elan to use softer suspension than many other sports cars, giving it a fine balance of ride and handling to cope with all manner of surfaces.
12. Clan Crusader (578kg/1274lb)
Ex-Lotus employees Paul Haussauer and John Frayling used their experience to come up with the flyweight Clan’s glassfibre monococque.
It allowed the Crusader to make the most of its modest Hillman Imp-sourced engine, which offered just 51bhp in standard trim.
The Clan’s clever composite body that made it very light was also so strong it was the only car certified by the FIA not to require a rollcage when it entered rallying – Andy Dawson enjoyed considerable success in his Crusader that packed a 110bhp tuned Imp engine.
13. Honda N360 (508kg/1119lb)
The Honda N360 was the Japanese firm’s answer to the Mini and punched well above its minimal weight when it came to handling and technical sophistication.
The two-cylinder engine produced 27bhp, while the later N600 with its 599cc engine came with 45bhp and could hit 85mph.
Designed to meet Japan’s kei car laws, the N360 paved the way for the Civic and Z600 models, which were heavier than the N360 but still kept weight down to give the best fuel efficiency and performance from their modest engines.
14. Ginetta G15 (501kg/1104lb)
Complementing the aluminium Imp engine’s lightness of build, the Walklett brothers produced the G15.
This compact two-seat coupé used a simple tube chassis and glassfibre body to minimise weight, which was held down to an impressively low 501kg for a car in road trim.
Such little mass tells us why the G15 gained a big reputation as a seriously able sports car. It also became Ginetta’s best-selling model at the time, with more than 796 sold and many going on to be used in competition to great effect.
15. Fiat 500 (500kg/1102lb)
It’s fitting this bundle of joy registers the same weight in kilos as its name.
At 500kg, the Fiat 500 is some 104kg (229lb) lighter than its direct rival, the Mini, helped by the Fiat taking up even less space on the road.
Like the Mini, Fiat thought laterally to keep the 500 compact and light, so the engine is a parallel-twin mounted at the rear.
It makes the most of interior space and the 500 could just cope with a family of four, but without the Mini’s better luggage space.
16. De Tomaso Vallelunga (500kg/1102lb)
De Tomaso’s own weight measurement for the Vallelunga puts it at exactly 500kg, which is the same as a Fiat 500.
That’s quite a feat for a car that has all the looks and appeal of a mid-1960s supercar, even if the engine was a more humble, tuned Ford Cortina unit.
The light Vallelunga offered a claimed 0-60mph time of 6.0 secs and a 155mph top speed.
However, the pretty De Tomaso found few takers and was dropped from the range in 1968 after a mere 55 had been built.
17. Caterham Superlight R500 (460kg/1014lb)
The name says it all, really, and the Superlight lived up to that title by coming in at just 460kg fully ready for the road.
At the time of its launch in 1999, it was the most powerful and quickest Caterham the company had yet made, its name coming from a 500bhp-per-tonne power-to-weight ratio.
The Rover K-series engine produced 230bhp at a high-revving 8600rpm, while an all-up weight of 460kg gave the motor little to push along.
Such a combination resulted in 0-60mph in 3.4 secs and a top speed of 146mph, if your face could cope with the blast over the tiny wind deflector that replaced the windscreen to save a few kilos.
18. Ginetta G4 (445kg/981lb)
The pretty Ginetta G4 offered road and race drivers a highly effective mix of performance and handling from a blend of humble components.
With Ford engines, steel tube spaceframe chassis and a glassfibre body, the key to the G4’s success was its low weight.
In its most basic specification, the G4 came in at a mere 445kg, which meant it could top out at 115mph with a simple Ford 1500cc engine.
The G4 recipe proved so appealing that Ginetta revived it in the 1980s and you can still buy one today from Dare, which was set up by Ivor and Trevers Walklett when Ginetta was sold in 1989.
19. Austin Seven (432kg/952lb)
A standard Austin Seven saloon tipped the scales at 432kg, making it a very light small car compared to many in the 1920s and ’30s.
If you wanted even less mass in a Seven, there were various sports models, such as the Nippy, Speedy and Ulster.
What makes the low weight of the Seven saloon impressive is this was a proper four-seat family car, rather than a bare-bones cyclecar. The Seven made motoring available to a large section of buyers and set the template for the controls layout of most cars that followed.
As it developed, the Seven grew heavier, but also gained more power in later life.
20. Morgan Aero Supersports (406kg/895lb)
Morgan simplified and pared back the Aero to create the Supersports in 1929, and made the definitive three-wheeler shape that is still in evidence in its latest versions.
The two-seat Supersports made the most of its JAP (JA Prestwich) V-twin engine with the car’s minimal weight. All out, the Morgan could top 80mph.
Originally, the low-slung Supersports made do with only two speeds for its gearbox, but the revised model in 1933 brought a three-speed transmission. Now, the Supersports is a fearsome competitor in historic racing.
21. Bond Bug (394kg/869lb)
One of the cars that defines the 1970s, the Bond Bug created by company owner Reliant was also one of the lightest.
This was made easier by the three-wheel configuration of the Bug, though a single wheel at the front made it less stable than a Morgan-style one-wheel-at-the-back design.
A glassfibre body with large canopy with removable plastic doors did their bit to reduce weight, which made performance from the 700cc Reliant engine peppier than many might have expected.
For the keener driver, the later ES model came with a bristling 32bhp to shift the Bug’s mere 394kg.
22. Lotus Seven (387kg/853lb)
Think of lightweight cars and the Lotus Seven is a safe bet to be on most drivers’ lists.
The whole purpose of the Seven was to make the most of its parts by making everything as light as possible. This extended from the spaceframe chassis to the simple aluminium and glassfibre bodywork.
Colin Chapman’s relentless focus on cutting unnecessary weight meant the Seven weighed just 375kg in its lightest form, which depended on engine choice to some extent.
Early cars used Ford’s sidevalve motor, but other options included the BMC A-series, tuned Ford crossflow and the Lotus twin-cam unit.
23. Light Car Company Rocket (370kg/815lb)
Calling your business the Light Car Company rather sets out your stall, so you need to be sure the car lives up to the name.
Fortunately, the LCC’s Rocket more than met the brief thanks to its all-up weight of 370kg and great performance at its 1992 launch.
Using a Yamaha ’bike engine and gearbox kept weight down while delivering 143bhp. That meant a power-to-weight ratio on a par with a Ferrari F40 for this tandem-seater sports car, which saw off 0-60mph in 4.4 secs.
Little surprise the Rocket was so focused when one half of its founding duo was McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray and the other was racing driver Chris Craft. A shame, then, only around 45 Rockets were ever made.
24. Berkeley Sports (318kg/701lb)
The tiny size of the Berkeley Sports is masked by its excellent proportions, yet that small scale results in a two-seat sports car that comes in at just 318kg.
Like so many specialist sports cars of the 1950s, the Berkeley came with a glassfibre body, while a ’bike engine from Anzani in the SA322 and then an Excelsior engine for the SE328 drove the front wheels by chain.
As well as using glassfibre for the body, Berkeley’s founder Laurie Bond further reduced weight by using unitary construction to do away with a separate chassis.
This design also gave the sports car good handling thanks to the rigidity of its base.
25. Messerschmitt KR200 (210kg/463lb)
Messerschmitt got in on the economy car act with its KR175, which became the KR200 with a larger 191cc engine in 1955.
Both used the same simple, tandem-seat all-steel body that offered a kerbweight of only 210kg, according to the company’s own figures.
While the KR200 made do with a single-cylinder Fitchel & Sachs two-stroke engine with 10bhp, the Messerschmitt’s light weight meant it still claimed a top speed of 62mph and 100mpg fuel economy.
With a three-gallon fuel tank, it gave the KR200 a good driving range.
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