smart fortwo BRABUS coming to America

Those looking for a little bit more punch from their microcars are in luck as smart will begin offering the BRABUS-tuned version of its fortwo in the U.S. beginning in February 2009. News of its impending arrival was apparently emailed to potential smart owners who have already placed reservation deposits but have not yet configured their new fortwo. These people in line for a regular smart fortwo will have the option of changing their reservation to the limited edition BRABUS model beginning 8PM EST tonight. The American-ized version should feature the same 98-horsepower turbocharged three-cylinder engine as the BRABUS fortwo in Europe, as well as the same styling tweaks and handling package. Even with the increase in power, the European BRABUS fortwo is still able to achieve 45 miles per U.S. gallon. While it's 10-second run to 60 won't break any records, that's a precious few ticks quicker that the standard model and would surely make the microcar a lot more fun to drive. Still, we'll take what we can get.

UPDATE: Sources on the forum indicate the U.S.-spec fortwo BRABUS will not get the turbocharged version of the microcar's three-cylinder engine (probably because it's not certified in the U.S.), though a BRABUS Sport model may arrive later with the turbo. The BRABUS package will reportedly include a sport exhaust with dual center tips, sport suspension, 15- front and 17-inch rear wheels, power steering and all the BRABUS visual cues.

[Source: All Cars All The Time, smart of america]