This little Fortwo is getting Hayabusa power! See the progress so far on Matthew’s ride page.

After Chris sent me this disturbing wreck photo of a squashed smart today, I was cruising for pics of smarts met with violent ends and stumbled upon this story. Apparently, the latest and greatest in the persecution of the quirky microcars is to lift them up and dump them into the nearest drink. (Relax: the photo is fake). With a curb weight of around 1600 lbs, they’re among the lightest rides on the road. I guess they’re easily liftable once you dial in the right mix of strapping lads and alcohol, and something about the combo of the smart’s diminutive size and the stigma attached to their nerdy owners is clearly making them a target for rugby teams and roving herds of middle-aged frat boys. There’s been a quiet trend of such cases in Europe, and law enforcement is said to be keeping it hush-hush to avoid encouraging a rash of copy-cats. Via The Sun.

While Rob and the rest of the CarDomain staff were moving offices this weekend, I shot down to Los Angeles for the smart Center Beverly Hills one year anniversary.  The event was a blast and there were about 90 or so cars.  We drove some of the best roads in SoCal and ended the event at the Petersen Museum with a short banquet and raffle–more pics below the jump!

What did YOU do this weekend?

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Everyone knows that the economy has fallen on hard times, but things must be really bad when even Wayne Industries is downsizing the Bat Fleet. One of the screwiest vehicles we brought you from last year’s SEMA show, the BatSmart designed by custom legend George Barris, is on the block over at eBay. Take a look!

Via Autoblog.

I knew one would come in if I blogged it! I got my first 2009 calendar in the mail yesterday from the guys over at Al & Ed’s Autosound in Southern California.  Check out some of their crazy rides after the jump!

Thanks Gabi and Elie!
Project Tattoo which has a dope ride page!

While Rob was out at Detroit partying it up and having a blast I told him that he had to do one thing for me.  I made him promise to check out the smart fortwo ED or simply said, the electric smart car.

In reality the smart fortwo ED won’t be much of a change from my smart but I’m crossing my fingers that the transmissions works a little smoother.  For those of you who don’t know the smart’s tranny feels about like a 2-speed powerwheeel but either way the smart rocks! I think every CarDomain member needs one!

Automobiles, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. We have big ones, little ones, fat ones and skinny ones, and they all have a certain appeal to them. This weekend I found myself driving around in a car that I never thought would fit someone who’s 6′4" and 235 pounds. It was a Smart ForTwo diesel that was all tweaked up by Brabus, the crazy German tuner that takes mild-mannered Mercedes and turns them into super cars. When I first got a glimpse of this thing I was really was stunned at how small it is. I mean, it’s SMALL. However, looks can be deceiving, very deceiving.

The Smart is basically an egg on wheels. Interior room is actually quite impressive as I fit in there with no problems. The cockpit is laid out to provide you with everything you need and nothing you don’t. A big speedo with integrated fuel and temperature gauge are right in front of you, while a tachometer and clock are positioned in the middle of the dash in separate external gauge pods. The Smart also comes with a basic stereo, climate control and power windows. Again, simplicity at its finest. Seats are four-way adjustable and really don’t offer any support. Anything more than a 40 mile trip means you’ll be hurting.

Continue reading after the jump.

Now what makes this Smart different from other Smart Cars runningaround the U.S.A. is its power plant. This is a European model, whichmeans it is powered by a small 3-cylinder Mercedes diesel. They key tothis car is not speed, but mileage. Or so I thought. Smart says thisthing will get a combined hwy/city of 56 mpg, and it might just do thatif you can keep your foot out of the throttle. You see, this car isslow. REALLY slow. 0-60 takes around 20 sec. and the top speed is 87mph. The little 3-cylinder lump only churns out 40 hp, which is justnot enough to cruise on American roadways. For simple city driving theSmart is barely adequate as there is no scooting in and out of traffic.

Yes, the Smart is small, and yes you can park it anywhere, but drivingthrough the streets of Manhattan I found myself constantly wishing formore power. Driving on the Long Island Expressway was another storyentirely. Speeds on the LIE average between 75-80 mph. Maintainingthese speeds in the Smart means you are never going to take your footoff the floor. Cruising at this speed is also a bit unnerving as theSmart does not welcome speeds in excess of 70 mph. The short wheelbaseand ultra tiny wheels and tires mean you feel every bump in the road.Combine that with scary emergency handling and you have the makings ofa none-to-happy scene if something goes array. I averaged a combinedmileage of around 41 mpg in the Smart. Yes, it’s good, but you have torealize that the fuel capacity is only 5.8 gallons, which means you’refilling up every 210 miles or so.

The Smart’s transmission is another story entirely… simply put, it stinks.

So, does the Smart have any redeeming qualities? Well, actuallyyes, it does. It’s cool. Driving the Smart through NYC was nothingshort of fun. People stopped, took pictures and asked questionsconstantly about the little Smart, and it was a true celebrity amongthe rolling wounded that usually litter the streets of the city. Also,you really can park this thing anywhere. I mean really, this littlebugger fits in some really tiny spots. In fact, I found myself drivingaround looking for small spots just to see if I’d actually fit in them. It was kinda fun. Does all this mean that I would actually go out andbuy a Smart Car? Well… no. When equipped from the dealer you’retalking around 15k for this thing and that’s right in the heart ofHonda Fit and Toyota Yaris country, which are both better cars on everylevel.

The Smart definitely does have a certain appeal, it’s small, a bitquirky and actually a pretty fun little ride if you live in ametropolitan area. Just make sure though that if you want one, you testdrive it. If you can get over it’s quirkiness, you may just fall inlove with the little bugger.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

With gas prices and the economy being what they are, we reckoned this year’s SEMA would be pretty much overrun with microbots. Sure, there’s more smarts than you can shake a stick at, and since this is the first year the smart has been available in North America, SEMA builders have been having a field day with it. Still, the smart is after all one of those cars that pretty much is its own punchline, and since a lot of the goofier treatments (like Batmobile and John Deere) are drawing almost entirely on the novelty factor for their effect, we’re guessing the car will seem stale by the time next year’s show rolls around. So where are all the microcars, then? One issue is really that there are no small cars, and while we’ve certainly seen a smattering of Fits and Yarii, even subcompacts these days are decidedly blimpy. I guess we’ll have to wait for the new Fiat 500, Chevy Beat, and Ford Fiesta to drop before we see a true micro-mini invasion at SEMA. Stay tuned!

By Katherine Helmetag

AKA atomicalex

The SEMA show floor is dotted with plenty of Smarts. Some of the more outrageous examples include one decked out like a John Deere tractor, a green and bubble-print Rennsport piece on display at Razzi Wings, and this, err, interesting BatSmart. Complete with trailer hitch, fake exhaust pipes, and Joker graphics, and courtesy of Vertical Doors.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I ran into the Ed Hardy smarts that Ryan blogged back in August over in the wheel and tire hall. Pretty freakin’ hilarious. More pics after the jump.