Smart Brabus Roadster For Sale

Smart Roadster From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2010) Smart Roadster Manufacturer Smart GmbH Production 2003–2006 Class Roadster Body style(s) 2-door roadster Layout RR layout Transmission(s) 6-speed semi-automatic transmission The Smart Roadster is a two-door sports car first introduced in 2003 by Smart GmbH. Sales of the Roadster and Roadster Coupé met expectations, however warranty claims resulted in a halt of production of both models in November 2005 after 43,091 Roadsters were made. The last one now resides in the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Contents 1 History 1.1 Design and development 1.2 Concept Car 2 Production 3 Brabus V6 Bi-Turbo prototypes 4 Special editions 5 Project Kimber 6 References 7 External links [edit] History This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2010) At the 1998 Paris Motor Show, the two-seat, 2.5 m (98 in)-long Smart City Coupe (later named Smart Fortwo) was launched. 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. The City Coupe had stability problems that were discovered only immediately prior to launch. These 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, close to disastrous for a new brand with just one product. Inside 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 development of a four-seat model, had not been far advanced. It was under these inauspicious circumstances the Smart Roadster was born. [edit] Design and development Under design director Jens Manske in autumn 1998, Smart's 14-strong design and engineering team began to sketch possible future Smart cars. They soon realised that the powertrain of the City Coupe was ideal for a small sports car, with a compact turbo engine driving the rear wheels via a sequential 6 speed 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 the car had progressed considerably by the time Michael Mauer officially arrived from Mercedes-Benz's Japan design center 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 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 Paris motor show a year later. As development of the coupe concept began, so 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 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. [edit] Concept Car The ‘Roadster Coupe’ as shown at 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 very small estate (station wagon) in the same way as the BMW Z3 coupe and the Saab 9X concept car developed under Mauer at Saab a few years later. Production versions of both Roadster and Roadster Coupe debuted together at the 2002 Paris Motor Show and were available to buy within a few months. Both cars were unique in the market, being significantly smaller than the Toyota MR2, MG TF, Fiat Barchetta and Mazda MX-5, but offering similar performance and practicality to the base versions of these cars while significantly more fuel efficient. [edit] Production Interior Smart Roadster. A Smart Roadster Coupé convertible. The Smart Roadster and Roadster Coupé were introduced in 2003, based on a stretched platform of the Fortwo (full length is 3427 mm). The two variants are meant to be reminiscent of the British roadster of yore, such as the Triumph Spitfire or the MG MGB. Both the Roadster and Roadster Coupé are available with a removable Targa roof or an electrical Softtop. The Roadster is powered by 45 or 60 kW (61 or 82 PS) versions of the turbocharged 698CC 3-cylinder Suprex engine in the rear, which is engineered by Mercedes-Benz. The Roadster Coupé has only the more powerful 82 PS (60 kW; 81 hp) engine. A steering wheel with Formula 1-style gearpaddles, to control the semi-automatic sequential transmission, is optional. With weight as low as 790 kg (1,742 lb), it is meant to provide the emotion of driving a sports car at an affordable cost. Still, the Roadster's price is not very far from that of a Mazda MX-5. Both the Roadster and Roadster Coupé are available in Brabus-tuned versions with power increased to 74 kW (101 PS). The Brabus versions have a different twin sports exhaust, lower suspension, polished six-spoke aluminum alloy Monoblock VI 17" wheels (205/40/17 at the front and 225/35/17 at the rear), front spoiler, side skirts and radiator grille. Exclusive Brabus (Xclusive) interior includes leather trimmed dashboard, alloy-effect accent parts, instrument graphics, leather/aluminium gearknob with Brabus labelled starter button, aluminium handbrake handle (which fouls the central armrest), aluminium pedals and Brabus labeled floor mats. The Brabus version also features stronger clamping of the clutch plates and a faster gearchange. 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 the life of the wheel. Despite a projected break even of only 8-10,000 units per year, first year sales almost doubled this estimate. However, some Smart Roadsters leaked and production ceased due to the warranty work and other costs reaching an average of €3000 per vehicle. While a critical success, the Smart Roadster was, due to these costs, an economic failure for the company. For those who have driven it, and fallen in love with it, it has proven to be an excellent driver's car with fuel consumption in the high 40s or low 50s miles per Imperial gallon. Running costs are low and the car is one of the few true sports cars built in the spirit of the 1950s classic British sports car. Influential British motoring television show and magazine Top Gear praised the Roadster, awarding it Fun Car Of The Year for 2005. Chassis numbers go from 00,001 to around 43,400. This doesn't quite add up with the fact that 43,091 Roadsters were built and put on the shop-fronts. The rest may include those crash-tested or which had faults and were retracted from commercial sale. [edit] Brabus V6 Bi-Turbo prototypes Smart Roadster Coupe Brabus. Brabus Coupe, rear In 2003 German tuninghouse Brabus created a prototype version of the Roadster Coupé with two merged 3-cylinder engines to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Solituderennen. This V6 bi-turbo powerplant had a maximum power of 218 PS (160 kW; 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 the twin-turbo V-6 occupies almost as much space as their five-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 foamrubber fuelbladder. 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 the Castle Solitude. They are not available for sale and are not even allowed to be driven on the public roads in Germany. Some of Mercedes' race drivers, like Markus Winkelhock, drove guests around the event's race track. [edit] Special editions Smart Roadster Collector's Edition. Smart Roadster Collector's Edition. In March 2006 Smart unveiled the final variant of the Roadster at the Geneva Motorshow: a limited collector's edition. It was based on the top model Brabus Xclusive with 101 PS (74 kW; 100 hp) and came with a satin brown-metallic paint job. The interior had brown leather and higher quality materials were used extensively. It had the new Runline 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 the main brabus model. The black alcantara and red stitching 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 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 because the cars came off the production line in 2004 as normal 80 PS (59 kW; 79 hp) engined roadsters before being given the Brabus makeover. The SB2 upgrade was optional to allow customers the option for lower insurance and road tax/CO2 emissions. So some RCRs did not have the SB2 upgrade carried out when new. There were 50 right-handed 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 the real BRABUS 101 HP engine. One prototype and 11 numbered cars. 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 leather door and cockpit trim and a central arm rest. [edit] Project Kimber Main article: Project Kimber In 2006, David James initiated Project Kimber, an attempt to restart production of the Smart Roadster in the United Kingdom. Initially intended to be rebadged as an MG model,[1] after an unsuccessful bid for the MG marque, the revised Roadster was later referred to as the AC Ace.[2] However, as of 2009, the project appears to be dormant. [edit] References ^ Nanjing in talks to sell MG Rover brand to bid rival ^ AC Ace [edit] External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Smart Roadster smart (official UK community site) Smart (official site) TheRoadster.net (smart Roadster owners enthusiast website) v â€¢ d â€¢ e Smart (a division of Mercedes-Benz and Daimler AG) Production Vehicles: Fortwo Â· Crossblade Â· Roadster Â· ED Â· Forfour Â· K Concept and Unproduced Vehicles: Crosstown Â· Formore Â· Tridion 4 || HOME CLASSIFIEDS Smart Car ROADSTER Classifieds Search Submit Advert Manage my Ads Help/FAQ Dealer Info Tools Email Notifications My Bookmarks Resources Fraud Warnings HPI Check Car Saving Plan Car Finance Car Insurance Car Servicing Car Warranty Number Plate Search Feeds List Gallery Map Filter Show: Sort: PostCode: previous12345next SMART BRABUS ROADSTER COUPE EXCLUSIVE LTD EDITION MODEL  (2005) 42,000 miles, SMART Roadster Brabus, Coupe, 2005, 42,000 miles, Black. exclusive ltd edition model finished in jack black with full black leather heated sports trim ,push button start ... Full Details Stock List NORFOLK NORWICH SPORTS AND CLASSICS £8,495 18000 MILES ONLY !! FANTASTIC AND DRY ! ROADSTER COUPE  (2004) 18,000 miles, SMART Roadster-Coupe 80, 2 Doors, Automatic, Coupe, Petrol, 2004 54 Reg, 18000 miles, Metallic BLUE OVER SILVER, MOT-07-2011, 2 Owners. VERY LOW MILEAGE CAR, Air ... Full Details Stock List Surrey G and M £5,995 SMART ROADSTER 80 AUTO P/SHIFT, 42,000 WITH FULL SMART HISTORY !  (2004) 42,000 miles, 2004 54 SMART ROADSTER 80 AUTO PADDLE SHIFTMETALLIC GREEN / SILVER, BLUE CLOTH TRIM, SPORTS SEATS, POWER STEERIMG, TRACTION CONTROL, CD PLAYER, ELECTRIC WINDOWS, ... Full Details Stock List peterlee KJ CARS £4,495 SMART ROADSTER - COUPE BRABUS EXCLUSIVE 101BHP WITH 2YRS FREE MOT AND SERVICE PACKAGE £10995 2005  (2005) 24,600 miles, Speed silver with silver tridion 2 Door Coupe 698cc Insurance Group 13, Presented with 2 owners from new, 6 speed tiptronic gearbox with soft touch auto ... Full Details Stock List CAMBRIDGE CAMBRIDGE SMART CARS £10,995 Smart Roadster Brabus Coupe  (2006) 14,124 miles, A Unique opportunity to acquire a 1 lady owner 14,000 mile only 2006 roadster Brabus coupe with a host of extras. Brabus small diameter steering wheel, cruise control, speed ... Full Details Stock List Croydon, Surrey Surrey Smart Centre £13,750 SMART ROADSTER RHD (80 BHP)  (2004) 30,562 miles, Full service history Spec icludes full remote electric roof,climate control electric windows,remote central locking with 2 keys,multi air bags,cd player,roadstar decals,16 ... Full Details Stock List EDWINSTOWE, NOTTINGHAM PARKWAY PERFORMANCE CARS £4,150 Smart Roadster Finale  (2006) 23,530 miles, 2006 right hand drive Roadster Finale edition (698cc - 80bhp) with a silver Tridion passenger cell and star blue body panels. As standard the Finale edition ... Full Details Stock List Croydon, Surrey Surrey Smart Centre £6,995 Smart Roadster Brabus Coupe  (2005) 28,730 miles, 2005 (55) right hand drive Brabus Roadster exclusive with silver body panels and full leather interior, including heated sports seats. As a Brabus Roadster ... Full Details Stock List Croydon, Surrey Surrey Smart Centre £9,995 Smart Roadster Brabus  (2005) 15,820 miles, 2005 (05) right hand drive Brabus Roadster exclusive with silver body panels and full leather interior, including heated sports seats. As a Brabus Roadster ... Full Details Stock List Croydon, Surrey Surrey Smart Centre £10,495 SMART ROADSTER AUTO 80BHP CONVERTIBLE WITH 2YRS FREE MOT AND SERVICE PACKAGE 2004  (2004) 49,000 miles, Spice red with silver tridion 2 Door Convertible 698cc Insurance Group 9, Presented with service history, 6 speed tiptronic with soft touch auto option, ... Full Details Stock List CAMBRIDGE CAMBRIDGE SMART CARS £5,995 SMART ROADSTER BRABUS AUTO WITH 2YRS FREE MOT AND SERVICE PACKAGE £8995 2004  (2004) 32,200 miles, Speed silver with silver tridion 2 Door Roadster 698cc Insurance Group 14, Ex demo + 2 lady owners, Presented with Smart service history, Fully colour coded, ... Full Details Stock List CAMBRIDGE CAMBRIDGE SMART CARS £8,995 Brabus Xclusive Coupe, FSH, Leather, A/C,  (2005) 44,000 miles, NOW SOLD SO PLEASE CALL IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO SELL YOUR SMART..Full Service History, Leather, Heated Seats, Air Conditioning, Power folding roof with Remote opening, 17" ... Full Details Stock List Hampshire Performance Car Company £7,995 SMART ROADSTER - COUPE 80 [RHD] Auto 2005  (2005) 77,472 miles, Black - Grey 2 Door Coupe 698cc AC Air Conditioning, Remote Central Locking, Alarm And Immobiliser, Multiple Airbags, Alloy wheels, Front Fog Lights, PAS ... Full Details Stock List Weston Super Mare Carbase.biz £4,749 SMART ROADSTER 80 [RHD] Auto WITH 2YRS FREE MOT AND SERVICE PACKAGE £5295 2003  (2003) 65,100 miles, Jack black with silver tridion 2 Door Roadster 698cc Insurance Group 9, Presented with Smart service history, 6 speed tiptronic with soft touch auto option, ... Full Details Stock List CAMBRIDGE CAMBRIDGE SMART CARS £5,295 SMART ROADSTER - COUPE Brabus Auto 2006  (2006) 28,000 miles, Speed silver 2 Door Coupe 698cc full service history, Leather Seats, Sports Seats, Air Conditioning, Traction Control, ABS, Alloy Wheels, Remote Central ... Full Details Stock List Chorley Euxton Car Sales £8,999 previous12345next Term & Conditions Hosted by Carrenza Copyright © PistonHeads.com ® 1998-2010 || ", 'plr_ContentType': 'PAGESKIN', 'plr_ContentID': 'myContent', 'plr_ContentW': 994, 'plr_FrameTop': 90, 'plr_FrameSide': 130, 'plr_FrameBottom': 90, 'plr_HideElementsByID': '', 'plr_HideElementsByClass': '', 'plr_NoSkinInSkinResize': true }; var objPageSkin = new InSkin.Base('myPageSkin'); EVO NEWS CAR REVIEWS DATA VIDEOS FEATURES USED CARS BUYING GUIDES TRACKDAYS COMMUNITY WIN 3 ISSUES FOR £1 SHOP Search evo REGISTER LOGIN Free Newsletter Car Reviews: evo Car Reviews Smart Roadster Smart Roadster Brabus Rating: The engine and chassis tweaks are welcome, the hefty price tag less so Text: Richard Porter / Photos: Peter Burn March 2004 Do you 'get' Smart? Do you think the original Smart car was a) an intelligent answer to the sludge of urban traffic or b) a silly motorised version of a child's Little Tikes car? Do you regard the Smart Roadster as a) a fantastically cool sports car for the Gatso generation or b) an expensively large Nike Air Max with a lawnmower motor in the heel? If you answered 'b' to both those questions turn the page now, there's probably a picture of a Ferrari coming up soon. If you went for 'a' you probably 'get' Smart. In which case you should be very interested in the new Roadster Brabus. Annoyingly, this is not a showroom version of the barking V6-engined special that Brabus confected last year. The legendarily mental tuning firm may be famed for gallon-into-a-pint-pot engine transplants on regular Mercs but this Smart had to be built on the same line as the normal car, which meant ditching outsized motors in favour of stock mechanicals. But nor is this simply a smoke-and-mirrored-alloys rebadging exercise. Brabus is now to Smart what AMG is to Mercedes, creating spicy, head office-approved flagships but without going so bonkers that the results will panic the warranty department or have to be built in a special shed behind the factory. Within those restrictions Brabus has done what it can to put some fire into the Roadster's belly, giving the revvy 698cc engine better breathing with a new intake and exhaust whilst reworking the turbo and ECU to allow an increase in boost pressure. The result is 24 per cent more power than the standard 80bhp Roadster. With 101bhp it's not a figure to make Horatio Pagani panic but it's okay in a car that weighs the same as your clothes. And while it won't make you vomit with visceral acceleration, the Brabus Roadster brings a shot of extra vigour that works brilliantly in the real world. Think of it as a kick boxer: it looks small and wiry and it'd never win a straight fight with a muscle-bound SL55-style heavyweight, but its agility and hidden strength could allow it to deliver a quick kick to the knackers and then run off before the bruiser knows what has hit it. To complement that feistier engine, the chassis gets lower springs, stiffer dampers and handsome 17in 'Monoblock' wheels, the net result of which is that the Brabus feels better tied-down and less crashy. In fact, why wasn't the standard car like this from the off? The prevailing condition is still lashings of grip giving way to gentle understeer and, although the extra power allows a wag of the tail, it's briskly snuffed by the ESP you forgot to switch off at the start of the journey. Which is where we reach a problem with how much you 'get' Smart. Hairy-arsed sports car drivers will dismiss the Roadster as a waste of time because you can't circumnavigate every roundabout sideways. The more cerebral will appreciate that even Stig Blomqvist doesn't drive to the office on permanent opposite lock, in which case the Smart's ability to cover ground at decent speeds without killing you or dropping below 40mpg is something to celebrate. Then there's the semi-manual gearbox, here with standard paddle shifters. 'Serious' drivers don't like these, just as their fathers got all huffy when some bounder invented the automatic choke. And they'll be pleased to know that, despite clutch and ECU tweaks which make it feel faster than standard, the Brabus Roadster's shift isn't as good as the best manual changes. But learn how to drive it, how to feather the throttle for up-changes, and it's not the unworkable pain in the underpants you might have thought. No, the gearbox is not the problem it's made out to be. The steering, on the other hand, could be quicker and the brakes feel mushy, although they're actually very strong and showed no sign of wilting after a demanding mountain descent. More disappointingly, the brilliant wastegate pssssh that marks aggressive upshifts in the stock Roadster has been reduced to a timid sniff in the Brabus. This is a huge shame because it was one of the things that added to the car's character. And character is really what this car is about. If you don't appreciate that you'll see it as an expensive irrelevance. If you are in tune with the Roadster's charms you'll relish its feisty engine, its growly soundtrack, the view over the swooping wings from that low-slung driving position. And you might even be prepared to swallow the distressingly hefty ΂£17K/΂£18K price tag for the Brabus version's extra power and usefully improved chassis because it's a unique little funster. If you can stomach paying more than MR2 money for a 700cc car, then you truly 'get' Smart. In which case this is the Smart to get. More SMART ROADSTER: News, evo News: Smart-based AC AceCar Reviews, Long Term Tests: Smart RoadsterCar Reviews, evo Car Reviews: Smart Roadster LightCar Reviews, evo Car Reviews: Smart V6 RoadsterCar Reviews, evo Car Reviews: Smart Roadster Click here and get 3 issues for just £1!For more performance car news and reviews, subscribe to evo magazine. < Previous Next > 0 Comments Bookmark this post with: More CAR REVIEWS evo Car Reviews Long Term Tests Citroen DS3 R reviewElectric Nemesis reviewNew Stratos supercar reviewDriven: Audi quattro ConceptNew BMW X3 reviewPorsche 911 Carrera GTS reviewSeat Ibiza reviewSee all evo Car Reviews Renault Clio WilliamsFord Fiesta Zetec SRadical Clubsport 1100Radical Clubsport 1100Infiniti G37S CoupeFord Fiesta Zetec SRenault Clio WilliamsSee all Long Term Tests Car Group Tests Audi R8 Spyder v supercar rivalsCitroen DS3 v hot hatch rivalsAston Martin Rapide v rivals370Z Roadster v its rivalsIbiza Cupra V Clio 200 CupMega hatch group testECOTY 2009See all Car Group Tests Advertisement Pictures EMAIL TO A FRIEND PRINT THIS Car Data Compare the Smart Roadster Brabus specification with many others in our new Car Data pages. evo RATING Increase in power Increase in price evo SPECIFICATIONS Engine: 3-cyl, 698cc, turbo Max power: 101bhp @ 5600rpm Max torque: 96lb ft @ 2500rpm 0 - 60mph: 9.8sec (claimed) Top speed: 121mph Price: £17,000 - £18,000 (est) On Sale: Now SPONSORED LINKS Company Website | Media Information | Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Subs InfoOur Other Websites: The First Post | Auto Express | Custom PC | IT Pro | IT Pro India | MacUser | Men's Fitness | Micro Mart | PC Pro | bit-tech | Know Your Mobile | Octane | Expert Reviews | Channel Pro | Know Your Cell | Know Your Mobile India | iGizmo | Digital SLR Photography | Den of Geek | The Week | Computer Shopper | Dennis Communications | Magazines | Mobile Phone Deals | Competitions | Health & Fitness | CarBuyer © 2010 Dennis Publishing Limited. 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