Top-5 lightest cars

If you’ve ever tried changing a tyre you’d know that cars are heavy, with the average medium SUV weighing around 1500kg and even compact hatchbacks weighing well over a tonne. But there are some cars that go the opposite direction, and of the top five lightest cars on sale in Australia, four have something in common.

Morgan 3 Wheeler – 550kg

Any car that sports one less wheel than usual, no a back seat, no roof, no doors and no windows is always going to be a bantamweight - as well as downright weird. And did we mention it’s powered by a two-cylinder motorcycle engine? What’s not light about this enthusiast’s jalopy is its $92,300 price tag.

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Caterham Seven 275 – 590kg

Based on the Lotus Seven, the quintessential minimalist sports car packs a diminutive 100kW engine which may sound weedy, but shoves it from 0-100km/h in just 5.5 seconds. How much would you have to pay for a track-day star lacking creature comforts like doors? That’s the $64,000 question … and answer.

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KTM X-bow – 790kg

This racing motorbike in a car’s body actually has a 220kW turbocharged 2.0-litre Audi engine behind its two seats but manages to keep the kilos off by mounting it in a carbon fibre frame. This $169,900 toy is actually a road ready car, but will chew up any racetrack with its power, handling and staggering acceleration.

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Suzuki Ignis – 820kg

You don’t have to forgo a back seat, doors windows, radio and even air-conditioning to keep weight under a tonne. The Suzuki Ignis may not have the track credibility of its colleagues on this list but it puts them to shame for practicality and the ability to drive around in the rain without getting the dashboard wet. It’s also pretty fun in its own way and with prices starting at $15,900 you can have a fleet of them for the cost of one the others.

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Lotus Elise Club Racer - 852kg

This fast, fun but wildly impractical roadster looks conventional compared to the Morgan and KTM and manages its featherweight status thanks to an aluminium monocoque housing its mid-mounted 100kW engine and two seats. At $74,990 it’s also reasonably priced compared to the other two.

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