| laborlitigator |
Was Sunday driving around North Jersey yesterday and came across these vehicles.
Pretty interesting. |
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| alvester |
That's a SMART car. It's their Roadster model. They've been out in Europe for years now. It's a 3 cylinder job believe it or not but the body and frame is super light so the power to weight ratio is pretty sweet. 80bhp/1,742 pounds. (At least that's how they're configured in Europe) The first time I saw the Roadster model I was in Austria about 3 years ago. It certainly stands out. You can check out the company's web site at http://www.smart.com/.
Smart is a Daimler Chrysler brand. The original Smart car model (called "FourTwo" in the UK) was considerably less sporty but were a bit larger than a grocery cart and seats only 2. I recall seeing the FourTwo model throughout Western Europe (Germany, Austria and France mainly) for the past 8 years at least. Just think a mini "Mini". They are so short in length you can practically parallel park one by just pulling the car into the space at a 90 degree angle. The original model was developed jointly between Mercedes and the Swatch(!) watch company.
Check out the pictures at the Web site to see more. Select "Untied Kingdom" for English.
What you saw was probably either a personal import or a test/promo Roadster model. Come to think of it, I knew someone that was part of an ad agency in California that was working on an ad campaign nearly 4 years ago to introduce SMART to the US. I figured their tiny size was an obstacle and that they were waiting for the gas to go through the roof. It looks the time might have arrived!
I have to admit the original model's tiny size makes it perfect for a city like New York where parking and traffic congestion are a drag. |
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| laborlitigator |
| This one was even smaller. |
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| JL_SS |
| They have reverse Target logos on them.......... |
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| Pierre |
quote:
Originally posted by alvester
Smart is a Daimler Chrysler brand. The original Smart car model (called "FourTwo" in the UK) was considerably less sporty but were a bit larger than a grocery cart and seats only 2. I recall seeing the FourTwo model throughout Western Europe (Germany, Austria and France mainly) for the past 8 years at least. Just think a mini "Mini". They are so short in length you can practically parallel park one by just pulling the car into the space at a 90 degree angle. The original model was developed jointly between Mercedes and the Swatch(!) watch company.
We've had these in Canada for about a year now. They're all over the place. About CDN $20K gets you one. They run on diesel (which is more expensive than reg gasoline right now!!) and are very quiet. They don't pass the golf club test, though (about two grocery bags is all you can manage). They even have a convertible model. |
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| phins2rt |
quote:
Originally posted by Pierre
We've had these in Canada for about a year now. They're all over the place. About CDN $20K gets you one. They run on diesel (which is more expensive than reg gasoline right now!!) and are very quiet. They don't pass the golf club test, though (about two grocery bags is all you can manage). They even have a convertible model.
We just got back from Italy. These things are everywhere! My sisters commented they were "cute". |
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| alvester |
quote:
Originally posted by laborlitigator
This one was even smaller.
That's the original "FourTwo" model with the "Target" logos on it. The front and rear wheels are so close together you can, in person, see the very noticeable difference in the width of the wheel base between the two axles. It looks like it would still be easy to tip over though. |
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| laborlitigator |
Forget it, I'd be scared to take that thing on the highway. Good forbid you get hit by another vehicle. It's strictly for urban areas.
I'd say that the 2nd one has more head room than the other one. |
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| alvester |
I'd never want to get on a highway with the FourTwo but the Roadster would be fun for my relatively short highway commute from the house in Jersey to the Manhattan apartment. Either one would at least be easy to park.
I recall hearing the the Roadster's body was some kind of high tech plastic so even still one would be best to watch carfully for the SUV's and big trucks. |
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| greatscot |
quote:
Originally posted by laborlitigator
Forget it, I'd be scared to take that thing on the highway. .
That isn't made for the highway, but I agree with you.
I remember seeing these when we were back in the UK for a family wedding on Skye a few years ago. Even Mercedes has their wee version of this SMART car. One dealer even has a showroom that looks like a PEZ dispenser with these things in it. Hilarious. |
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