Man Maths: Audi A2

What’s more Audi decided to give it a really sloping roofline, which was excellent for aerodynamic efficiency, but somewhat less good at providing headroom for your kids in the back. What’s more, all that technology was really expensive, forcing Audi to put a premium price on an odd looking car with very little room in the back. Perhaps only to Audi’s great surprise, it bombed.

But none of that stopped it being a brilliant car. That aluminium construction meant it was staggeringly light – a five-door, beautifully built 21^st century hatchback, some examples of which tipped the scales at less than 900kg. And because it was light and by a distance the most aerodynamically efficient car in its category, it drank fuel as might a vicar sip a glass of fizz at a Buckingham Palace garden party. One version, the 3L – so called for its fuel consumption in litres per 100km and not sold in the UK – really would do 100mpg. Diesel versions sold in the UK were still good for 80mpg.

And that’s not all: because they were light, they were also fun. I can remember ripping around the place in a 1.4-litre diesel with its fizzy three-pot motor thrumming away and having a complete ball. Yet today you can buy an A2 for less than £1000.

Question is, should you? I really like the idea. It’s the kind of car I’d love to have for bombing about on local trips and thanks to that aluminium construction I’d not be worried about leaving it out. They have their issues – what 20 to 25-year-old cars don’t? – but the basic engines and gearboxes are strong and those bodies will never rust.

So what’s the problem? Simply that its greatest asset is also its greatest liability. One of the reasons car manufacturers never use aluminium in cars like this is that they are extremely costly to repair when damaged. Now, two decades ago with a brand new car you might have taken the hit but today, with values so low? Even a minor ding could write off the car.

I think there are two ways of going about it: either spend absolutely full whack – around £5000 – and get a pristine low miles example and really look after it, or go completely the other way and spend £950 on something with 150,000 miles on the clock and hope it lasts. If it doesn’t, just throw it away – I mean recycle responsibly.

What you do know is that for as long as it lasts you’ll be driving one of the cleverest, most innovative small cars ever created, and you’ll be having a ball while you do.

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