That's a very cool car," coos the cyclist as he pulls up alongside us at a set of traffic lights in central London. He's far from the first of our fellow road users to offer this positive appraisal, and we've been on the road for barely 15 minutes.
As the signals turn green and we move away he chimes in with another observation: "Wow, it's electric - that's amazing." Again, we've heard this before, and we'll continue to hear it for the rest of our jaunt around the capital.
Our two-wheeled friend keeps pace with us for 100 metres or so before the traffic slows again and he's able to slip ahead through the snarl-up.
However, just as he disappears he takes one more glance back at us and, with a big grin, shouts: "You have the best day!" It's an unexpectedly generous and friendly wish from a resident of what is traditionally the UK's grumpiest city, but it's also a largely unnecessary instruction because, frankly, we're already having a whale of a time. Despite being not only in what is likely to be the slowest and most basic car an Autocar tester will pedal in 2024 but also confined to the congested streets of London, both myself and snapper Jack Harrison, who is perched behind me, have been giggling like idiots from the moment we turned a wheel.
Welcome, then, to the Bentley Blower Junior, the latest Lilliputian creation from the Little Car Company. The Bicester-based concern has already produced a number of exquisite pint sized and electrically powered recreation motors, most notably an Aston Martin DB5 and a Ferrari 250 Testarossa, but the Bentley is the firm's first road-legal offering, hence our chance to sample it on public roads.
Denne historien er fra June 05, 2024-utgaven av Autocar UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 05, 2024-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.
SKODA KAMIQ
A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable
'Our time has come'
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Lion kings
Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal