Fortwo Eyes Only: Roger Moore’s Smart Car Is Up For Sale

Between 1973 and 1985, Roger Moore appeared as 007 in seven James Bond films, more than any other actor. As with any Bond actor, he’s closely associated with certain cars he drove on screen.

There was the AMC Hornet that performed a barrel roll jump in The Man with the Golden Gun (the impact of which was infamously dulled by a slide whistle soundtracking the stunt); the Citroen 2CV used to careen down a Spanish mountainside in For Your Eyes Only; and, most memorably, the Lotus Esprit that transforms into a submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me (how exactly did that fish get in there?).

Perhaps fittingly for the only Bond actor never to drive an Aston Martin in one of his films, it seems that Moore enjoyed some low-key wheels in real life, too. Later in his life, when living in Monaco, the actor, who died in 2017, knocked about the principality in perhaps the least showy car possible: a Smart Fortwo.

Launched in 1998 and set to be discontinued this year, the Fortwo (originally known as the City Coupe) was a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and watch manufacturer Swatch. Created as an urban runaround, the tiny car was famous for its ability to be parked nose-in to a kerb.

Apparently, that was the appeal for Moore, who enjoyed its parkability in the tight streets of Monaco. After all, despite the vast amount of wealth there, the 0.8-square-mile city state is hardly the best place to exercise anything much bigger and more powerful.

Moore purchased his Smart new in 2012, and remains its only registered keeper. A second-gen car, it’s powered by a rear-mounted 1.0-litre, 70bhp three-cylinder petrol engine, and the presence of ‘mhd’ badging denotes that it’s the version that came with some extra fuel-saving tech. The rear wheels were driven through a fairly clunky five-speed semi-auto ’box.

Offered by Bonhams at its upcoming May Monaco sale, the Smart has been sourced directly from the Moore estate. It’s only covered around 3000 kilometres (approx. 1864 miles) and still wears Monaco plates.

Bonhams reckons on it selling for between €5000 and €8000 – approximately £4300 and £6900. This seems to be about on the money for a Smart of this mileage and era and is certainly a lot less than the last ‘regular’ car we covered with a famous connection. If it doesn’t quite hit those dizzying heights, though, it’s being offered with no reserve, so someone might be able to grab a proper Bond bargain. We don’t think it’ll turn into a submarine, though.