For Michiel, the Suzuki SC100 is a kind of Mini-911

Small cars generally don’t appeal to me much, but there are exceptions. The Mini is one of them, but not relevant for this section. Not obscure enough, not enough niche. However, you can confidently apply those two qualifications to the Japanese guy who you regularly encountered in the 1980s, but who now, with the exception of a few die-hards, seems to have completely disappeared from the face of the earth. I always liked the Suzuki SC100, that backpack with that fanatical look in its eyes – specially squared for the European market. A little pushover, who tries to hold his own among the big boys with a slightly dangerous look. Of course it was just an attitude, because it’s not an impressive car at all. Rather cute, and that is exactly something you as a man would rather not hear said about yourself. But hey, it is a real Giugiaro.

The big attraction of the SC100, known outside Europe as Cervo, is of course that the engine is in the back, hidden under the hatch under the glass rear door. The 970 cc four-cylinder engine is located behind the rear axle, making it a kind of mini-911 with a lot of imagination. The same engine can also be found in the SJ410. With its ‘cross-eyed’ rear lights, the buttocks of the SC make a somewhat less intelligent impression, but as a driver you don’t notice this. According to tradition, this coupe drives spectacularly and as an above-average tall Dutchman you can’t go wrong in it at all. With the new Ignis, Suzuki clearly refers to the two- and four-door version of the SC, the Fronte 7-S, which, like the SC100, has a sloping rear side window and three gills, but this is besides the point. It is to be hoped that the Japanese now protect their products a little better against rust, because that has been the downfall of almost all SCs. And that’s just a shame. Of the 3,400 SC100s that were registered here, less than 90 remain. A classic for the small budget, for whom a 911 is too big.