It's astonishing how much attention this car gets. My upstairs neighbor, who has gotten used to finding eccentric cars parked outside her house, was beside herself when the Brabus arrived and she continues to check on its progress. I've also gotten used to small children pointing excitedly at me on the highway. It's enough to make a guy feel self-conscious and I've started to worry about my appearance every time I go out.
smart has spent a fortune marketing this car in Europe and most people have a sense of what it is, even if it's the first time they've seen one in the plastic. Spotty youths tend to concentrate their questioning on the power (101 bhp) and the top speed (121 mph), while everyone else is interested in how much it costs. Few of them actually seem to believe that such a tiny plastic fantastic could cost nearly $35,000.
The high price can be explained in part by the plethora of clever, expensive engineering solutions. The roof mechanism, for example, is a boon if you live in an unpredictable climate. At the touch of a button the fabric lid retreats into a small space directly behind the seats, leaving the smart in a targa-top configuration. This is what I use most of the time, but there is a second stage in the Brabus' transformation from Coupe to Roadster which involves unclipping the roof rails and storing them in two special slots in the front boot. Removing the roof rails and lowering the windows dramatically increases the open air experience. From the driver's seat the smart feels almost as open as a more traditional roadster, yet it retains the safety of a permanent roll bar. The complete roof-off transformation takes no more than 20 seconds and contributes hugely to my driving enjoyment.
The novelty value of such clever detailing has yet to wear off, but that's not to say the Brabus is without fault. A constant source of irritation, for example, is the near complete absence of usable storage space. The glovebox is as good as its name-there's just about room for a pair of wooly mitts, but only if you pack carefully. The door pockets are all but useless and I've yet to discover a use for the miniscule slots at the bottom of the center console. I'm forced to stuff my road atlas down the back of the passenger seat, while my wallet of CDs lives in a pouch attached to the side of the passenger footwell. It's difficult to reach from the driver's seat and it's always on display. I live in a permanent state of anxiety should my Leonard Cohen collection fall prey to unwanted attention.
My girlfriend packs for a weekend away like it's a polar expedition, so more often than not she ends up nursing something, which is not good for our domestic karma. Christmas was a nightmare. Trying to accommodate winter clothes to sustain the two of us for a week and enough presents to appease my young nieces proved to be a challenge too great for the Roadster-Coupe. It's a problem in need of a solution and a smart employee has suggested I invest in some bespoke luggage. The so-called smartware has been designed to fit in the luggage bay and a suit carrier should be arriving any day. Stand by for a full road test. Luggage troubles aside, life with the smart is progressing nicely. For every day I wish I'd chosen something with a bigger boot and four seats there are many more when I enjoy the novelty and sheer joie de vivre of my diminutive charge. And besides, I enjoy the attention.