Watch This Tiny Citroen Ami Topple Over at Monaco’s Famous Hairpin
The tiny French car can be driven by anyone 15 or older, and it’s very flippable despite its 28 mph top speed.
A Citroen Ami, a compact French electric vehicle, rolled Saturday in Monaco while attempting to round the famous Grand Hotel hairpin. The corner, made famous by the Formula 1 race held in the country every year, is considered the slowest corner on the F1 calendar. The driver of little Citroen may have seen that statement as a challenge.
According to Riviera Radio, the Ami's two passengers, 16 and 22 years old, were both reportedly sober and unhurt in the crash. It's unclear what criminal charges they will face if any. Several videos of the stunt were captured from several angles, including a clip taken by one of the EV's two passengers. The video is dramatic, to say the least. The Ami is first seen climbing the hill at speed, which induces significant body roll. The next clip is a downhill run, and the flipping occurs swiftly.
The Citroen Ami is not a full-fledged car. In France, anyone older than 15 can drive one without a license but it's limited to around 28 mph. Indeed, its specifications are laughable by most standards. It weighs just 1,069 pounds, has a wheelbase of 68 inches—a whole foot short than a classic Mini—and it's propelled by an 8-horsepower electric motor. The tiny 48-volt traction battery is just 5.5 kilowatt-hours, which gives it roughly the capacity of a single battery module in a Tesla Model S, and a range of around 45 miles.
The most important spec for this particular Ami driver would be the car's width, though, which is a paltry 55 inches. As the TV show Fifth Gear found out, it's pretty tippy. The part you'll wanna see is at about 3:45 in the clip below.
Is the Citroen Ami unsafe, then? Ultimately, it's not a problem for any Americans. The Ami is not sold here nor will it be. It's an unusual little French vehicle that, better or worse, isn't going to get far from its borders. Safe or not, it's staying across the Atlantic to terrorize the streets of a city in continental Europe.
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