The most loaded quote from Edmunds's recent review of the Brabus-tuned Smart Forfour is the following: "No one expects a Smart car to pass them going 145 mph." You could stop right there and take the rest of the afternoon off, but that's just the opener. The famed German tuning shop may be better known for its rocketship-quick Mercedes coupes and sedans, but its Smart program has gotten press recently, if but for its sheer incongruity. Admittedly, Brabus's makeover was extreme by its usual standard. It threw the Smart's stock three-banger into the schrotthaufen and swapped in a 1.5-liter turbocharged four that produces 177hp. It doesn't sound like a lot, but In a car as tiny as the Smart, that number might just as well have an extra zero slotted in.
European First Drive: 2005 Smart Forfour Brabus [Edmunds]
Related:
Brabus Smart Car Almost Answers Our Prayers; Frankfurt Premiere: Brabus Rocket [internal]