Add another vehicle to compare side-by-side
A Closer Look at Smart Car
From LesleyB, Featured Contributor
Posted on June 24, 2008
Filed under Industry, Europe, History, Misc, Smart
[Photo by Michael Banovsky]
Swatch pulled out of the joint venture after it lost money, and the car didn't meet the design expectations of the watchmaker; however, Mercedes continued to produce cars under the smart brand. Smart has lots of fun limited edition versions of the fortwo, and artists, advertisers seem to love the car alike. Now that I know the car's roots, it makes sense that the brand emphasizes personal style. A car that has 'ART' in its name? It's a whole different approach, and it makes me want to keep my eye on the brand.
Here are some of my favorite limited edition and customized smart cars out there:
Smart Shark
Lots of people seem to paint sharks on their smart cars. Here's one in England, but I found examples from around Europe.
Swiss Smart
Here's one with the Swiss flag.
Smart Peacock
And one painted like a peacock.
Pink Smart
The pink Smart was available in the UK on a limited basis. I'm not sure how it sold.
Smart Brabus
The Smart Brabus is a collaboration between Smart and Brabus, and it's a more powerful pimped out Smart car that's available in Europe.
Smart Limited One
Smart Limited One is a 'luxury' Smart car with leather interior available in Canada, among other places.
ROJO Smart
Catalina Estrada designed this ROJO limited edition Smart which was presented during Milan design week.
Concept Cars and Advertising
Smartforfun2
This car originally appeared at the Athens Motor Show in 2005. Encouraged by Mercedes Benz, the creators further developed the concept car, giving it the the body of a smart fortwo and the platform from the Mercedes Unimog series.
Smaaart
The smaaart stretch car was built by carbonite UK, which uses it for promotions. The middle part is shaped like a soft drink can, so it's probably most often used to promote beverages.
Lindt Chocolate Bunny Smart
The Lindt Chocolate Bunny smart cars were spotted driving around the US during a promotion.
Read More:
LesleyB is a featured contributor for vLane.
Add a comment
Comments for this article
Displaying 1-7 of 7 comments
-
Flag
From Anonymous
Commented on June 25, 2008i love how people paint sharks on their smart car cause its a beast like that
-
Flag
From Anonymous
Commented on June 25, 2008 -
Flag
From Anonymous
Commented on June 25, 2008The 'Smart Brabus' is actually a Smart Roadster. It might be a Brabus-tuned version, but the model name is Roadster. The giant soft drink can is a Red Bull can. It doesn't have the logo on it, but the colors and the shape of the can indicate it's Red Bull
-
Flag
From Stergios
Commented on June 26, 2008A Monster Smart Car? Now that's an oxymoron!
-
Flag
From Anonymous
Commented on July 11, 2008I found a funny story about one of the photos you had posted, the smartforfun2. It is one of the funniest things I have ever read on a corporate website.
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Jul06/24_The_Smarts_Trip_To_Alabama.html
-
Flag
From Anonymous
Commented on September 11, 2008i love these carz i am going to get a pink one for my birthday when i reach the age og 16!!!!!!!!! i lubb this littl epink one u will kno when ya gurl is rollin down tha streeet!!
-
Flag
From Anonymous
Commented on October 11, 2009ditto 4 my 16th bday im gonna get a pink smart car.
Share Your Opinion
-
Should I buy a used camaro now?
ben_L on a 2002 Chevrolet Camaro
The other option is to wait for the 2009 to come out and then buy one at the end of the season. Should I get it now?
See all polls
User Comparison
-
Momma needs a new car....
Anonymous on May 10, 2008
We all know my car is on it's last leg. One of these is what my mom has been pushing me to get, one is what my husband wants me to get, and th…
See more comparisons
Recent Articles
-
Recap: #carchat 35; November 4 @ 8PM EST
From Banovsky 2 days ago
Social media is such a cool thing that we're constantly evolving how we communicate. Take #carchat: the first few originated out of a spirited conversation. ...
Read full article|Comments (0)
-
Upcoming: #carchat 35; November 4 @ 8PM EST
From Banovsky 3 days ago
This week: Chrysler's restructuring plan, the new Chrysler logo, and SEMA…Oh, and how the Dodge Viper logo looks like Daffy Duck! ...
Read full article|Comments (0)
-
Video: Kia gets its Tron on
From Banovsky 3 days ago
"The face of marketing is changing," yadda yadda yadda. Fact is, 30-second TV commercials don't do it for us any more. So Kia, as part of their interactive marketing campaign for the Soul, decided to make a pretty kick-ass short flick about a time-travelling Nissan and Tron-slash-zombie creating Soul. Really. ...
Read full article|Comments (1)
-
Recap: The CTS-V Challenge
From Banovsky 3 days ago
Sure, it's been almost a week since GM's Bob Lutz squared off in the Cadillac CTS-V against other amateur drivers at the race track. But what happened? How did the whole thing go down? Who won? Well, some people, including yours truly has an opinion, but why not check out the tweets from the event to see how things unfolded? ...
Read full article|Comments (0)
-
Viral video victim gets new Hyundai
From Banovsky 3 days ago
YouTube users: don't try this at home. Canadian Hyundai Elantra owner Todd Jamison exited his local gym after (presumably) a rigorous workout — only to find his car completely smashed, trashed, and inoperable. ...
Read full article|Comments (0)
-
vLane reviews: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
From Banovsky 5 days ago
Here at vLane, we've got the opportunity to sample some pretty amazing machinery. But none have been more polarizing in the last year than the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. We've all driven both the V6 and V8-powered models…and our opinions couldn't be more split. Take a look at what I'm talking about… ...
Read full article|Comments (0)