Smart cars in the US? | FerrariChat

Smart cars in the US?

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by WJHMH, Jun 7, 2004.

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  1. WJHMH

    WJHMH Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Sep 5, 2001
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    Panther City, Texas
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    WJHMH
  2. redhead

    redhead F1 Rookie

    Dec 26, 2001
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    ~Red~
    #2 redhead, Jun 8, 2004
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    whats crazy about these cars is how all the panels are replaceable/customizable. When heading down from Milan to Modena in 2002, we saw this girl in her smart, and she was flirting with my buddy the whole time down there...so of course, snap off some pics! :)
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  3. Aureus

    Aureus Formula 3

    I pity anyone who drives those in the US. We don't have near the parking problems and narrow roads of europe, and there are so many gigantic cars on the road you're bound to be killed in a crash.
     
  4. Varenne

    Varenne Formula Junior

    Nov 8, 2003
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    Mark
    My understanding is that the model that will be offered in 2006 will be some sort of Smart SUV instead of the type of vehicle that's shown in this photo. In my opinion, this is an unfortunate decision. I'm sure they'll sell a ton of whatever they have due to the uniqueness, the "cute" factor, along with the mileage, etc. But I've seen a photo of this SUV somewhere, and I definitely think it has lost some of the 'charm' of these original Smart cars. I'd love ot have one for my daily driver commuting back and forth to work.
     
  5. GrigioGuy

    GrigioGuy Splenda Daddy
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    Nov 26, 2001
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    I got to drive around in one of those for a day. My buddy's boss had it shipped in via a shipping container full of used pinball machines -- just stuck it in the back and loaded the machines between it and the door. I don't think he was ever able to get a title, so he sold it on Ebay.

    Neat car, way more pep than I expected and certainly an eye-catcher. The whole car is basically a crash cage with wheels.
     
  6. imperial83

    imperial83 F1 Rookie
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    May 14, 2004
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    Smart cars are so much fun. My Italian friends said that they are produced by Swatch watches in collaboration with Mercedes Benz. They were a ton of fun to drive in Italy and France.
     
  7. Varenne

    Varenne Formula Junior

    Nov 8, 2003
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    Atlanta
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    Mark
    Swatch is out of the picture. They were involved with this project and I think were the impetus for it a few years ago, but it's all Daimler now....
     
  8. whitlock

    whitlock Karting

    Mar 24, 2004
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    Whitlock
    Last I heard JK Technologies out of Baltimore had done the crash testing and submitted the information to the DOT in order to import them. Haven't heard much more than that though. If they did manage to get approval I would love to drive one to commute around here.
     
  9. Ike

    Ike F1 Rookie

    Nov 4, 2003
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    Brabus has some tuned smart cars out too I've heard.
     
  10. ecadwell

    ecadwell Karting

    Nov 10, 2003
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    Eric Cadwell
    Well, i have seen 2 Smart Cars in the US now, so I know there are a few out there. Not sure if they are licensed, but I certainly saw them on the road. I also agree that they would be great for the work commute. Especially with the price of gas lately!

    I can also see plenty of usefulness in these cars for large-city US markets. One of the biggest appeals is that they can be parked head-first into a parallel parking space, thus making room for 2 cars in one space. There are a few areas in Europe that I saw that had taken parallel spaces and cut them in half, designating them as Smart spaces.
     
  11. MarcoRtn

    MarcoRtn Karting

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    Marco R.
  12. spyderman33

    spyderman33 Formula Junior

    Jan 9, 2004
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    Julian
    I actually saw one in Miami the other day with an Italian license plate on it.. It was white and had a mercedes emblems on it..

    drew alot more attention than my NSX!

    They also sell a roadster in Europe.. Very nice..
     
  13. dherman76

    dherman76 Formula Junior
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    Feb 25, 2004
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    Darren Herman
    They were here for the NYC start of the Players Run. There were approximately 6 of them.
     
  14. RyanZX6R

    RyanZX6R Formula Junior

    Nov 4, 2003
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    Smart cars? Why not start with some smart drivers first. We could use a few more of them over here.
     

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