Not many people remember it, but 18 years ago the Brabus tuner shop embarked on a doomed crusade to turn the little Smart Roadster into a no-frills tuner car with a V6 under the hood. This is how this story unfolds.

Smart announced its original Roadster model in 1999, initially landing it with a meager 61 hp (60 hp / 45 kW) engine. The car was plagued by issues, such as an incredibly slow sequential transmission, virtually no trunk space, slow acceleration, and a roof that you could only open a little, much to the frustration of driving enthusiasts. fresh air. A coupe version followed shortly after, but could not remedy the situation.

Brabus took the matter into their own hands and announced a spin-off series with stylish aftermarket wheels, new exhaust finishers and a slight increase in performance. The roadster version cost € 24,950 and the coupe € 26,570. As beautiful as it sounds, few were willing to nearly double the base price of $ 14,990 for a handful of gadgets.

It was at this point that the German tuner came up with the idea to produce a series of ten ultimate vehicles named the Smart Roadster Brabus V6 Biturbo. Each was to receive a twin-turbo V6 capable of 170 hp (168 hp / 125 kW) and 220 Nm (162 lb-ft) of torque. A six-speed manual transmission reduced to five speeds was tasked with delivering the momentum. The car could reach 100 km / h (62 mph) in 5.8 seconds, thus set. However, of the ten units planned, the company only built three.

The reason? According to reports, the Brabus V6 Biturbo turned out to be sky-high at € 330,000 – and a pain to maintain, on top of that. Can you imagine taking the whole engine apart just to change the oil? Well, that’s just one of the highlights.

Watch the full video for a detailed look at this truly one-of-a-kind project.

Editor Andrew Raspopov