2008 Smart Fortwo
When it comes to being different, nothing grabs more attention than the Smart car. "One day I pulled up next to a Ferrari with our yellow Smart. Everybody on the sidewalk pointed at my car, some even yelled compliments to me. The Ferrari owner sat there with a `what the hell' expression on his face. These cars are true head-turners and absolutely fun to drive," said Boris Tilim of Smart Madness.
If you missed our initial review and test-drive of the Smart Fortwo in et 2/08, don't fret because the article can be found online at www.eurotuner.com But to quickly remind you, the Smart is designed and built in Europe. The Smart brand started in '93 as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Swatch. Using the expert automotive engineering of Mercedes with the design influences of the Swatch watch company, the idea was to make the perfect city car. The result was a two-seat coupe shaped to fit in any parking space and maneuver around Europe's tight city streets. Fuel economy also excelled and the latest model flaunts 33/41mpg. Sales of the first Smart began in '98 across Europe, and the company continued to expand by introducing several concepts and a second-generation model in '06 (which finally hit US shores in 2008).
Of the trio featured here, two of them show off the tuning capabilities of the newer-generation Smart Fortwo available to North America. The pair belongs to Smart Madness, (www.smartmadness.com) a company dedicated to personalizing Smart Cars. They've quickly become a source of Smart parts across the US and, if you're local in SoCal, its shop offers full service with parts installation, paint and bodywork, maintenance and engine upgrades as well.
The third of the tiny trio is an anomaly. Sean Alinaghian owns this first-generation '02 coupe, which was imported from Europe years ago and was passed around among a group of friends. With no parts readily available in the US, Sean fought adversity to build the most unique Smart outside of Europe and Asia.
Smart Madness
In January '08, hundreds of patient Smart owners rejoiced as their long-awaited cars began arriving. The US model turned up in three different trim levels but was limited to one engine and one transmission. However, the dimensions remained the same, and owners couldn't wait to hop in.
Measuring 5.1x5.1x8.8', some owners even bought two Smarts, since a pair could snugly fit into an average parking space. Priced as low as $11990 for the base model, these cars were selling like hot cakes. But to some owners, it still lacked pizzazz. There weren't many upgrades at the time, even from the dealer. Only available with one engine also meant owners were stuck with the 70hp 1.0 inline-3. Governed to 90mph, the car lacked the power to take on long road trips or even commute on faster highways.
This is where Smart owners like Boris and fiance Rachel Mills come in. Both quickly became owners when the car was released but were frustrated when they couldn't add their personal flavor. After identifying the lack of support, the couple invested in Smart Madness.
The company would be their second home, where they spent Monday-Friday working, holding Smart-meets on weekends and tuning on their personal '08 Fortwos after hours.
The orange coupe should ring a bell since it was featured in the Falken Tire booth at SEMA, while belonging to previous owner, Shane Christman of Mother's Car Wax. Smart Madness bought the car and reworked it into a quicker but reliable coupe.
Exterior-wise, the House of Kolor paint screamed for attention and the 17x7" Volk TE-37 bronze wheels gave the Smart car a motorsport feel. Smart Madness provided the custom adapters to fit the five-lug wheels to the three-lug hubs, but admitted the wheels will change soon to Carlsson rims. The outside featured a Kuhl FX body kit, Smart Madness' own carbon fuel door and air scoop, as well as tow hooks from Smart Performance.