Back in the late 60s, the Opel Kadet featured a 1.1 liter motor that was tough as nails. Tuners could get 165 horses out of it, while turning 7,000 rpm.
My 80 LeCar had a 1.4 engine. It wasn’t supposed to have been availble to the public but evidently they brought a few in expecting to test them then decided to dump them.
That silly little piece of French spittle went like stink and got 54 MPG city or highway! That was when it was running of course and when the rear windows weren’t falling out.
After I traded it...on another Renault, sigh...it ended up in the hands of some kids in WVA. One Thanksgiving I got a call from a state trooper asking if I owned the car. For some reason my name was still on the title even though I am in PA.
After I explained, the trooper told me it had been involved in a series of robberies. The kids were running from the cops on twisty mountain roads and the cruisers couldn’t keep up. At one point the kids rolled it, got out, turned it over and kept going.
They were stopped only by a roadblock and spikes.
The trooper asked if I wanted the car back!
Nope!