2008 Smart Fortwo 13 Contortionists

(from smart Press Release) Thirteen proves lucky for smart

How many people can you fit into a diminutive smart fortwo?

The amazing answer is 13 following a car cram staged to help celebrate smarts 10th anniversary. Owners and visitors to the annual smart Destination Brooklands event held at Mercedes-Benz World, the UKs leading automotive brand experience centre at Weybridge, were invited to take up the smart-packing challenge.

With the drivers and passengers of 1,200 smarts attending the event there was no shortage of potential participants but the winners proved to be the aptly-named smart car-tortionists, a group of body-bending specialists chosen for their gymnastic feats. They included Iona Luvsandorj, semi-finalist in this years Britains Got Talent TV series.

With remarkable flexibility, a total of 13 contortionists managed to climb aboard the micro smart which measures just 2.7 metres long by 1.6 metres wide, proving that the fortwo is small on the outside and big on the inside.

Said Iona afterwards: The interior of the smart is tardis-like and I think we exceeded the crowds expectations of how many people we could fit inside it.

© Source: seriouswheels
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2008 Smart fortwo first steer

Say what you like about Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. But the book and later movie did have one good effect. By introducing the world’s largest car market, the US, to the Smart car it did its bit to keep Smart, DaimlerChrysler’s bold experiment in alternative urban motoring alive at a time when the pressures to wind the whole thing down were strong.

The second generation Smart fortwo, launched yesterday in Sydney is Smart US-style. Not surprisingly it’s bigger all round than the original version which began its conceptual existence in the early 1990s as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and watch-maker Swatch.

The new fortwo is 19.5cm longer, 4.3cm wider and 1.9cm higher than the car it replaces. It has a larger boot, with 70 litres more space for 220 litres in total.

There are four variants, with coupe and cabrio body styles powered by either a rear-mounted naturally aspirated 999cc in-line three-cylinder (52 kW, 92Nm) or a turbocharged version of the same engine (62kW, 120Nm). It’s quite a jump on the 699cc 45kW, 95Nm engine of the previous model. Top speed for all variants is 145km/h. Stated fuel consumption is 4.7 litres per 100km for the base engine and 4.9l/100km for the turbo.

The new Smart isn’t perfect, but it is smart. As a statement of ecological soundess, combined with impressive engineering detail it’s up there with the Toyota Prius. And then there’s the price: $19,990 for the base engine coupe, with the turbo at $21,990. The base engine cabriolet its $22,990, or $24,990 with the turbo engine. Mercedes-Benz Australia expects to sell about 300 fortwos this year, a number kept low by restricted supply because 30,000 have been pre-ordered by American customers.

© Source: caradvice
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