You Can Now Buy A Smart Roadster For Less Than £2k
While I can’t help but admire the madness behind the TDI-swapped Smart ForTwo we were taking a look at earlier this week, it’s not how I’d choose to get my kicks from one of the Daimler division’s early cars. Nope: I’d get a Roadster.
Confusingly offered as a Roadster or a Roadster Coupe - which combined the same targa top arrangement with a breadvan-shaped glasshouse sitting on the back - these pint-sized sports cars are now seriously cheap. As in sub-£2000 cheap.
On our classifieds trawl we did get a little carried away, and rather than picking one of the cheapest ones, we upped the imaginary budget a bit and plucked out this £3349 Brabus Roadster for closer inspection.
These benefit from a more powerful version of the mid-range 700cc turbocharged inline-three, pumping out a heady, umm, 99bhp. Even with a low kerb weight these aren’t exactly fast, with the sluggish six-speed sequential gearbox contributing to a leisurely 9.5 second 0-60mph time. But as we explained after a recent drive in the new VW Up GTI, there’s more to driving fun than outright speed.
Brabus Roadsters also have a slightly sportier exhaust, a slightly fancier cabin, lower suspension and 17-inch wheels that look comically over-sized on the car’s dinky frame.
If you’re interested in any Smart Roadster, check carefully for leaks. It’s a common and expensive issue to sort, and one that led to the car’s demise in the first place - Daimler was forced to end production following a flood of expensive warranty claims.
But if you do find a good one and take the plunge, hang on to it. Few are left now, and we get the sense that prices at the bottom end are starting to level out. Dare we say it - there might even be some future classic potential here…
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
I genuinely think this is a really underappreciated cool car, too bad the gearbox apparently sucks :(
It could have been pretty cool but the gearbox plus the other little flaws make it not the best small sports car choice. But of course you should always get what you want, not just what everyone else thinks you should get.
I think we will see something similar to the Aston Martin Vanquish from the bond days. A gearbox swap away from greatness.
It’s really different and i think it looks awesome, someone just needs to engineer a way to eliminate it’s flaws and make a cheap gearbox swap availabke. Even the stock engine would mate well with a good manual imo
“Oh no, I’m a gearbox! Oh, heavens, I’m gonna swap some cogs around!”
I swear it showed a different pic before
Roadster
Roadster
And yet another thing which never came to North America, along with the ForFour.
All we got was the ForTwo, and I don’t think we even received the Brabus ForTwo, although I could be wrong
You can always change the exhaust, the wheels and lower the suspension by yourself… Wich let’s not lie you would probably end up doing if it was a project 😂
The real question is, why would you. The looks are cancerous. A bicycle accelerates quicker. The interior is made out of useless biodegradable plastic. No thanks but I’ll pass
Tastes differ I guess
I can assure you that no bicycle accelerates as quickly. Even if you’re the hulk or something.
I would love to see some one put a bike engine in one. I would be stupid fast.
Solution to the crap gearbox problem: Hayabusa swap it. Problem solved.
“Problem solved”
“OI THE GEARBOX IS SHIT, SO I CHANGED THE ENGINE”
Cool, but the gearbox and leaks are off-putting, especially when the same money could buy a decent MX-5.
But nearly everyone has an MX-5. This one is the original choice…
And features less rust.
I don’t know why, or if I’m the only one, but that thing really reminds me of the RX-8
Now you mention it, I do see a little RX-8 in there.
It’s the way the front wheel arches bulge above the hight of the bonnet, I love the designs of both those cars.
I wouldn’t even pay £2 for it, honestly. Mainly because of the awful gearbox.
There have been a few manual swaps.
FAR from OEM-like, but they worked.
And I saw one once running a (straight-geared) sequential box.
Loud, but it worked.