The Lotus Elise is, or was, the quintessential lightweight car. Sure, there are lighter vehicles with four wheels, Caterhams, Ariels and the like, but the Elise was about the lightest that still looked and felt like a modern car and had regular car features like, well, doors and stuff.
But just a few years before Lotus unveiled the original S1 Elise, Citroen would sell you an entire hot hatch that was even lighter. That’s right, a fully-formed supermini with a proper boot and convenience features like electric windows that weighed less than a sports car built to be as light as possible. Meet the AX GT, a 722 kg (1,592 lbs) four-seat flyweight that makes even the 725 kg (1,598 lbs) S1 Elise look like it should consider a week of keto.
Back in Europe in 1987 when the AX GT was launched it was normal for hatchbacks to weigh less than 1,000 kg (2,205 lbs), but even by the standards of the day the Citroen was unusually light. The base 1.0-liter car tipped the scales at less than 640 kg (1,411 lbs), and the GT more than offset its 82 kg (181 lbs) penalty by virtually doubling the pony count.
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That still only gave the GT 84 hp (85 PS) from a 1.4-liter engine with a twin-choke Solex carb, but it was enough to get it to 60 mph (97 kmh) in 9 seconds. A limited run of AX Sports that preceded the GT got two carbs and 94 hp (95 PS), but that was left-hand drive only and wasn’t officially offered in the UK where the GT you see here is up for sale, and where any AX is now a rare sight. Blame the featherweight construction and the model’s popularity with teens who found the GT much easier to insure than a Peugeot 205 GTI.
My aunt bought a couple of GTs new and even straight out of the factory they felt flimsy, so it’s impressive that this 1990 car – up for sale on Collecting Cars – has lasted so long. It’s obviously been well cared for and used sparingly judging by the excellent unrestored condition and low 59,393 miles (95,600 km) on the clock. Everything is standard, too, apart from a chopped ride height and Bilstein shocks that sort the standard car’s tippy-toed stance. Addicted to lightweight cars but new additions to the family forcing you out of that early Elise? The AX auction ends on Sunday.
