Smart Roadster is a sports car from the lineup of Smart company, a member of the international automotive industry group Daimler AG.
The car was first unveiled at the motor show.in Frankfurt in 2003, and then produced for two full years using original technologies without any changes. The dynamics of production was quite high, the assembly line went down to 22 thousand units per year. In total, at the time of the termination of production, about 43,000 cars were produced. In 2005, the last Smart Roadster, coming off the assembly line, was solemnly taken to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
The emergence of a new model
The background story of the appearance of the Smart Roadster has begunin 1998, when a group of designers from Smart offered to create a new sports car with a turbocharged engine and a 6-speed transmission based on the Smart City Coupe model. The next five years were spent on the creation of several full-size models, the development of technological processes and all the documentation governing the serial production of the car. The car turned out to be super economical, stylish in terms of novelty of design, compact and with good speed qualities.
The first time Smart Roadster was produced on onefrom car assembly plants in France, in the base case. It was a soft-top convertible equipped with an electric drive. The car's engine (three-cylinder, 698 cubic meters / cm) developed power in 61 liters. with., which allowed to reach speeds of 160 km / h. The fuel consumption did not exceed 4.1 liters per 100 kilometers. In urban operation, gas mileage increased to 5.2 liters, which was also a good indicator. Smart Roadster owners reviews have always been extremely positive.
Dimensions and chassis
The dimensions of the Smart Roadster were:length - 3 m 42.6 cm, width - 1 m 61.5 cm, height - 1 m 19.1 cm. The wheelbase of the car - 2 m 36 cm. All these parameters were preserved with the release of subsequent modifications of the Smart Roadster in 2004. Then appeared Smart Roadster Coupe and Smart Roadster Brabus. These two models exactly repeated all the parameters of the base sample and differed only in engine power and speed. At the same time, the body height of the Smart Roadster Coupe increased to 1 m 20.7 cm against the standard (1 m 19.1 cm), due to the fixed roof. Although the transparent roof of high-quality carbon plastic stationary could only be called conditionally, since it was easily retracted into the trunk, and the Roadster Coupe thus turned into a convertible.
Ходовая часть базовой модели Smart Roadster It is designed for a full load of 790 kg, the load of the Roadster Coupe is 810 kg, and the Smart Roadster Brabus is focused on a weight of 832 kg. Front suspension lever design, with a transverse stabilizer. Shock absorbers are located in suspension struts. The rear suspension is a pendulum-lever with a longitudinal arrangement of levers and a stabilizer bar. Reinforced with coil springs, shock absorbers - telescopic.
Brake system
Braking system Smart Roadster dual circuit withcomplete separation of hydraulics into front and rear wheels. The front brakes are disc, with a caliper, providing smooth, but fairly tough action of the brake pads. Pusher cylinders are arranged on the principle of self-return, therefore rubbing of pads is excluded. Rear drum brakes with automatic adjustment of the gap between the pads and the working surface of the brake drum. The effectiveness of the rear brakes is determined by the uniform fit of the pads over the entire area of contact. This is achieved by a floating device that regulates the clamp of the said element.
Trust plus
Taking into account the specifics of the operation of a sports car, the increased dynamics of which are not always properly controlled, the stopping distance of the car should not exceed minimum values.
Anti-lock brakes enabledconstantly, it does not have a shutdown option. This is not a full-time ABS system, which is used on most cars, but special course leveling controls. The system used on Smart Roadster machines is exclusive and is called Trust-Plus. The principle of operation is electronic control of traction combined with stability on the course. The slightest deviation from the parameters of the norm stimulates the adjustment. Thanks to Trust-Plus, car skidding is virtually eliminated. The driver can brake the car even at the entrance to the turn, without risk to go skidding.
Security
Smart Roadster safety is provided infirst of all, the structure of the body, which is made in the form of a strong capsule, capable of absorbing frontal and side impacts. Smart Roadster safety capsule is named Tridion. In a frontal collision, the engine does not enter the passenger compartment, injuring the driver and passengers, but moves forward due to the inertia of the impact. Thus, the salon is not subject to destruction from the invasion of a multi-kilogram powerplant, which means that people inside the car will remain intact.
Inside the cabin itself there are also a number of devicesensuring safety. The seats are anti-traumatic, their destruction is almost impossible, in any situation and the chair, and their backs maintain integrity, although at the time of the accident and they absorb some of the impact energy. In addition, all Smart Roadster cars are equipped with emergency-safe fuel tanks, which are located under the bottom of the body. Finally, the most common elements of passive safety are pillows. Calculations have shown that these components, together with belts, allow the driver and passenger to save lives in a frontal collision at a speed of about 100 km / h.
Project closing
In 2005, the model Smart Roadster, specifications which required a large financialsoftware, came under reduction in the framework of the economy of production, which was carried out by the head office of the concern "Daimler". At the same time, all rights to the production and sale of the Roadster - this more than successful car - were sold to the British company Project Kimber, which immediately began production of its version of the Smart Roadster at Wales factories. Of course, the brand was renamed, and the car is now called differently.
Smart roadster price which in the Russian market canvary in one direction or another, nevertheless stably keeps in the range from 255 to 650 thousand rubles for a used car no older than 5 years, and the new Roadster can be purchased at a motor show in any region of Russia for 550-750 thousand rubles ( depending on the configuration).
