Category: Smart

The second-generation Smart Forfour Brabus, model code 453, is one of the most unusual modern hot hatchbacks sold in Britain. Developed alongside the rear-engined Renault Twingo, it combined four doors and four seats with a 109hp turbocharged three-cylinder engine, a six-speed twin-clutch transmission and Brabus chassis tuning. It was never a volume seller, making good…

The third-generation Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, based on the 451 Fortwo, was one of the first usable small electric cars offered to British private buyers. It combined the familiar two-seat body with a 17.6kWh lithium-ion battery and a rear-mounted electric motor. Its official figures now look modest, but the car remains appealing for short urban…

The second-generation Smart Fortwo Brabus, known by its 451 model code, turned the tiny two-seater into a credible pocket performance car. It retained the city-friendly dimensions and rear-engine layout but added a stronger Mitsubishi-derived 1.0-litre turbo engine, firmer suspension, larger wheels and an unmistakably more purposeful appearance. In Britain it remains rare enough to feel…

The original Smart City-Coupé was one of the boldest small cars to reach British showrooms. At just over 2.5 metres long, with two seats, a rear-mounted turbocharged engine and its distinctive exposed Tridion safety cell, it was conceived for crowded European cities rather than as a cut-price conventional hatchback. Today the first-generation 450 is an…