I will be perfectly honest: short of a few million dollars, there is extraordinarily little that would convince me to own a “Smart” car and use it as my daily driver… or, really, drive one any longer than a test-drive would take.
However, I do have to admit to being somewhat surprised that Brabrus (a company dedicated to taking Mercedes-Benz vehicles and making them … well … crazy) would actually go out of its way to impart their own touch onto the Smart Fortwo.
Granted, a stupid-assed midget car with pointless fascia bits, micro-turbos, and overblown “I CAN HAZ MONEY!” interior styling strapped onto it is still a stupid-assed (and now over-priced) midget car, but it did make me do a double-take yesterday.
smart splat | misplaced mammal | well that makes sense |
Slow as hell.
US model: 0-60 in 14 seconds! Quarter mile in 20 seconds!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp3-pWue3so
Euro model is a little better, but it’ll still get its ass kicked by a Mini (this is the Roadster, but point stands):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbo_AAq2BZ4
A few days ago, I was at the local Post Office when the local “SMART car dummy” pulled out. This guy ALWAYS rolls down his window, waves AND HONKS HIS HORN.
TEENK (waves) TEENK (waves) TEENK (waves) TEENK (waves) TEENK
I have never, in my life, desired to cause a car wreck… until then.
I keep threatening the wife that if the surgery goes well and she’s able to drive again I’ll buy her a Smart.
“Now hon, you’ll get to choose when you go to work: Do you bring your laptop, or your lunch? You won’t have room for both!”
I have no idea who’s so stupid to buy those things, their mileage SUCKS for how little practicality they have!
@Richard – Well, yeah, that is the saddest part – all those bolt on doo-dads, and a bloody Camry can outrun it, and get nearly as good mileage at the same time. Wasting a lot of additional money on a waste of a car is… well… a hell of a waste.
@Dixie – Really, the enthusiasm over that pre-coffinized car confuses the hell out of me. It is not particularly sporty, it is not particularly gas-efficient, it is not particularly impressive in any regard except its size. Hell, its cost is just as bad as a Civic, with half the capacity. About the only good use I can see for them is urbanized areas where you literally can fit two per parking spot, and where no semi is going to try to turn one into a road pancake.
@Weer’d Beard – Nah, you just strap the lunchbag on top. Then you can use it as a sail to help your speed on the way home.
where no semi is going to try to turn one into a road pancake.
The first time I saw a SMART car, it was in a turn lane with a Dodge Ram behind it. For a moment, I thought the Ram had an odd hood ornament…
Hm. I see a new form of curling in our future…
I actually wanted to try to punt the SMART car into the Post Office, but that’d be a hard one to explain. “Um, I… had a case of that magical stuck accelerator! Yeah, that’s it!”
Well, that excuse would hardly fly – it is presupposing the cars are actually capable of acceleration
.
[...] (Why yes, I had inspiration…) [...]
98 HP? My cat passes gas with more power than that! You wanna upgrade that thing? Put lawnmower blades underneath!
Bwaha. That is almost worth it – throw a PTO on that thing, and it is probably more efficient than most mowers.