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82-478: The two-seat, 2.5 m (98 in) long Smart City-Coupe (later named Smart Fortwo ) was launched at the 1998 Paris Motor Show . This was the beginning of a new car brand and one of the more radical vehicle concepts to hit the European market since the bubble cars of the 1950s. It was also the beginning of a difficult period for Smart cars. The City Coupe had stability problems that were only discovered prior to

164-456: A facelift in 2002. The engines are turbocharged with three cylinders . Originally the basic petrol engine was 599 cc, and came in three versions—33, 38 and 45 kW (45, 51 and 61 hp) (45 kW). The engine displacement was increased to 698 cc with the facelift in 2002, in 37 and 45 kW (50 and 61 hp) variants. The turbo-diesel engine had 799 cc displacement giving 30 kW (41 hp). The Fortwo

246-542: A lithium-ion battery provided by Tesla Motors with capacity of 14 kilowatt-hours (50 MJ) initially, 17.6 kilowatt-hours (63 MJ) later. The range of a fully charged battery is up to 135 kilometres (84 miles) under the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) cycle. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 's official all-electric range is 63 miles (101 km) and rated the Smart ED with

328-554: A 3-spoke steering wheel, bespoke floor mats, air conditioning, CD player, Brabus clock and rev counter, Brabus speedo displaying 120 mph and all of the removable interior plastics (including door handles and steering wheel trim) repainted in Intense Red to match the exterior. Designed on the base of the Fortwo Brabus, this limited edition example is powered by a 55 kW 3-cylinder turbo charged engine although all of

410-456: A 6.5" display, and optional surround-sound audio system. For the 2013 model year, all Fortwos received a minor exterior facelift with revised lower facias, front and rear, and a relocated brand emblem located inside rather than above the front grille. The second generation Fortwo remained the lightest production car on sale in Europe. The 999 cc I3 Mitsubishi 3B2 engine (2007 onwards)

492-796: A car overturns. As a result, manufacturers adopted Targa tops or T-tops . As Porsche helped to popularise this body style, they took out a trademark for the Targa name and manufacturers sought for alternative names for their removable tops. Porsche got the name "Targa" from the Targa Florio , the road race in Sicily where Porsche was very successful. Targa means "plate" (or placard) in Italian. Targa and T-top numbers have slowly declined as manufacturers discontinued them in favour of full convertibles with retractable hardtops and folding metal roofs such as

574-424: A combined fuel economy of 87 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (mpg-e) (2.7 L gasoline equivalent/100 km; 104 mpg-imp gasoline equivalent). The third-generation Smart electric drive was scheduled to be launched in the U.S. and Europe by the second quarter of 2013 and Daimler AG plans to mass-produce the electric car with availability in 30 markets worldwide. The third-generation Smart electric drive

656-581: A cooperative venture between Swatch and Mercedes : S watch M ercedes ART . The Fortwo nameplate derives from its two-person seating capacity. Until 2002, the Fortwo had been marketed as the smart City-Coupé. Development of what ultimately became the Smart Fortwo started before 1993, originally as the Swatch car, developed by Nicolas Hayek in co-operation with Volkswagen . With a design focused on

738-427: A leather-trimmed dashboard, alloy-effect accent parts, instrument graphics, leather/aluminium gearshift with Brabus labelled starter button, aluminium handbrake handle (which fouls the central armrest), aluminium pedals and Brabus labeled floor mats. The Monoblock wheels are known to be very soft and as a result, are very easy to buckle. The lacquer on these wheels is also very poor, and corrosion can occur very early in

820-401: A manual five-speed gearbox or "twinamic" dual-clutch automatic transmission instead of the previous 'Softouch' system. During development, Daimler had consulted with Ford to learn about their Ecoboost 1.0-litre turbo-charged inline 3-cylinder engine , in turn sharing information about its own Euro6 stratified lean-burn gasoline engines. Prior to its debut, Smart CEO Annette Winkler reported

902-505: A modern microcar with an electric or hybrid drive, VW vacillated, disputes with Hayek ensued, and Hayek turned to Mercedes. The company MCC ( M icro C ompact C ar AG) was founded in 1994 by Hayek in Biel as a joint subsidiary of Daimler-Benz and SMH SA (Société Suisse de Microélectronique et d'Horlogerie). When MCC abandoned the original concept and the planned electric or hybrid drive, both Hayek and senior development team members left

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984-534: A new brand with just one product. Within the company, the evangelical buzz surrounding the launch of the radical City-Coupe quickly evaporated. With new management, new marketing initiatives, and continuing revisions to the car's engineering to answer public concerns, future vehicle plans, including the development of a four-seat model, had not been far advanced. Under design director Jens Manske in autumn 1998, Smart's 14-person design and engineering team began to sketch possible future Smart cars. They soon realised that

1066-576: A prototype version of the Roadster Coupe with two merged 3-cylinder engines to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Solituderennen . This V6 bi-turbo powerplant had a maximum power of 160 kW (218 PS; 215 hp) for a weight of only 840 kg (1,852 lb), giving it the same power-to-weight ratio as a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S. Smart claimed the car could accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under five seconds. Since

1148-454: A rating for the diesel engine). At the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show , Smart debuted the "micro hybrid drive" (MHD) version of the Fortwo, which was subsequently launched in the UK in 2008. The technology features an automated start-stop system , and a belt-driven starter-generator, which replaces both the starter and alternator . The system generates electricity to charge the battery when the driver

1230-586: A satin brown-metallic paint job. The interior had brown leather and higher quality materials were used extensively. It had the new Run line aluminium wheels and Brabus exhaust, front spoiler, and side fenders. Of 50 planned cars, only 30 were made. A limited-edition Roadster Coupe Racing edition (RCR) was released in 2005 in the UK. Only 50 in the world were made and featured all the Brabus trimmings plus special black Alcantara and leather seats with red diamond pattern stitching. The seats were not heated as they are in

1312-543: A similar system, defined by Triumph as a surrey top. The 1964 SAAB Catherina prototype and the 1965 Toyota Sports 800 both used similar systems before the 1967 Porsche 911 Targa. The targa style roof opening became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, when there were fears that the Department of Transportation (DOT) in the United States would ban convertibles, due to concerns over the safety of occupants when

1394-545: A solid, non-removable bar running between the top of the windscreen and the rear roll-bar, and generally have two separate roof panels above the seats that fit between the window and central t-bar. The word targa first came into use from the 1965 Porsche 911 Targa, though it was not the first to use the removable roof panel system. The system first appeared in 1957 on the limited-production Fiat 1200 "Wonderful" by Vignale , designed by Giovanni Michelotti . The later Triumph TR4 from 1961, another Michelotti design, also featured

1476-471: A special edition named "Brazilian Edition" which was offered only in yellow (in reference to the Brazilian Flag) with a Brazilian flag sticker on both sides, and turbocharged versions named "standard" (no name), Tritop, and Passion. The mhd were offered only in "coupé" configuration with no sunroof, and turbocharged versions were offered in both coupé (with sunroof) and cabrio variants. A few units of

1558-448: A sport exhaust with dual center tips, sport suspension, 16- front and 17-inch rear wheels, power steering and various Brabus visual cues. An originally planned turbocharged engine was not included. The Brabus package is available in cabriolet or coupe body styles, the latter equipped with a panoramic roof (made of glass for the first generation and polycarbonate for the second), and available in metallic silver or deep black. Designed under

1640-606: A standard Smart Fortwo). Overall, due to poor sales, Daimler lost an estimated €4,470 per first-generation Fortwo produced. In 2002, a version of the Smart Fortwo without a roof, doors or a proper windshield was created, called the Smart Crossblade . Only 2,000 were built. The second generation, build series 451 (internally: C451, Coupé – A451, Cabrio), was introduced on November 1, 2006—its length increased by 200 mm to 2,690 mm (106.1 in) and offering improved crash performance. The second generation retained

1722-706: A stretched platform of the Fortwo with a full-length of 3427 mm. The two variants are meant to be reminiscent of the British roadster of yore, such as the Triumph Spitfire or the MG B . Both the Roadster and Roadster Coupe are available with a removable Targa roof or an electrical soft-top . The Roadster is powered by 45 or 60 kW (61 or 82 PS ) versions of the turbocharged 698cc 3-cylinder Suprex engine in

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1804-425: Is a physically separate piece that itself is mechanized to lift off of its vertical supports in order to allow the solid roof panel and its motorized components to slide rearwards as the panel is being stored within the car. Ferrari introduced a hybrid variation of the targa roof and folding metal roof with the 180 degree rotating roof featured on the 2005 Ferrari Superamerica designed by Leonardo Fioravanti , which

1886-575: Is a two-seater city car manufactured and marketed by the Smart division of the Mercedes-Benz Group for model years 1998-2024, across three generations — each using a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and a one-box design . The first generation was internally designated as the W450 , launched at the 1998 Paris Motor Show . The second generation W451 -build series was launched at

1968-473: Is available as a coupe or cabriolet , originally called the "City-Coupé" & "cabrio", now the "fortwo" & "fortwo Cabrio", introduced in 2000 and restyled in 2002. Trim levels include the Pure, Pulse, and Passion. Pure models are fitted with the standard audio system but nothing else; Pulse models are fitted with alloy wheels, panoramic glass roof, and paddle-shifters on the steering wheel (2004+); and finally,

2050-488: Is braking, and automatically cuts the engine when the speed drops below 5 mph (8 km/h). Smart claims a fuel efficiency improvement of eight percent from 50 miles per US gallon (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg ‑imp ) to almost 55 miles per US gallon (4.3 L/100 km; 66 mpg ‑imp ) on the slow NEDC drive cycle—with a reduction in Carbon dioxide emissions from 112 to 103 g/km. This

2132-406: Is computer-controlled via electrohydraulics, eliminating the need for a clutch pedal. The first generation used a six-speed version, and the second generation uses a five-speed version, model 5AMT130. Input from floor-mounted shifter or optional steering-wheel-mounted paddles controls a servo-operated clutch and an automated manual gearbox. The vehicle may be driven in automatic mode (early models had

2214-463: Is half leather and half alcantara with red stitching. The seats use the smaller, non sport foams. This is unusual as all other Brabus 450 Fortwo's use the wider sports style seat foams. The door card inserts are alcantara with leather door pockets with the dash board finished in alcantara with an aluminium Brabus plaque displayed in the centre. None of these vehicles had heated seats or electric wing mirrors. All Brabus Edition Red Fortwo's are equipped with

2296-582: Is marketed as the Tridion cell and can be ordered in a contrasting color to the vehicle's body panels. Fortwo models are manufactured at Smartville —a dedicated Daimler assembly plant in Hambach , France—in Coupé (i.e., hatchback) and Cabrio (i.e., convertible) body styles, each in a mono-box configuration. Smartville underwent a 200 million euro upgrade beginning in mid-2013 for the third generation. With

2378-451: Is offered in naturally aspirated and turbo versions. German tuner company Brabus, in a joint venture with Smart, has developed a high powered version of the 1.0-litre turbo, producing 102 PS (75 kW; 101 bhp), originally available only in Europe, but now available elsewhere. A small 0.8-litre three-cylinder turbo diesel common rail engine made by Mercedes was available in most European markets. EU fuel consumption testing for

2460-638: The Castle Solitude . They are not available for sale and are not even allowed to be driven on public roads in Germany. Some of Mercedes' race drivers, like Markus Winkelhock , drove guests around the event's race track. In March 2006, Smart unveiled the final variant of the Roadster at the Geneva Motor Show : a limited collector's edition. It was based on the top model Brabus Xclusive with 101 PS (74 kW; 100 hp) and came with

2542-543: The Mercedes-Benz SLK , and by better structural engineering with pop-up roll-over bars behind the seats and front roll-over bars incorporated into the front windscreen . The year 1996 saw the debut of a retractable glass roof in the Porsche 993 Targa , a design continued on the 996 and 997 Targa . The glass roof retracted underneath the rear window revealing a large opening. A shade was there to help prevent

Smart Roadster - Misplaced Pages Continue

2624-400: The greenhouse effect of the closed roof. This system was a complete redesign, as previous Targa models had a removable roof section and a wide B-pillar functioning as a roll bar. The new glass roof design allowed the 993 Targa to retain nearly the same side-on profile as the other 911 Carrera variants and eliminated the inconvenience of storing the removed top of the old system. The Targa had

2706-437: The twin-turbo V6 engine occupies almost twice as much space as their 3-cylinder engines, the fuel tank had to be relocated to the nose of the car, where a luggage compartment used to be. It comes in the form of a Formula 1-type foam-rubber fuel bladder. The bigger engine also forced a change from separate coil springs and dampers to concentric units to support the de Dion rear suspension . Ten cars were built and presented at

2788-458: The 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsche AG . The rear window is normally fixed, but on some targa models, it is a removable plastic foldable window, making it a convertible-type vehicle. Any piece of normally fixed metal or trim which rises up from one side, over the roof and down the other side is sometimes called a targa band, targa bar, or wrapover band. Targa tops are different from T-tops , which have

2870-508: The 2000 Paris Motor Show was already on its way to production form. It shared the design of the Roadster from the doors forward but had a glass Targa roof and rear structure resembling a small shooting-brake in the same way as the BMW Z3 coupe and the Saab 9X concept car developed under Mauer at Saab a few years later. The Smart Roadster and Roadster Coupe were introduced in 2002, based on

2952-761: The 2006 Bologna Motor Show . The third generation Fortwo (2014–2024) was internally designated as the C453 build series, and debuted globally on July 16, 2014, at the Tempodrom in Berlin along with a closely related four-door version, the Smart Forfour , co-developed and sharing the same platform and engines with the third-generation Renault Twingo . Marketed in 46 countries worldwide, Fortwo production had surpassed 1.7 million units by early 2015. The brand name Smart supposedly derives from its early history as

3034-480: The 2008 Smart Fortwo earned the top overall rating of "Good" in both the front and side crash tests. The Fortwo received the "Good" score in 8 of 11 measured injury categories. Its seat/head restraints earned the second-highest rating of "Acceptable" for protection against whiplash in rear impacts. The IIHS did an offset crash test with a Smart Fortwo and Mercedes-Benz C-Class , which is 40% of one car's driver's side head-on with 40% of another car's driver's side, and

3116-591: The A-pillars. Smart claims the standard power soft top will open or close in 12 seconds, and can be operated at any speed. At market launch, 5 soft top colors were offered; black, red, grey, beige and brown. Grey, beige and brown tops were marketed as BRABUS tailor made soft tops. The smart fortwo cabrio featured removable roof bars that stow into an integrated storage space in the fortwo's rear tailgate. When removed, these roof bars allowed for an open-air driving experience. The fortwo's roof bars were not integrated into

3198-487: The C453 Fortwo. In 2015, Smart announced a cabriolet version of the Smart Fortwo at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. The smart fortwo cabrio launched globally in 2016. Cabrio models received additional safety cell reinforcements to compensate for the roof openings, including torsional bulkheads beneath the car, a crossbar behind the passenger seats (sometimes referred to as a basket handle), and additional reinforcement of

3280-723: The C453 would share its 2.69 metre length with the current W451 as well as its trademark hemispherical steel safety cell, marketed as the Tridion cell. The ForTwo continues to be assembled at Smartville , and the ForFour is manufactured alongside the Renault Twingo 3 in Novo Mesto , Slovenia . Smartville, where the W450 and W451 have been manufactured, underwent a 200 million euro upgrade beginning in mid-2013, in preparation for

3362-448: The Cdi, had the lowest carbon dioxide emissions for an internal combustion engine, at 88 g/km rated NEDC cycle. Auto, Motor und Sport cites a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.35 and Alles Auto cites a Cd of 0.345 for the second generation W451 series The first and second-generation Fortwo models employ an automated manual transmission , designed and manufactured by Getrag , where the clutch

Smart Roadster - Misplaced Pages Continue

3444-542: The Fortwo featured a total of eight dual-stage airbags in the Coupe—front, knee, side (thorax/pelvis) and window curtain—and a total of six dual-stage airbags in the Cabrio model—front, knee, side (thorax/head) dual-stage airbags. As a part of the vehicle's Tridion cell and crash management system, the front crumple zone is maximized by the rear-mounted engine location. In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tests,

3526-751: The Fortwo, the Smart Fortwo electric drive , began development in 2006. Field testing began in London with 100 units in 2007, and the second generation, with a total of 2,000 units, was introduced in 2009 and available in 18 markets around the world for leasing or through the Car2Go carsharing service in San Diego and Amsterdam . Production of the second-generation Smart Fortwo electric drive began in November 2009 in Hambach , France. The Smart EDs have

3608-603: The New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) introduced a first generation ForTwo into its permanent collection (the only vehicle to be included into the collection while still in series production), and in 2014 the Fortwo was voted the Best Microcar for the fifth year in a row by readers of the Chinese edition of Auto, Motor und Sport . At the time of its commercial launch, the Smart Fortwo diesel-engined variant,

3690-468: The Passion models are fitted with air-conditioning and ability to select between fully automatic and sequential gearbox. Between 2006 and 2007 Brabus produced and sold 50 Smart Fortwo Edition Red cars for the UK market. All of these vehicles were originally produced with a black Tridion safety cell and black plastic panels, the car was then later repainted at Brabus in (EB6 colour code) Intense Red. The car

3772-422: The Roadster and Roadster Coupe are available in Brabus -tuned versions with power increased to 74 kW (101 PS; 99 hp). The Brabus versions have a different twin sports exhaust, lower suspension, polished six-spoke aluminum alloy Monoblock VI 17" wheels (205/40 ZR17 at the front and 225/35 ZR17 at the rear), front spoiler , side skirts and radiator grille. Exclusive Brabus (Xclusive) interior includes

3854-646: The Smart Roadster in the United Kingdom. Initially, intended to be rebadged as an MG model, after an unsuccessful bid for the MG marque, the revised Roadster was later referred to as the AC Ace. In the 2010 movie Knight and Day , the Smart Roadster appears in the final chase scene. These vehicles were retrofitted with an engine from a Suzuki GSX-R motorcycle to improve power and throttle response, which

3936-504: The Smart received a "Poor" rating due to the occupants' heads slamming into the steering wheel. Also, there was too much intrusion into the footwell of the Smart Fortwo. The dummy movement was not well controlled. The Smart Fortwo spun 450 degrees in the air upon impact. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash test results for the 2008 Smart Fortwo: Euro NCAP crash results: An all-electric version of

4018-510: The United States & Canada. Both the coupe and cabrio electric drive models lost the electric drive badges front and rear and received smart EQ fortwo badges in their place, and received updated graphics in the optional smart Media-System. In autumn 2019, a facelift model was announced to be available with electric drive beginning in 2020. Tech specs remained the same. The smart was initially available only in left-hand-drive form, as

4100-523: The V6 bi-turbo and came with a free optional SB2 power upgrade kit for the engine, which raised the standard 80 bhp (60 kW) to 90 bhp (67 kW). The reason they were not fitted with the 101 PS (74 kW; 100 hp) engine is that the cars came off the production line in 2004 as normal 80 PS (59 kW; 79 hp) engine roadsters before being given the Brabus makeover. The SB2 upgrade

4182-513: The body of the Cabriolet with the Targa glass roof replacing the fabric roof. The 911 Targa continued with the all-new 996-model and gained a lifting hatchback glass window. This, in turn, was used on the later 997 model of 911. With the introduction and production of the latest two generations of 911, the Type 991 and 992 , Porsche decided to take the Targa in a different direction from that of

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4264-602: The car had progressed considerably by the time Michael Mauer officially arrived from Mercedes-Benz 's Japan design centre to take over Menske's position in May 1999. Mauer worked closely with the design team to quickly develop the roadster, with the intention now of producing a show car for the upcoming 1999 IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt . By June, the full-size models of the roadster were handed over to Stola in Italy for production of

4346-536: The choice of having their car purchased back or a free SB2 upgrade. An additional, UK and Sweden-only 'Finale Edition' was unveiled in April 2006. This model came in a variety of colour combinations, including an exclusive speed silver and black Tridion with 17-inch Runline alloys and 'flow silver' interior components. It also featured a leather door and cockpit trim and central armrest. In 2006, David James initiated Project Kimber , an attempt to restart production of

4428-558: The combined cycle rates the 1.0-litre mhd at 65.7 mpg ‑imp (4.30 L/100 km; 54.7 mpg ‑US ), the turbo at 57.6 mpg ‑imp (4.90 L/100 km; 48.0 mpg ‑US ) and 85.6 mpg ‑imp (3.30 L/100 km; 71.3 mpg ‑US ) for the diesel. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the 1.0-litre at 36 mpg ‑US (6.5 L/100 km; 43 mpg ‑imp ) combined (the EPA does not offer

4510-462: The direction of Kai Sieber with designer Michael Gebhardt, the third generation launched on July 16, 2014, having been jointly developed with Renault . The third generation was available as the 3-door 2-seater (internally designated as the C453 ) and 5-door 4-seater (internally designated the W453 ), marketed as the Fortwo and Forfour, respectively. Motor Trend reported prior to its introduction that

4592-457: The floorpan allowed only for a left-hand-drive version. Smart subsequently designed a floorpan for right-hand-drive models. The Fortwo is now marketed in 37 countries worldwide. Australia : The Smart Fortwo was marketed through select Mercedes-Benz dealers in Australia from 2003 to 2015 in only the middle 'Pulse' range, and with the petrol engine. In 2007, the base price for the Fortwo coupé

4674-521: The fortwo Brabus were also offered in Brazil in the year 2010. In 2016, Mercedes-Benz decided to discontinue offer of the fortwo in Brazilian market, hence Brazilian customers never had the option of the 453. Targa top Targa top , or targa for short, is a semi- convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full-width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on

4756-473: The interchangeable plastic body panels as well as the prominent exposed, rigid steel safety cell, which is 50% high-strength steel, hot-dip galvanized and powder-coated—and marketed as Tridion . The range received a minor interior facelift for the 2011 model year with standard knee airbags, new instrument cluster, more extensive cloth trimming for the top of the instrument panel, circular rather than rectangular outboard dash vents, optional multimedia system with

4838-404: The launch. This forced a package of alterations to be made that were both expensive and compromised the car's handling, ride, and gear shift. Public concerns over the car's stability, combined with Smart's elitist marketing and the sheer radicality of the car's design, proved damaging to initial sales. Production projections were slashed from 200,000 per year to 80,000 which was almost disastrous for

4920-433: The life of the wheel. Despite a projected break-even of only 8,000 to 10,000 units per year, first-year sales almost doubled this estimate. British motoring television show and magazine Top Gear praised the Roadster, awarding it Fun Car Of The Year for 2005. 43,091 Roadsters were built and put on the shop fronts, with chassis numbers ranging from 00,001 to around 43,400. In 2003, German tuning house Brabus created

5002-571: The main Brabus model. The black Alcantara and red stitching are also featured on the dash and door panels. Interior door handles and clock surrounds were finished in red to match the exterior paintwork. Each comes with a numbered plaque on the glovebox - stating the build number - RCR UK #/50. These cars were finished in Ferrari Red with matching light surrounds and bumper sections, the Tridion safety cell being all silver. They were made to look like

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5084-412: The option of fully automatic mode or standard "soft-tip" which was manual mode indicated by no button on the gearshift) or in semi-automatic (half-automatic) mode via paddle-shifters, where the operator controls the shift points but cannot feather or adjust the speed of the clutch. From 2009, revised transmission software enabled smoother and faster gear changes. The software, available via an ECU upgrade,

5166-681: The powertrain of the City-Coupe was ideal for a small sports car , with a compact turbo engine driving the rear wheels via a 6-speed automated manual gearbox . Following Smart's ‘reduce to the max’ philosophy and general innovative approach, a concept for a super compact, practical, and pure sports car was generated. Two quarter-scale exterior and two quarter-scale interior models were made in February 1999 with Volker Leutz's exterior and Christoph Machinek's interior proposals selected for development into full-size development models. The design of

5248-424: The previous water-cooled Type 996/997 cars. The latest Targas were introduced in 2013 and 2019, and unlike the Type 993/996/997 Targas, the newer cars have somewhat returned to their earliest Targa roots by utilizing a solid roof panel spanning over the front seats. However unlike the manual lift-out panels of earlier 911s, the Type 991 and 992 Targa's roof panels are mechanized for automated lift-away and storage under

5330-689: The project. "Today's gasoline-powered Smart is a product from Daimler-Benz and has not much in common with the plans of the former Swatch team." The Fortwo is noted for its 2.5-metre (8.2 ft) – 2.69-metre (8.8 ft) overall length, high H-point seating, offset passenger and driver seats (in the first and second generation, the passenger seat is 15 centimetres further rearward than the driver's), automated manual transmission (1st and 2nd generation), De Dion tube rear suspension, low CO 2 emissions (119 grams per kilometre, North America, 1.0 Liter), two-part rear hatch, interchangeable plastic body panels and prominent steel hemispherical safety-cell, which

5412-481: The real Brabus 101 HP engine. One prototype and 11 numbered cars. Before the Brabus model released, Smart released the Bluewave in the UK. Effectively, it has all the parts of the later-released Brabus model but without the Brabus engine and without the Brabus suspension. Smart later upset those who purchased the Bluewave by releasing the Brabus for the same price with those extra items. Some Bluewave owners were given

5494-414: The rear glass roof, which itself is mechanized to lift up and out of the way as the roof panel is placed into its stowed position. The Type 991 Targa also brought back the styling feature of the 'Targa bar' that was perhaps the most obvious and overt design cue of the air-cooled generation Targas. But unlike the previous Targa hoops, the one used on the Type 991 is in sections, where the horizontal span member

5576-424: The rear, which is engineered by Mercedes-Benz . The Roadster Coupe has only the more powerful 60 kW (82 PS; 80 hp) engine. A steering wheel with Formula 1 -style paddle-shifters, to control the single-clutch automated manual transmission , is optional. Weighing as little as 790 kg (1,742 lb), the Roadster is intended to provide the emotion of driving a sports car at an affordable cost. Both

5658-494: The roadster show car was developed over the following year with both exterior and interior designs completed by November 2000. However, colour and trim design continued until a year later. By early 2000, the Smart City-Coupe had finally started to gain sales momentum, with its Cabrio version making a significant addition to total Smart sales. In March, Mauer left Smart for Saab , succeeded by Hartmut Sinkwitz in May. As

5740-492: The safety structure of the car, and only housed the guide rails for the soft top to close. Smart announced in March 2018 that electric versions of the smart fortwo would be branded as the smart EQ fortwo. This change was to further align with the upcoming Mercedes EQ brand in which all Mercedes-Benz produced electric vehicles would receive EQ branding. The rebranding occurred for global March 2018 production, or Model Year 2018.5 in

5822-496: The second generation, Smart introduced a version with automatic start-stop , marketed as the MHD, or Micro-Hybrid Drive —offered only in certain markets. A sport model, marketed as the Brabus model, has been available in both generations, and Daimler introduced the Smart electric drive , an all-electric version, in 2007. The Fortwo forms the basis for Daimler's Car2go fleet, the largest car-sharing enterprise worldwide. In 2002,

5904-535: The show car model, which was produced in about three months for the car's debut at the Frankfurt show. The Roadster concept was well received at Frankfurt and helped to convince management that the car should be developed for production. At the same time, a decision was made to develop Mauer's idea for a coupe version as a concept car for the Paris motor show a year later. As the development of the coupe concept began, so

5986-464: The third design director of Smart during the Roadster's development, Sinkwitz had to bring the concept to production in a very short time. This task may have been made somewhat easier by the Roadster having been designed from the start to use existing powertrain and other City-Coupe components. Given some of the advanced design features, it is a credit to the design team that so much of the concept car made it to production. The ‘Roadster Coupe’ as shown at

6068-485: The third generation ForFour was to share approximately 70% of its parts with the third generation Renault Twingo , itself only offered as a four-door, four-seater. The third generation Fortwo was powered by either of two 3-cylinder engines: a 1.0-litre engine producing 76 bhp and 70 lb ft of torque, or a turbocharged 0.9-litre (898 cc) 89 bhp engine with 100 lb ft of torque. A lower-powered 59 bhp engine will follow later. All versions came with either

6150-441: The upgraded hardware is from the 60 kW motor with a different tune. Brabus upgrades over a standard 698cc Smart Fortwo include a 60 kW camshaft, 60 kW yellow Bosch injectors, 60 kW turbo charger, 60 kW turbo to intercooler pipe (TIK), Brabus branded central twin outlet exhaust with chrome tips, aluminium Brabus intake manifold name plaque and the gearbox from a Smart Roadster (different gear ratios compared with

6232-433: Was A$ 19,900, and the Fortwo cabriolet was $ 22,900. Mercedes-Benz stopped selling the Smart brand in Australia in 2015 due to declining sales. The smart Fortwo was officially marketed through select Mercedes-Benz dealers in Brazil only from 2009 to 2015 (exclusively in its second generation), only with petrol engines. It was offered with the "micro-hybrid drive" natural aspirated engine (mhd) in standard configuration with

6314-464: Was accomplished with a kit made by a British company. Three of the cars were bike-powered, and three more had conventionally tuned 698cc 3 cylinder engines featuring ECU remap, cold air intake/filter, performance exhaust, stiffer engine mounts, improved brakes, and lowered suspension by a Smart specialist in Hampshire , England. Smart Fortwo The Smart Fortwo (stylized as "smart fortwo")

6396-644: Was also made available for 2008 second generation cars, with a new battery as required. Third-generation models receive a five-speed manual transmission or dual-clutch automatic transmission. With an overall length (first generation: 2.5 m (98.4 in)) approximately equal to the width of regular parking space, a Smart Fortwo can park perpendicularly in spaces typically designed for parallel parking , allowing two Smarts to park in one space—a manner of parking not permissible in many jurisdictions worldwide (e.g. Austria, New Zealand and California ). The first-generation, build series MC01 debuted in 1998 and received

6478-400: Was built with the usual Brabus additions to the exterior, these being Brabus front grill (with fog lights), Brabus front splitter, Brabus side skirts, black plastic Brabus rear exhaust panel and 16 inch Brabus Monoblock alloy wheels. These vehicles were always rumoured to be Brabus Nightrun Fortwo's that were later reworked. The interior was bespoke to this limited run of vehicles. The interior

6560-434: Was further improved to 97 g/km in 2010. The mhd version of the Fortwo is not available in the United States or Canada. At introduction, the second generation featured front airbags as well as seat-mounted combination head/thorax side airbags along with the Tridion cell, seat belt tensioners, anti-lock brakes , brake force distribution and electronic stability control . In the United States from model year 2012 onward,

6642-534: Was optional to allow customers the option for lower insurance and road tax/CO 2 emissions. So some RCRs did not have the SB2 upgrade carried out when new. There were 50 right-hand drive cars (RCR 90) built especially for the UK with the SB2 kit and 90 hp (67 kW). Additionally, Brabus built 7 left-handed cars (RCR 90) for the rest of Europe and only 12 cars of the RCR 101 were altogether built left-handed by Brabus with

6724-462: Was unveiled at the September 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show . Key differences with the second-generation model include a more powerful electric motor, which improves acceleration and top speed, a new lithium-ion battery pack that will allow to increase the range to 140 kilometres (87 mi), and an option for quick-charge will be available. Brabus (styled BRABUS) is a sport package that include

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