Designed and produced in France, ACOMA’s Mini Comtesse was built in the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s to take advantage of one of the country’s more perplexing regulations at the time: the ‘L-Category’ of voiture sans permis, or cars available to be driven by individuals without licenses, a slightly terrifying proposition for licensed and law-abiding drivers, but an exciting one for those without!

In terms of powerplant, the Mini Comtesse, the smallest of the microcars produced by ACOMA, was similar to England’s Peel P50, boasting three wheels and a 49-cc, single-cylinder engine which only produced 3 bhp (compared to the 4.5 bhp of the Peel). With a smaller output in terms of horsepower, it comes as no surprise that the Mini Comtesse only had two forward gears (compared to the Peel’s three) and no reverse gear as well. Top speed was quoted at 20 mph.

One of the car’s more unique features, especially when considering its size, was the fact that it had not one but two doors. On the driver’s right is a conventionally hinged door, while on the driver’s left is a roof-hinged gullwing door. This was implemented due to the Mini Comtesse’s size, which allowed it to park perpendicularly between two parked cars. In this case, it would prove difficult to disembark from the driver’s right. To the left, however, egress and entry would be much easier.

Quirky and seldom seen, this is the perfect microcar for the Francophile looking for something a bit different with great joie de vivre!