smart roadster in Neuseeland

[Elmar]

Hallo zusammen,

bei meinem 2000. Beitrag bin ich mal faul :roll: und lasse die Übersetzung weg (gibt ja genug Übersetzungshilfen im Netz) :)

Secret coupe scooped

03 August 2001

EXCLUSIVE
The Smart car coupe will be launched in 2003, but Dave Moore has already seen one - in suburban Christchurch!

While it's well known that New Zealand is used by car makers for pre-market testing and promotional photographic purposes, you don't expect to see a thinly disguised secret German sports car virtually on your doorstep.

It was obvious what it was. Despite some years of denying its existence, DaimlerChrysler has had to admit that the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show styling exercise for a tiny sportster based on the hugely popular Smart car was to go ahead - and just to prove it, there it was.


SMART ROADSTER: This little German 700cc sportster was spotted in Christchurch this week, two years before its European launch date

The Smart Roadster was in New Zealand, I was able to gather, for final chassis and tyre testing prior to production sign-off.

Just 3.22 metres long, and fitted with a double detachable targa roof a la Pontiac Firebird and Nissan 300ZX, the Smart Roadster is powered by a 50Kw 600cc triple cylinder engine, but thanks to its diminutive size is likely to be decently quick.

Where the pre-production car photographed differs from the Frankfurt model, is that it eschews the glassy fastback style and uses instead a flat deck design, which when opened offered sufficient room to take a couple of soft bags in the space above the mid-mounted transverse engine.

It appears that the production car will also do without the contrast-painted detailing for the show model, replacing it with charcoal plastic panels, and there's a visual hoop that continues over the glasshouse from the rear quarter air inlets.

The plastic bodied roadster appeared well-finished for all its experimental appearance, with the painted areas displaying remarkably smooth surfaces.

Groping through the plastic disguise panels, it was possible to detect that the headlamp arrangement of the Smart Roadster will be a staggered pair of lamps in each wing, not unlike the design used for the new TVR Tuscan.

The Smart Roadster will eventually see the light of day - officially - in 2003 and will be built at DaimlerChrysler's MCC (Micro Compact Car) plant in Hambach, France where the basic Smart is also put together.

Quelle: www.stuff.co.nz

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Smarte Grüße

Elmar

[ Diese Nachricht wurde editiert von Elmar am 25.09.2001 um 17:05 Uhr ]

[purple]

Bin ich die einzige die Englisch kann?? ;-)

Find ich klasse den Roadster... eben smartimässig :-D und ein wenig extravagant :)

Schade dass nix vom Preis drinsteht, aber wenn er dann 2003 tatsächlich auf den markt kommt, werd ich ihn mir schon mal genauer ansehen :-D.

Smarte Grüße :-D