Also while in England, I had the chance (thanks to Clive, a colleague of my Dad) to be driven in a Smart Roadster. This cute car is much smaller than a MINI and arguably just as much fun:
Personally, I think that with the Smart Roadster priced similarly to the MINI Cooper S, but feeling like it performs only like the MINI Cooper, I will stick with the car I have now – anyway if Smart does come to USA (as they claim will happen in 2006), they will not be bringing anything as small as this! Their recent press release suggests we will see “a smart utility vehicle designed specifically for [the US] market”. For more info, visit this site.
We also tried to visit the Lotus factory while we were in England, in the hope of seeing another “miniature but cute” car, the new Lotus Elise; unfortunately the factory closes early on Friday so we could not tour (and anyway, cameras were banned so this pic is courtesy of Google!)
M&I / GBMINI 