By Jim Travers
The tiny Smart Fortwo arrived on US shores in 2008. Mercedes-Benz conceived the two-seater as a way for city dwellers to zip through tiny gaps in traffic and find parking spaces where other cars could never fit. But its designers never envisioned what might happen when off-road modders transform the 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion into a lifted pipsqueak adventure mobile.
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Recently offered on eBay, the lifted Smart Car begs this question: Can any four-wheel car be prepped for off-road duty?
Petite, Tall and Mighty
This Fortwo sits on a raised suspension and rides on oversized General Grabber A/T off-road tires mounted on black spoked wheels. The seller called it a lift kit, although that’s a custom package. The car probably has spacers fitted to the struts to raise it for the big wheels.
The lifted Smart is a poster child for what aftermarket wheels and tires can do to remake a vehicle’s purpose and personality. The big meats let everyone know you’ve got something different in your driveway. The look is mildly amusing but not menacing like most offroad rigs. We doubt it will go far off the road. There isn’t much room for the wheels to articulate over obstacles.
The list of modifications includes larger wheel openings and camouflage treatment on the nose. The shift knob is missing—a nice opportunity to find a rad shifter on eBay Motors to replace the absent one.
Otherwise, the diminutive off-roader is stock. It only shows the typical signs of use that might be expected after slightly less than 84,000 miles.
A Lifted Smart on Gnarly Rubber
The original rear-mounted 1.0-liter, three-cylinder engine drives the rear wheels. It’s matched with a five-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Unfortunately, with 70 horsepower on tap, the powertrain lacks muscle. Period enthusiast magazines described it as lethargic but with good fuel economy in the neighborhood of 36 miles per gallon. But remember, the original Willys Jeep had fewer horsepower and more weight than this wee Smart, and nobody complained about its off-road chops.
The Smart was never meant to produce neck-snapping acceleration. At about 106 inches long, the 2008 Fortwo is roughly four and a half feet shorter than a Volkswagen Beetle. That makes for unbeatable maneuverability in tight spaces, whether you’re looking for a parking space in Brooklyn or dodging cacti in the desert. Driving off-road is all about choosing the right path through obstacles. When the car is tiny, it is easier to go around obstacles rather than over them.
Despite its tiny exterior dimensions, the Smart has about the same head and legroom as a Cadillac Escalade of the same vintage. In addition, reviewers were impressed by the surprising passenger room and the quality of interior materials.
Interchangeable Wristbands?
The model was created via a partnership between Mercedes-Benz and the makers of Swatch watches. The Smart car was designed to be very small, but not cheap. Creature comforts include heated mirrors, power locks and windows, and intermittent wipers. The Smart also came with a slew of modern safety features, including ABS brakes, traction control, and a passel of airbags. As a result, it scored well in crash tests.
This lifted Smart car is a Cabrio in Passion trim, meaning the fabric roof opens for quick access to desert stargazing. The clever design lets drivers slide the fabric top back like a conventional sunroof or go for the complete convertible experience by removing rigid side panels on either side of the roof for true open-air motoring.
The off-road vehicle market is hot these days. From traditional vehicles like Jeeps and lifted pickups to wildly modified Mazda Miatas. Even Porsche got in the game with its new 911 Dakar model. We applaud builders for getting creative with unexpected choices for trail vehicles. Let us know in the comments what car you’d like to see lifted for off-road duties.
