Smart Roadster | PH Auction Block
A no reserve Roadster with low miles and loads of history? Talk about all set for summer...
Last September, Smart confirmed that the ForTwo city car would be making a return under the #2 name. Made sense: the smallest Smart has a history with battery power stretching back to the original generation, and in 2026 it surely makes sense for an urban runaround to be an EV. Just imagine the fun that could be had comparing an electric Smart with a Renault Twingo and Honda Super N...
But there’d be even more entertainment on offer, surely, if another Smart derivative from the back catalogue was resurrected: the Roadster. It would be an ideal fit, with nothing else like it currently available, and the opportunity to resurrect what was always such a stylish shrunken sports car. An electric MX-5 wouldn’t work, because a large part of the appeal is in the powertrain. But the original Roadster was bought despite the powertrain, not because of it. Keep it light(ish), keep it affordable and, most important, keep it fun, and a new Smart Roadster EV would find some fans.
Until then (it seems far-fetched for now, though stranger things have happened), there’s a lot to enjoy about the original. Even almost 25 years ago when sports cars were much more commonplace (think MR2, MG TF, even the StreetKa), the Smart Roadster was pretty left field. The tiny turbo triple could muster only 80hp, but then it only weighed 790kg, so it was more sprightly than might have been expected. There was some mid-engined, rear-drive finesse to the handling, and a design really like nothing else. A 50mpg bundle of fun had its appeal in the '00s; arguably even more so right now…
Yes, the automated manual was never a Smart strong point, though at least it can now be considered of its time. The bigger ownership problem with the Roadster is simply finding one; they were reasonably rare when new, as they cost a similar amount to more powerful, better recognised cars. Overexuberant driving (plus some water ingress issues) will surely have claimed a few over the years, also. There are just four for sale on PH, and one of those is a barely used £13,000 Brabus.
Then there’s this auction car, with bidding open from today. Not only is it notable as one of the very first batch brought over (how fresh this looks for 2003), this Roadster benefits from a great spec: the best wheels, plus the Luxury Pack (bringing heated seats for chilly mornings) and a Sports Pack (for paddles when you really want to get stuck into that gearbox). Black is seldom flattering, but that silhouette and the contrast safety cell mean this is never, ever going to be mistaken for something else. Or stop drawing admiring glances, you’d imagine.
Just two owners have kept this Smart since new, with only 36,388 miles showing for 23 years of use. Having been acquired by the second owner in 2020, it’s always lived a fairly gentle life, gradually occurring miles over the years and with plenty of service invoices to go alongside. With cars having dropped to Shed money once upon a time, upkeep on some may not be the best. This one, with a new alternator last year plus a recent oil change and MOT, wants for nothing but enjoying in the sunshine. Shouldn’t be too hard, should it?
It's a shame that (a) a manual wasn't available and (b) the ride was a little less crashy, but I'm sure some aftermarket fettling would sort the latter.
A brave move at the time, and charming looks. I'll always have a soft spot for these.
Lovely because it got the cutesy looks right, was commendably small and light; handled well; etc.; but a disappointment because with a few tweaks it could have been so much better. I'd love to try a modified one with a quicker steering rack and a bike engine.
I absolutely love my Smart and its the apex green car. Small light, doesn't damage roads, already had its carbon count when it was mad,high mpg and easy to park. They do make a very good back road hoofer in a quirky way but certainly not as sharp in standard form as my MX5.
I'm saying this is the missed opportunity in both concept and good for planeness that Mercedes f**ked up at the beginning.
These should be everywhere,small sporty and adaptable with a huge fan base. The fact that they're not and we have 2 ton sports cars that never see the red line and don't fit in a parking bay is beyond me and not to my taste as a sports car serial owner and spirited driver of lighter and friskier 60's, 70's, 80's,90's roadsters..
after some point we found one, that girlfriend is not tall at all, she is small
so I thought such smart roadster coupe would be something for her, looks also cute-ish.then in a showroom were they had such second hand I tried to sit in the car and feel how it would be (never sat in one) I'm not sure anymore, but I believe it was hard to see over it, I was expecting a lot of sight on the road in such small car, but it was not, let alone for that girlfriend hahah, so it was a no go for her.
the engines seem not to great? or is that after trying to tune them... there are some with engine swap, like some bike engines hahah.
some thing in the interiors are horrible though, although some higher up versions are a bit better.
They are badly flawed but good fun. You will get wasted by every small hatchback and they don't actually handle that well either. I've seen someone roll one courtesy of the ESP never actually switching off.
SAM units are expensive and will eventually get wet and need replacing. We've also seen that even 800cc Roadsters now will need rebuilds in time, although specialists exist who can do this reasonably inexpensively in real terms. Remapped 80s are (laughably) slower than standard Brabus ones, as evidenced on multiple road trips and Santa Pod visits.
If you can get over the flaws and accept the cars for what they are, they're a good fun car with a great community around them (or certainly did have). A sports car they are not and never will be, and at that age I suspect they are not a particularly easy car to own.
Brabus not so good - big wheels a stiffer suspension.
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