Besides, the Flatmobile, which Perry Watkins of Perrywinkle Customs built in 2007, started out as a 1963 Hillman Imp, so it’s safe to say that it’s now one of the world’s most expensive Imps, for whatever that title’s worth. Watkins’s experience building the world’s lowest cars extends back to 1990, when he and Danny Curtis whacked another Imp — dubbed Impressed — down to a height of 26-1/2 inches, or an inch and a half less than fellow Brit Andy Saunders’s Claustrophobia , which had held the record for the prior five years. Before that, the Ford GT40 was considered the world’s lowest car.
In fact, the Flatmobile is his third try at building the world’s lowest car. The two previous cars were bested in a good-natured rivalry with another car enthusiast, who kept building lower and lower rides. When the other guy built a 21-inch-tall car, Perry Watkins hit bottom with a 19-inch-tall retort.
