Thought this was interesting-
"Mercedes-Benz is going to introduce a fashionable roadster version of its popular smart minicar - and this car will have a very affordable price tag.

DaimlerChrysler of South Africa told Wheels24 earlier this year that the company is considering introducing the smart (it's spelled lower case) locally. This means that we can expect to see the funky smart roadster here as well.
The smart roadster will go on sale in Europe next year and this exciting two-door will feature the latest technology.
According to Auto Express the smart roadster has a Tridion steel safety frame and it has removable dent-resistant plastic panelling. This tiny Merc roadster also features vertically stacked headlights and clear-lens tail-lights.
European price forecasts are of the order of R160 000, but a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson told Wheels24 the roadtser will cost more than that if or when it appears here.
As with the smart city car it will be available in two body styles. Auto Express reports that it will be available as a standard roadster and as a roadster coupe.
The car has a mid-mounted engine and is rear-wheel driven. Its three-cylinder Suprex turbo engine has a capacity of 689cc which produces 60kW. Torque is a usefull 100Nm at 3 000rpm. Top speed for the roadster is 175km/h.
It will also feature high equipment levels and the car will have a very sporty feel."

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1982 300SD Light Blue
2002 Honda Accord SE
1974 Toro Wheel Horse Tractor
2000 Toyota Tundra Pickup

Check out the version of this in Germany - New B Class car
Just the cool music on this site is worth it!

Go to:
http://www.mercedes-benz.de/content/germany/mpc/mpc_germany_website/de/home_mpc.html

Then once at the site, click on the B class car and hit the rotate button at the bottom of page underneath the car to flip it to every angle. This site is the BOMB!

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1982 300SD Light Blue
2002 Honda Accord SE
1974 Toro Wheel Horse Tractor
2000 Toyota Tundra Pickup

[QUOTE=willrev]Check out the version of this in Germany - New B Class car
Just the cool music on this site is worth it!

QUOTE]

I always wanted to know what happened to Nena

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BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

The 'Smart Roadster' has been on sale in Europe for some time now.
There was talk about Dodge marketing a version in the US, but I think those plans have been squashed. Too bad. I saw a number of them when I was in the UK last fall and they really are a neat looking small sports car. Reminded me of my Austin-Healey "Bugeye" Sprite

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1991 M-B 560SEL Arctic White/Grey 99,000 Miles
1987 M-B 300SDL Ivory/Palomino 229,000 Miles (sold but never forgotten)
2006 Volvo XC70 Blue/Beige
1999 Porsche Boxster Arena Red/Savanna Beige
1986 Porsche 928S Goldweiss/Brown

21808e=29,182.60$

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currently
[1981 300 td tdidi 165500 dark brown/palamino-Brownie-mine-3k miles of ownership
1983 240d 162+++ Anthricite grey w/ henna red interior and hella lights-wifes car-Red

the above two cars are for sale
and can be seen on the cars for sale thread here. pix also available.


240d-144+ Manilla Yellow w/ palmino interior-greasecar kit-Blondie-the college kids car

23" gt 21 speed still on original tires-still got the nubs
21" khs tandem

I remember buying parts for my scooter from Nederlands just two years ago and laughing because I was getting such good deals, a euro was about .90 dollars, and even after international shipping I was getting parts like they were on a fire sale. Now its gone the other way around, and they are the one's laughing... Two years and the car has gone up in price by over 10,000$, even though it hasn't changed a bit.

Oh well. Looks like a neat car though! We need more small city cars for small city jobs. I'd love to own one of those little smart cars for commuting, and a big ole truck for work. Between the two you could tackle just about anything.

Peace,
sam

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"That f***in' biodiesel is makin' me hungry."

1982 300TD Astral Silver w/ 250k (BIO BNZ)
2001 Aprilia SR50 Corsa Red w/ 5.5k (>100 MPG)

I'm hearing we're going to see a lot fewer Euro cars in the U.S. because the dollar is so weak. Don't hold your breath for the Smart or any of those cool microcars.

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'81 300TD turbo <<sold 12/05 to another diesel nut

Don't base anticipated US car pricing on the exchange rate from European currencies. Most times we pay far less in North America than they do in Europe for the same cars. Check out UK/Germany and USA prices on Jaguars & Mercedes if you don't believe me. Cars are priced according to what the local market will bear and not on their values in the country they are made.

A Jaguar XJ Sedan has a base price of $76,900 (39,970 UK pounds) whereas here it lists for $61,495!! A Mercedes S500 is $111,925 in Germany (83,694 Euros) and in the USA it is a mere $86,770 BARGIN

Man that Roadster is Nice---Cool

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5217861/

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1992 300SD, 290K miles.

In a time when gas prices have eclipsed the $3 mark and continue to climb, fuel-efficient vehicles have seen their stocks rise. With U.S. consumers finally moving away from gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, smart car , a division of Mercedes Benz, has decided to debut the smart fortwo - a two-person car that measures only 8.8 feet long - in the United States. hre is the link is more useful to us regarding this subject, http://www.smartcarvideosite.com

I must note that the porked out US version of the Smart ForTwo is NOT powered by a Mercedes engine.

The Smart is a piece of JUNK that should be avoided at all costs.

Mitsubishi 1.0L non-turbo engine
Horrible manu-matic transmission with VERY slow and harsh shifting.
Cheap plastic everywhere.
VERY slow 0-60 (Slower than a stock 300D).
90mph top speed.
Only 8cu ft. of storage space.
Not safe to drive because of all the pickups/SUVs running around.
Not fun to drive.
Not at all efficient for its size, weight and engine displacement. 33 city/41 highway MPG.

Think about it, 33/41mpg in a vehicle that small is terrible. The 2007 Toyota Corolla gets 32/40mpg, the 2007 Honda Civic with a 1.3L gets 49/51mpg and the 2007 VW Golf TDI gets 37/44mpg. Hell, a 240D can get 32mpg in a vehicle 2 times the ForTwo's weight!

The only saving grace of the ForTwo was it's turbocharged Mercedes engine. With that out of the picture the US version is a complete piece of junk.

No intelligent person should willingly pay more than $8,000 for one of those rolling turds.

That smart weighs 700#?

It ought to be pretty fast if that is the case.

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

700lbs? What have you been smoking, its a hefty 1650lbs. 71hp, 68lb/ft torque and 0-60 in 12 seconds, slow by today's standards. An OM616 has more power and 1.5x the torque!

Stop talking out of your arse. They're great cars, superb handling, not quick but a joy to drive. Everyone here loves them, they're very popular.

Not fun to drive - lol. And the weight is nothing, my car weighs twice as much.

I bet you've never even seen one in the flesh, let alone driven one. And theres nothing wrong with plastic panels, my last car had a bodyshell composed entirely of GRP.