The Smart Roadster: Designed to steal the show

Everyone likes the big, fancy sports cars that not only come with the glitz and the glam but also have the power to race your heart once all the talking stops and the driving starts. More than just looks, it is that nirvana behind the wheels, which makes you buy one of those cars that can handle both the curves and the straights without compromising both on speed and stability. That is exactly the reason why I have always been an absolute mark of a brand like Ferrari and the fact that they like to flaunt what they have got.

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But not all cars can be of the same mold and if they were then we would not find anything special about that few big guns. We ca still find equal amount of delight in the not so huge but still very impressive daft little sports cars. The Roadster is one such car and being dished out of the Mercedes-Benz stable, it offers plenty of class too. The Mercedes-Benz brand Smart makes impossibly tiny city cars, notable as much for their cult status and cartoon-like styling as for their diminutive proportions. From 2003 to 2005, Smart also cranked out the Roadster and the curiously named Roadster Coupe.

The Roadster is a more comfortable four-wheeled motorcycle; a skin-tight, motorized extension of your will. It is incredibly light at only 1,700 pounds and flingable, with a zingy three-cylinder engine that cranked out as much as 100 horsepower in performance trim. Even in a car that light, 100 horsepower won't provide sensory-altering performance, but that means the Smart Roadster can be pushed to the limit without requiring you jumping out of your seat or making sure that you do not melt the tarmac. It might not be the quickest car on the road, but appears like a cute little chariot to take that someone special out on a pleasant ride.

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Of course, there's an inevitable hot-rod version for those who just can't get enough horsepower. Mercedes-Benz tuner Brabus merged two turbocharged Smart three-cylinders into one twin-turbocharged V-6 pumping out 215 horsepower. That's big horsepower for the Smart Roadster's flyweight dimensions and heft. Smart's micro-economy cars are just now starting to trickle into the States; it's great that we have another interesting car-buying option. While the car is absolutely cute and daft, it might not be something that too many would like to carry around.

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