1998 SMART City Coupe 0.6L 6AT FWD (62 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Result of the cooperation between Mercedes-Benz and the Swiss watchmaker Swatch, the smart city coupe was the smallest car on the European roads, and it broke covers in 1998.

Combining advanced automotive engineering with a precision watchmaker resulted in this tiny little car that could safely carry two people in crowded European cities. The entire vehicle was based on a factor of three: it featured a safety cell called Tridion, three doors (two plus a tailgate), and three lugs on its wheels.

The egg-shaped vehicle was so short that two smarts could park in the same spot used for one vehicle. Moreover, the carmaker built the vehicle with plastic panels that could have been removed and replaced in the garage by their owner. At the front, this 8.2 ft (2,5 m long) vehicle sported a pair of headlights mounted high above the bumper to be better protected by shopping carts bumps. Its greenhouse started with a raked windshield and a set of small windows behind the B-pillars, followed by the abrupt vertical line of the tailgate. Despite the front grille on the front fascia, the engine was actually in the back, under the trunk’s floor.

Even though the exterior was minimalist, the interior was quite spacious. It offered seating for two adult-sized passengers and a shelf behind them big enough to fit a narrow briefcase. The dashboard was made from plastic and showed the speedometer in a wide instrument cluster placed in front of the driver. Between the seats, the carmaker installed the gear stick and the ignition.

Under the trunk, Mercedes-Benz installed a choice of turbocharged inline-three gasoline or diesel engines. Unfortunately, the six-speed sequential gearbox was sluggish due to its unusual construction of three gears and a two-stage reduction system.