Hot damn, this is a record I can genuinely appreciate: French microcar maker (and, it should be noted, former F1 car builder) Ligier took three of their cars – technically, quadracycles, according to Euro classification rules – to the storied Nürburgring with the intention of breaking some lap records, and they succeeded, brilliantly. In fact, one of the cars, a JS50 diesel, beat the previous record holder’s time by almost nine and a half minutes. Oh, that’s 12 and a half minutes longer, because the record they beat was for the slowest Nürburgring lap time, which was 16:01, set by a Trabant back in 1960. Now, that slowest lap took a staggering 28 minutes and 25.8 seconds, and is held by Ligier.
In addition to the diesel JS50 setting the record-breaking lap, the other two cars set impressively slow laps as well. An electric JS50 did it in 27 minutes, 55.6 seconds, and the hot rod L7e electric version screamed out a lap in only 19 minutes, 53.4 seconds. Any of these times would have been enough to break the Trabant’s record, but the diesel one proved the winner.
So what’s the secret? How did Ligier pull off such an incredible upset? What sorts of cutting-edge slowness-enhancing tech are they using? A big part of their success seems to stem from the rules of the quadracycle class they’re in, and the fact that they are sans-permis cars (which can be driven by people too young for a license or who have no/have lost their license, or both, if you can find a drunk enough 14 year old) which limits top speed to just 28 mph. Also limiting speed is a 500cc engine making a horsepower output of eight, as in two horsepower less than most people have fingers.
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The diesel JS50 had some other impressive numbers to report, because it was driven from Paris to the ‘Ring by French automotive journalists Nicolas Meunier and Martin Coulomb on one tank of diesel, and then set its record-setting lap, all without refueling. The distance from Paris to the Nürburgring is about 312 miles, so that means the trip had to have taken them, what, over 11 hours! For fuel economy, though, they got, let’s see, the JS50 has a 4.49-gallon tank, so that’s close to 70 mpg! That’s pretty good!
Ligier released this nice inspirational video of the record run; the electric ones came in on the truck, the diesel drove itself, just to be clear:
Hot damn, look at that! Those little beasts are tearing the track up at speed nearing 30 miles per hour! That’s only about 16 mph slower than a horse or a greyhound! And about twice the speed of a Pomeranian!
This is truly a momentous day for Ligier, the Nürburgring, racing, leisureliness, and, yes, humanity itself.
If you like the way these race-spec Ligiers look, it seems the company is considering offering the “ultimate racing experience” package, complete with go-slower stripes and body kit, for people to buy. I hope they go through with that.
Also, I now realize that I think I can beat this record with my 1.1-horsepower Changli; when I took it to the track that one time, I was barely able to get it past 20-ish mph. Look:
So, I think this has a real shot at beating the Ligier’s record! I just need to, you know, get it to Germany. Oh, and get it running again.
Top graphic image: Ligier
nitpicking: in France where Ligier, lives while you can drive one of those at 14 and as you mention you don’t need a driving license… The earliest you can get a driving license in France is 17, if you and your parents agree to go through the whole thing called conduite accompagnée.
So it’s impossible to be 14 and having lost your driving license in France since you can’t get one at that age. (OTOH it’s possible for you to be roaring drunk at that age… )
Did they have James May drive it ?
70 MPG does sound good, but it’s less impressive considering the top speed is 28 and all the construction loopholes they get for being sans-permis. The OG Honda Insight was rated for 70 MPG highway. Granted the Insight was a lot more expensive, but it could also drive on a freeway and won’t kill you in a crash.
RE: Chang-Li: Have chainsaw, will travel. We believe in you!
I have actually driven one of these, and it is remarkably pleasant. You floor it and go off happily up hill and down dale at constant revs and speed, and quickly forget the people queuing behind you.
The garage I borrowed it from did a comparison between the VSP (also known as Voiture des alcoholics , or pot of yoghurt — see early examples for the last one) and a real car over French departmental roads (90 kph limit at the time, 50 kph in villages) between the small town and the larger one 48 km a way. The real car took just five minutes less.
Motor was a three cyclinder Iseki tractor engine, with air intake limiters to get the power restriction.