Smart Roadster | PH Auction Block

A no reserve Roadster with low miles and loads of history? Talk about all set for summer...

By Matt Bird / Thursday, 16 April 2026 / Loading comments

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?

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