The first smart I ever drove belonged to none other than Sir Stirling Moss. I picked it up from his house in the center of London and drove it across the city to an awards ceremony. It was an early left-hooker, bought by Sir Stirling in the days when UK smarts were still a personally imported curiosity, and it bore the number plate SM 1. The reaction I received that day in central London made me feel like a film star. Taxi drivers wanted to know what it was and even truck drivers were pleasant and courteous.
It was a testament, not only to the enduring appeal of Britain's greatest racing driver, but also to the power of the smart concept. Simple, cute and cleverly executed, the city coupe (or fortwo as it's called now) brought a new level of desirability to affordable motoring. My road-tester head told that the awful gearbox and terrible ride left it horribly compromised, but my car-nut heart still wanted one. Even now, 6 years later, the sight of a fortwo still makes me smile.
But for all its appeal, I still couldn't bring myself to buy one. Although I live in London, many of my miles are spent on the motorway and at 80 to 90 mph, the fortwo feels a tad too hairy for my liking. I enjoy an adrenaline rush probably more than the next man, but not when one involves a 30-ton truck and a strong crosswind.
All of which brings me to the subject of the roadster and roadster-coupe. Launched last year, they represent smart's first shot at a sports car. Small, diminutive and clever, they stay true to the marque's brand values, while catering for a subtly different audience. Longer and more expensive than the fortwo, they can be described as a "real" car with a twist. And this is why, after weeks of arduous deliberation, I've chosen to run a Brabus roadster-coupe as a long-term test car.
This is a car that blends easily with my lifestyle. I'm a 27-year-old single guy living alone in a flat in southwest London. What I want from a car is something that's fun to drive, relatively cheap to run (gas is around $8 a gallon here), easy to park and a bit different. Practicality is much less of a concern-my golf clubs can sit on the passenger seat. Very few cars actually match these criteria. I had considered a MINI, but in my part of London, they're horribly common, so a smart it had to be.
My choice of the top-of-the-range and officially sanctioned Brabus version was somewhat controversial. There are those who maintain that the roadster is about simple, no nonsense fun and that the much cheaper smart light would have been a better bet. But I disagree. For me, smart has always been a boutique brand. You don't choose a smart because it's a cheap option (it's not), but because you value clever solutions, diminutive proportions and distinctive design. It's the motoring equivalent of an ultra-small, ultra-thin laptop computer. And just as I want my laptop to come loaded with every available gizmo, so I want my smart to be full of life-easing trinkets.
Living in London means coping with outrageous traffic congestion and this, in turn, makes air conditioning and a decent stereo a must-the Brabus has both. The leather trim improves the perceived quality of the funky cabin and the heated seats should be a boon come winter. As an added luxury, I opted for the satellite navigation system, which costs (995/$1,844) but does wonders for my blood pressure. The turn-by-turn system is cleverly integrated with the stereo and so takes up no more room in the smart's cosy cabin.
The other main advantage of the Brabus version is a 23% increase in power. My car offers 101 bhp and 96 lb-ft of torque, compared with the 80 bhp and 81 lb-ft of the standard car. In a car weighing just 852kg (1,878 lb), this makes a significant difference. Whereas the standard car takes 11.2 sec. to reach 60 mph from rest, the Brabus achieves the same feat in 9.8 sec .and is capable 122 mph. The clutchless manual six-speed gearbox has also been reprogrammed to provide a faster shift-a much-needed modification.
Sports suspension and larger 17-in. Brabus wheels help to transfer this power to the road. The new wheels look fabulous, but I'm concerned about the effect they may have on the already lumpy ride quality. smarts have never been cars for people on first-name terms with their chiropractor.
If you add the sat-nav to the 16,995 ($31,502) list price, the Brabus purrs out of the showroom for a hefty 17,990 ($33,346). By contrast, the cheapest roadster light costs just 11,995 ($22,234). The Brabus is therefore by no means cheap and it's worth remembering that the same money would buy a faster and vastly more practical hot hatchback. Other "grown up" roadsters, such as the Toyota MR2 and Mazda Miata, are also well within this price range.
But my smart possesses an indisputable charm that its rivals fail to match. It has a genderless, ageless appeal that only the MINI can begin to match. The marketing boffins will also be hoping that they can translate these brand values into the U.S. market, when DaimlerChrysler launches smart in 2006. The initial U.S. model will be a small SUV called the formore, but don't bet against the roadster also crossing the pond. I can't help thinking that my smart would feel terrific in California.
Over the course of the next year, I will be anxious to discover whether the smart has the depth of quality necessary to sustain my interest once its novelty value has worn off. But for now at least, I'm delighted to be decorating the front of my bachelor pad with one of the best-looking and most charismatic cars on the market.