thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
April 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
10th
Be part of the world’s largest Anniversary celebration of smart!!
Destination Brooklands 21st June 2008 Competitions, Displays Brabus experience Multiple 3rd Party Trade Stands Mercedes-Benz World and the Brooklands Museum Online and telephone Registrations via thesmartclub web site from April 2008 International, bigger, better and totally smart
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
April 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Welcome to our 7th issue of ‘4site’ and to the first issue of ‘4site’ in our new, international magazine full colour format. Previous copies of our online newsletter have been available via download from our web site (www.thesmartclub.com), the most recent issue having over 27,000 downloads in addition paper copies being mailed out. 2008 sees us adopt a whole new format and a whole new, international approach.
In this quarter’s issue of ‘4site: Club News
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How to join thesmartclub Our ‘Privilege Card Club gear in our Online Shop Car Insurance scheme
Forthcoming events
The purpose of ‘4site’ has always been a channel to provide information that supports the smart club web site. It’s also a valuable tool enabling a wide range of news, views, reviews and official smart information in a format that can be read ‘offline’ and at your leisure.
Mallory Park Destination Brooklands Scottish Tour smartimes 2008
Submit an article Product Review SprintBooster
Following the recently launched new fortwo, the Brabus fortwo derivative and the launch of the fortwo in North America, 2008 also marks the 10th Anniversary of the smart car itself. Of course, there are a number of events around the world to celebrate this achievement not least of which is ‘Destination Brooklands 2008’. The inside cover of this magazine and our ‘Forthcoming Events’ section gives additional information about this celebration and we’ll be publishing more details on our web site and posting information to our Members who do not have access to the internet. The ‘Destination Brooklands’ event has a truly international focus this year and we’ll be joined by a number of European smart Clubs helping to ensure that again, we make this a real smart filled day and one of the world’s largest gathering of smart cars.
Brabus & thesmartclub ltd
The whole team at thesmartclub hope you enjoy this new format of smart magazine – it’s produced with the smart owner and smart enthusiast in mind and equally, it’s available, ready and waiting for your contributions!
smart trailers.co.uk smart of Cardiff smart of Swansea Bantam Trailers smart leather.co.uk
Features España-Santiago Rally smartimes 2007 Review A co-driver’s perspective
Dealership News smart centre Saarbrucken smart USA smart of Edinburgh smart of Portsmouth
News from smart
Advertising
Al Young Chairman & Managing Director thesmartclub ltd
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
April 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Club News
thesmartclub’s Online Shop
How to join thesmartclub
Our Online Shop brings you a range of Club branded merchandise for you and your smart.
Joining thesmartclub could not be easier and we have a number of options available to you.
Online If you have access to the internet, simply log on to our web site at www.thesmartclub.com and click the ‘Join the Club’ menu option.
Offline (postal) We are very aware that many people do not have regular access to internet services and as such, we offer an ‘offline’ membership service. Membership under this scheme provides you a copy of ‘4site’ delivered to your door, Event information and application forms by post and automatic entitlement to our ‘Privilege Card’. Of course, you also benefit from full telephone and fax support. Simply write to us at:
Everything from polo shirts and fleeces to pens and stickers. We also have a range of mats for smart fortwo (pre 2007 ‘451’ models) and Roadsters plus books describing the history of smart and the smart community. You can order online 24 hours/day, 7 days per week and Privilege Card holders benefit from additional discounts on all products offered. The Shop is open to all Members and smart car enthusiasts and we currently ship products to multiple countries around the world. For those enthusiasts without Online access, write to us or call us to request a copy of our products listings by post.
Membership thesmartclub ltd PO Box 28549 Edinburgh EH4 5WB, UK
thesmartclub Car Insurance scheme thesmartclub is delighted to announce the launch of thesmartclub Car Insurance Scheme in collaboration with Chris Knott Insurance. thesmartclub Car Insurance Scheme aims to not only beat your existing premium BUT we aim to beat your best quotation for your smart car insurance by 10%*!
Our Privilege Card – smart saving!
First - simply seek out the best insurance quote for your smart
Now in its 5th year, our ‘Privilege Card’ continues to go from strength to strength bringing you discounts on servicing and parts from multiple smart centres in addition to significant discounts from third party organisations. Plus you receive discounted pricing in thesmartclub’s Online Shop and better still, benefit from significant discounts on our Major Event prices. You receive all these benefits for only £10.00 per annum (€ 13,00* or $20.00* equivalent per annum). Visit our web site or write to us for full details. * currency conversions approximate for March 2008. Exchange rate calculated at time of application
www.thesmartclub.com
Next - Call us FREE on (UK) 0800 917 2274 quoting 'thesmartclub' Then - Provide us with your best quote and we'll aim to beat it by 10%* *Saving applies to new policies for named drivers and specific discount is dependent on individual circumstances. Underwriting conditions apply. GB only, unfortunately, this offer excludes Northern Ireland. Thesmartclub Car Insurance Scheme in relation to insuring your smart car is an exclusive arrangement between thesmartclub ltd and Chris Knott Insurance. Chris Knott Insurance is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
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‘4site’
April 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Club news
Fuel Consumption survey Since the launch of the new smart fortwo in 2007 (commonly referred to as the 451) thesmartclub has received countless emails regarding fuel consumption queries balanced by equal discussion on our own and other global club MessageBoards.
OK sitting comfortably? Let’s begin … We are often asked for some information and metrics regarding thesmartclub’s operations and listed below are some of the key facts and figures that keep the organisation’s team ‘filled with smart’ on a daily basis: •
We receive an average of 7 new membership applications every day, seven days per week
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Our web site attracts over 16,000 unique visitors every day (over 90,000 hits per day) – that’s big!
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Around 68% of our visitors click through to our MessageBoard
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Over 100 unique visitors per day view each Dealership Car Listing for more than 20 seconds per listing – great customer footfall
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We have members in 52 countries around the world
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Our fastest growing area for Membership is North America
Generic fuel consumption has so many governing factors that comparison with any manufacturer’s published figures is often difficult to quantify. To help capture fuel consumption data from smart owners and enthusiasts around the world, thesmartclub has launched a secure online survey form uniquely for the new smart fortwo. The form allows you to input basic details after each visit you make to your filling/gas station. The survey will run throughout 2008 and each month, we’ll publish the average consumption figures for each engine type and driving style (town, country, motorway/freeway) on our web site. In addition, the quarterly averages will be published in this magazine. Whilst no personal details are, of course, published we do offer a free service where we email you back with your own averages and charts throughout the year. The service is live, internationally, now and you can access the survey form by clicking the link on our homepage at www.thesmartclub.com
And what about our members?
Handover Packs
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71% of our Members are male
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10% of Members are over age 55
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15% are under age 25
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15% joined the club before buying their smart car
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9% of Members own a Roadster
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38% of members drive between 5000 and 10000 miles per annum
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Black continues to be the most popular colour of fortwo panels representing 32% of our fortwo owning Members
www.thesmartclub.com
‘smart of Edinburgh’ are proud to be the first smart Dealership to offer FULL Membership of thesmartclub plus one year’s FREE Privilege Card with every new and used smart car purchased. ‘smart trailers.co.uk’ will also provide you with FULL Membership of thesmartclub and a FREE Privilege Card with every trailer purchased. In addition, both companies also participate in our Privilege Card Scheme offering you outstanding discounts
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‘4site’
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thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
average speed over the six hours. Whilst the speed is not necessarily excessively high, the average speed includes stops for mandatory driver changes, refuelling and all servicing during the event.
Events : Forthcoming Mallory Park May 2008
It’s a challenge not only for the drivers, but also for the team manager who has a wealth of constant and strategic calculations to make during the six hours and also for the service crew who must deal with any and all eventualities whilst the ‘clock is ticking’. smart of Edinburgh are again providing specialised technical and diagnostic support in advance of the event. thesmartclub is entering a two car (smart Roadster) team in a six hour endurance event due to be held at Mallory Park, Leicestershire on 16th May 2008. Of the two cars entered in our team, one is a smart Roadster coupe and the other is our own rally prepared roadster – we hope that the endurance event will not only be a successful team event at Mallory Park, but it will also prove as a shake down and final testing platform for the rally Roadster in advance of that car’s participation in a Monaco-Rome 5 day rally later in the year.
The team consist of Al Young, Ernie Mellor (Roadster), Paul Maskens, Oliver Whittaker (Roadster Coupe), Fiona Young (Team Manager) and Jeff Hall (Service Manager) We’ll be publishing additional details about the event on our web site during April 2008 but the event will be open to the public and as such, if you are in the Leicestershire, UK area on May 16th, you may wish to come along and cheer on thesmartclub’s team.
The event is not so much about flat out speed but consistency and endurance – both vehicles in the team maintaining a set (and not slow)
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
April 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Scottish Tour 4th to 12th July
Events : Forthcoming Destination Brooklands 21st June 2008 Following the outstanding success of the inaugural 'Destination Brooklands 2007' event and, to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of smart, thesmartclub in association with Mercedes-Benz and smart, is delighted to announce Destination Brooklands 2008 - bigger, better and truly international.
We have taken into consideration, and value greatly, the feedback hundreds of Members and visitors provided following last year's event and this year, we hope to have a truly exceptional event to mark the 10th Anniversary of the smart car. We are also delighted to announce the forthcoming launch of new information and liaison channels between thesmartclub ltd and Brabus. More details will follow ensuring you have access to the widest range of help, information and services. Supporting this initiative, and the launch of the Brabus fortwo, Brabus will also have a significant presence at Destination Brooklands this year and we'll be publishing further details on these activities over the coming months. There will be multiple Dealership start venues for the drive to Brooklands across the UK and Europe involving Dealerships and 3rd party service providers and we also look forward to welcoming participants from multiple smart car clubs across Europe. We will be publishing the full programme of attractions and activities over the coming months. Online and telephone Registrations will launch during April 2008 and a banner on our homepage will announce the launch of the form. In addition, your local smart Dealership will also be provided with full details and Group application facilities. It’s going to be a great day, a great event and a superb way to celebrate 10 years of smart!
www.thesmartclub.com
Planning for a new event to our calendar is nearing completion – our Scottish Tour will take place in July taking in some of the most beautiful scenery and some of the most outstanding roads in Scotland.
As with all our major Events, the tour will be a ‘total package’ comprising organised start and finish venues together with accommodation in local hotels on either B&B or half-board basis.
Our tour will take us from Edinburgh north west via Glenfinnan (as used in the Harry Potter), the awesome Glencoe and then to the magical Isle of Skye. From Skye we head up the side of Loch Ness and then finally back south finishing in Edinburgh. Details and application forms will be published on our web site.
smartimes, Austria 22nd to 24th August One of Europe’s largest smart festivals continues to be bigger and better each year. As in the previous two years, we are liaising closely with our colleagues in smart Austria and will be publishing full details on our web site during April with additional information in the next issue of 4site. This is an outstanding event in Zell-am-See, Austria and a real chance to meet up with old and new smart friends from multiple European countries – it’s not to be missed!
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‘4site’
April 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Regular Local Meetings Although thesmartclub arranges a number of National and International meetings, there are always various local meetings arranged by groups of members. A small (and by no means exhaustive) UK list is shown below and you can find additional details via our web site or by contacting thesmartclub by phone or email. If you regularly meet with a group of local smart owners and enthusiasts (wherever that is in the world) and you would like your meeting included in our future listings, please email events.team@thesmartclub.com or telephone us on +44-845-299-0332 with details for inclusion in the next issue of our 4site magazine. Please note that as many of the following meetings are outside of the direct control of thesmartclub, details and dates may change.
Local Meetings Gloucester area smart meet st 1 Sunday of every month at 12 noon. Whittle Inn, Gloucester Business Park
Essex smarties meet nd 2 Tuesday of every month, 7.30 to 8.00 p.m. The Six Bells, Main Road, Boreham, nr Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 3JE Milton Keynes smart meet nd Every 2 Monday, 7.30 p.m. onwards Check Meetings Section of thesmartclub MessageBoard Navigation Pub, Stoke Bruerne DAFT Mansfield meet st 1 Wednesday of every month at 7.00ish p.m. The Snipe Pub, Alfreton Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 1JE BASS meet st 1 Wednesday of every month The Weir Hotel, Towpath, Waterside Drive, Walton-on-Thames, KT12 2JB East Kent smarties nd 2 Wednesday of every month, from 8.00 p.m. Dukes Head Pub, Sellindge, nr Ashford, Kent NWsmarties meet rd 3 Thursday of every month from 6.30pm The Riverside, Warrington Road, Acton Bridge, Northwich, Cheshire
East smart Cambridge meet nd 2 Monday of every month Grantchester
Contact thesmartclub We have a wide range of contact options available to you enabling you to have questions answered: Email Enquiries General: admin@thesmartclub.com Membership: membership@thesmartclub.com Privilege Card: privilege@thesmartclub.com Events: events.team@thesmartclub.com Technical (car related): technical@thesmartclub.com Technical (web related): webmaster@thesmartclub.com Advertising: advertising@thesmartclub.com Club Merchandise: distribution@thesmartclub.com Phone +44 (0) 845 299 0332
Fax +44 (0) 131 312 6167
Post thesmartclub ltd PO Box 28549 Edinburgh EH4 5WB UK
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
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thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Submit an Article to ‘4site’ - We want to hear from you! With a truly international audience, ‘4site’ provides you with an ideal additional channel to tell smart owners and enthusiasts about your ‘smart’ filled holiday, vacation, modifications, tours, competitions and ‘smart’ lifestyle. We make it easy for you to submit articles to us, 24 hours/day, 7 days per week.
You can submit articles directly to us via a dedicated page on our web site.
You can email articles, images and graphics to us any time, any day.
Visit www.thesmartclub.com and select the ‘Forums & Info’ menu option, then ‘4site’ and ‘Submit an Article’.
Your text can be created in an email, pasted into an email or sent to us in any file format. Emails should sent to:
You can type your text directly into the page we provide or paste text you have created elsewhere.
We understand that not everyone has access to the internet or email services. You can send us typed or handwritten letters along with any pictures* and we’ll transcribe your text.
4site@thesmartclub.com Letters should be sent to: ‘4site’ magazine thesmartclub ltd PO Box 28549 Edinburgh EH4 5WB UK
Click ‘SUBMIT’ and you’re done!
We’ll acknowledge all submissions received and advise you when/if your article is being included. * Note that any pictures posted to us cannot be returned. ‘4site’ is an international magazine for smart car owners and enthusiasts – your magazine and your opportunity to share your smart life with others! " ‘4site’ magazine ‘4site’ is an independent quarterly magazine produced, published and distributed by thesmartclub ltd. The magazine is not for sale, resale or commercial redistribution. All content © thesmartclub 2008 and global Daimler media © 2008 Daimler AG. All rights reserved. The welcome global image © Miroslav Tolimir, star ratings © Oleg Komarov, submit button © Kiankhoon, email image © Tomislav Stajduhar, statistics girl © Andres Rodgiruez, fuel nozzle © Yap Hong Chan and girl writing © Showface | Dreamstime.com. Front and rear magazine cover design and composition by Oliver Whittaker. thesmartclub is a brand of thesmartclub ltd, Company number SC259434, registered in Scotland, UK. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information given herein is accurate, no legal responsibility is accepted by thesmartclub ltd nor its associated third party companies for any errors, omissions or misleading statements. Views expressed in ‘4site’ are not necessarily those of thesmartclub ltd. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the firms whose advertisements appear within this publication however thesmartclub ltd cannot accept responsibility for the offers made by the advertisers even when making specific offers to Members of thesmartclub ltd.
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
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thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
product with some ‘first hand’ experience of the product itself.
Product Review Sprint Booster
So let’s dispel any myths before we start. The unit does not improve bhp, torque or increase the power of your car ‘per se’. The unit does change the characteristics of the data sent from the throttle pedal to the engine management system. What does this mean? Basically, it means that a greater throttle response is provided for a smaller initial movement on the throttle pedal. It means that when moving away from a stationary start and applying a small amount of throttle pedal depression, the effect is similar to pressing the throttle pedal further to the floor than is actually being applied.
thesmartclub is approached on a regular basis by a number of organisations that are keen to demonstrate their products or services to smart car owners and enthusiasts. Given the club’s scope, size and access to a global base of smart car owners it can be a potentially lucrative channel to market for many companies but we do endeavour to review and publicise such products or services if we feel them relevant to a proportion of that base. Our web site and this magazine will be independently regularly reviewing a range of products and services throughout the year and we start 2008 with a product offered by ‘Sprintbooster’. We were initially introduced to this device back in mid 2007 and having read the supporting marketing material available via the company’s web site and liaised with many automotive groups (mainly in the USA) regarding this product, we embarked on a 6 month testing program with the device fitted to our rally prepared Roadster. The rationale for fitting the nit to this particular car was (a) regular full diagnostics checks would be carried out by smart of Edinburgh during the development of the car (b) a range of diagnostics would also be carried out at thesmartclub’s main operational base and (c) the car itself would undergo a punishing 2500km endurance rally involving a 7000km round trip in September 2007.
Firstly, we’ll look at how the unit is fitted to the car before reviewing performance characteristics. Fitting (we fitted this sequentially to three different cars - two different Roadsters and a pre 2007 fortwo) is very simple – simply unplug the throttle connector at the top of the pedal, plug in
smart of Cardiff smart of Swansea
Whilst the Sprintbooster web site (www.sprintbooster.gr) provides an overview of the product it’s always better to review a
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
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thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
the Sprintbooster unit to the top of the throttle assembly and then reconnect the throttle cable connector to the Sprintbooster unit rather than the top f the throttle pedal. Total time to fit is less than 5 minutes.
Does it make the car better to drive? Now that really is a matter of driving preference. Personally, we prefer the new response with the unit fitted – it does mean very small throttle pedal movement for larger throttle responses. Equally, we have had other feedback that unless one prefers that style of response, the car seems “too different” Does it affect other aspects of the onboard systems, SAM unit or generate any errors? We have tested this product for the last 6 months and absolutely no error codes or problems have been detected as a result of using this unit. All existing functionality of the car is preserved including the additional ‘kick down’ at the end of the throttle pedal travel. Do does it improve performance? It can improve the initial response of the throttle pedal giving a more responsive initial pull away or, quicker response when overtaking. Importantly however it does not improve the ‘performance’ of your car in terms of BHP or torque.
OK – some Q&As: Does it make a difference to the driving characteristics? In all the tests we have conducted, the answer is ‘yes’, it does change the characteristics in terms of throttle pedal depression v throttle pedal response.
www.thesmartclub.com
To enable us to quantify this further, we conducted a series of tests looking at throttle position v engine RPM. Note that these are completely independent tests conducted by thesmartclub. The results are shown on the graph below:
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thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
It can be seen that whilst the overall maximum engine RPM remains the same (and remember, BHP and torque etc remain equally unaffected) the RPM at any given throttle position is different when the Sprintbooster unit is either connected or disconnected. The unit is providing you with a given throttle response for a lesser pedal movement. You could generate the same engine response without the unit but input a greater throttle pedal depression. I guess an analogy that is close is that of the ‘short shift’ gear conversions that one can fit to some manual gearboxes on many non smart cars – many of these mechanical ‘short shift’ kits do not, of course, improve actual engine performance or improve any gear ratios but it does help speed up gear changing and thus change the driving characteristics of the car.
Our STAR Review We are awarding STAR ratings to products we evaluate based on long terms tests (6 months or more) of a range of products. Products will be rated out of 5 stars (where 1 is low and 5 is high) and cover 4 key headings. Does the product do we expected? Ease of DIY fitting Value for money Overall rating 4 out of 5 The product can be found on a number of web sites, some selling at discounted prices. Our product was supplied to us by Motorsport Tuning Ltd, West Thurrock, Essex, UK. Their web site is www.mstuning.co.uk and they can supply the product to Members of thesmartclub for £149.99 including (UK) VAT and (UK) p&p. In our next issue we will review Goodridge brake hoses and K&W suspension (both currently under test)
Conclusion The big question therefore recommend the product?
is
would
we
The real answer is that we are keeping the Sprint booster unit on our Rally Roadster because I prefer the driving characteristics and throttle response with the unit fitted. It suits the dynamics and responses I want from that particular vehicle. It’s certainly a recommendation in terms of compatibility with the pre 2007 fortwo and Roadster and I understand that a new model is now available for the 451 model of fortwo. We cannot guarantee that once fitted, you will like the throttle characteristics of your throttle response as this is very much a matter of personal taste but it will certainly change the throttle response characteristics.
www.thesmartclub.com
The launch of the new Brabus fortwo has met with huge interest and demand is outstripping production. We are delighted to advise that thesmartclub has established a new communication and information channel directly to Brabus and this will provide direct access to a range of information and support from our colleagues in Brabus, Germany. More information about this service will be announced during the second quarter of 2008. Meantime, Brabus will also be at the 2008 ‘Destination Brooklands’ Event and we’re liaising with Brabus and smart to provide an outstanding ‘Brabus experience’ that day!
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thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Features España-Santiago Rally Report 17th – 21st September 2007 rd
Our class win and 3 overall in the 2005 Monte Carlo rally was a testament to the initial development work that had taken place and it provided a valuable test bed for a series of developments and enhancements to the car over the following months. A number of organisations with whom thesmartclub has had a long and successful relationship have been involved and a large amount of that development information is contained in earlier issues of ‘‘4site’’. Development for the 2007 season saw a further series of enhancements and we were grateful to Andy Robinson Roll cages for developing and fitting a fully FIA compliant cage to the car, to Smarts-R-Us for supplying the Goodridge brake hoses, Simtek Motorsport for some of the electrical systems and Smartarse Design, Watford for their continued suspension development. Importantly however, we were and are grateful to smart of Edinburgh who has taken up the challenge of diagnosis and preparation work pre and post events.
www.thesmartclub.com
The España-Santiago Rally route started from south west France and after heading South over the Pyrenees into Spain, the route will crossed the Sierra de la Demanda, the Picos de Europa and the Leon range of mountains. From the Portuguese border we headed North to Santiago. The start venue was the ancient town of Angoulême which has a history steeped in motorsport. Even since 1939, the town closes of its roads to the roar of a huge range of exotic, historic and needless to say, priceless race cars including a superb number of Grand Prix Bugattis. The Circuit des Ramparts race day itself (Sunday 16th September) coincided with the eve of the start of our five day rally and allowed the España-Santiago Rally competitors to savour the sounds, smells and sights of outstanding historic racing through the streets of Angoulême prior to scrutineering of our own rally cars that evening.
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Our Roadster had already driven the 1500km from Edinburgh to Angoulême and all seemed well en route. Despite some anxious moments crawling around the Paris ring road in rush hour with some high engine temperatures, we made Angoulême safely and passed through scrutineering on the Sunday evening. Monday morning and we started a number of demanding stages down from France through the mountains to Spain. Some outstanding scenery on what can only be described as really beautiful ‘Roadster’ roads saw us complete all the stage on Day 1 without any problem (other than a small chat with the Spanish police on a road section to the finish hotel).
We lost some 20 minutes picking up the (very hot) pieces but managed to get restarted albeit with a car that was now somewhat over the event noise limit recommendations and possibly slightly over EU emission limits … Despite this the car was coping well and we tacked the second of the special stages again around a short closed tarmac circuit. This time, despite being down on power with no exhaust, the target lap time (under 27.49 seconds for the lap) was taken from a flying start. We’d stiffened the suspension slightly the night before and we managed a lap time of 26.51 seconds, best in th class and an impressive 13 overall. It was wonderful seeing the villagers outside their houses along the route cheering cars through and, with no exhaust, they had plenty warning of our arrival in each sleepy village. Day 5 saw us successfully complete the event th and finish a creditable 18 overall and still nd achieve a 2 in class.
The weather had really closed in during the latter part of Day 1 leading to storms and torrential rain overnight and on Day 2. The conditions saw a few incidents with other competitors ‘visiting the scenery’ and coupled with thick fog, meant maintaining competitive times in the mountain stages and zero visibility was ‘interesting’. By end Day 2, having managed to avoid cattle, goats and wild horses on various stages, we were still well placed and second in Class. Day 3 was equally challenging and involved the first of two special stages – this particular stage around a very tight and twisty closed tarmac track with a target lap time of 51.99 seconds, points being gained for every second over that target time. From a ‘smart’ perspective it was a challenge given that the lap time was from a standing start but, despite a slightly soft suspension setting, we did well and achieved a best in class lap time of 52.90 seconds. Day 4 was across the dusty (but spectacular) tracks across north Spain. A wrong slot at the start of the day meant some hard driving was required to meet the stage target times and, after a gruelling 30km stage over some fairly ‘rough’ terrain, our exhaust, lambda sensor and a fair degree of rear wiring loom decided to exit stage left and tear itself from the car.
The car now had to travel from north Spain back to the UK. A stop via Angoulême saw us visit our friends Francis and Liz. Amazingly, Francis’s father, Marcel (a sprightly 88 year old) had a full basement workshop! Marcus kindly set about machining suitable parts to enable the car to return back to the UK quietly and without the risk of the occupants expiring from carbon monoxide poisoning!
Our thanks to all involved in helping us get to, through and back from the outstanding 2007 España-Santiago Rally. We have over 25 modifications to make to the car in advance of this year’s events and later this year, we hope to publish a detailed description of all work carried out helping to make our Roadster even more competitive for these long distance international rallies. Al Young
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
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thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Events : Review smartimes 2007 Set alongside the Zell am See airfield, this years smartimes site consisted of a huge entertainment marquee, a row of traders tents opposite, a test drive HQ and also a little track set up for BRABUS to show off both the Roadster V6 and the forfour SBR in return for a few €'s contribution to a local charity. They also had an acceleration competition on the track, including Mr Young's Roadster. Fiona had checked us in and collected our rather natty passes complete with smart neckband and maps, schedules & discount offers.
We headed back to the Hotel for our evening meal then taxi'd down for the smartimes opening show – a truly amazing show, hosted by a guy who flipped from English to German to Italian to French in one sentence. Music was provided by hugely impressive and talented Gary Howard (think Flying Pickets and “ba da da da”) The host sorted out a number of teams, sadly no Brits in them. One game was to see who could pump most water through the fuel tank filler of a cardboard new smart silhouette, which was a challenge for some despite the new oversized filler cap. The next game was to stack skinny smart tyres on top of each other, one team member rolled them between cones and the other had to stand on top of them – all the while accompanied by Gary Howard singing away in the background – he modified the words of his song “only you” to read “smart fortwo” to the crowds great approval. Then there was a game of smart fishing – catch the smart on your smarting rod. Easy, except the person in charge of the rod was given blackout glasses!
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At this point they got rid of two teams and it was a fight between two guys from Poland and a German couple. The entrants had to change into the new smartware lines, chequered trousers in size XXXXXXXXXXXXXL! The idea was for the crowd to throw balls into their trousers, the one who collected the most balls won – the winners being the German couple. Gary Howard did a version of Mr Bojangles and the host did some tap dancing to it, which brought the evening to a close. It'd had been a long day and another long day ahead.
Saturday morning and we all drove back to the event, ready to tube around the lake at Zell am See. The organisers allowed us Brits to congregate and tube together which was fun – they had police stopping the traffic for us, and a motorbike camera crew were filming at various intervals. Once back at the hotel we went for a walk around the town and headed off to the lake where a boat had been chartered for smart owners to trip around the lake. A decision was made to delay heading back to the smartimes event as the Austrian Eurovision entrants were playing, and as we'd heard them practising in the afternoon..... We got back to the smartimes event in time to see a bagpiper do an amazing set, everyone was very impressed but none more so than Mr Al Young himself. When she was finished we had a band doing songs from the 80s 90s and 00s, we tucked ourselves around the corner, just a bit quieter and a bit cooler. Plenty of drinking ensued before the end of the night. I sloped off at midnight, as the only non drinker I drove back to the hotel and squeezed my car into the car park. I understand everyone else staggered back in various taxi's at about 3am, having danced like mad and consumed the EU wine lake between them!
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Sunday was the conclusion of the smartimes, handing out of goody bags and closing speeches from the team at smart of Austria. In the bags were smart shaped sweeties, kinder eggs with smarts inside, frisbee's, cool water spray, smart lip gloss and smart pens. We each blagged more than one goody bag so we could get a full set of Kinder smarts each! I'm now the proud owner of a full set of red kinder smarts, including new and old smarts plus a red Crossblade. A decision was made for some of us to go up the Grossglockner, others headed straight to Salzburg. Now I’m not one for heights, so the Grossglockner was a challenge for me, the drops on one side or the other made me look straight ahead at all times. The Grossglockner is the highest mountain in Austria, the road is something like 40kms from toll to the visitors centre and very twisty.
leather sofas in each room. That evening a number of people went off to the Monk's Brewery just a 20min stroll into town. Myself and little Andrew who came along with us went out into town on our own, had a drive around the city of Salzburg and then ate at a little pizza place. We got back to the hotel for an early night – my sleep was somewhat disturbed by Shona insisting on seeing me in bed asleep! Everyone met downstairs for breakfast before we headed off. It’s always sad to say goodbye to people you see too infrequently. Mick & Dot were heading off towards Innsbruck while myself and the two Andrews were heading to Stuttgart. The great thing about the trips that thesmartclub organise is that they always give you the option of extending the break while in Europe. We did two days in Stuttgart taking in a Mercedes and Porsche factory tour, followed by two days near the Nurburgring. As always I’d like to thank those who made this trip special, they all know who they are. Next year however I think I’ll do what Tim did, fly in with Ryanair for something like 1p each way and hire a smart when I’m there; the 425mile journey from Saarbrucken to Salzburg really took it out of me, mile upon mile of roadworks. The extension to the trip around Stuttgart was brilliant – I’m hoping to do exactly the same again after the Hambach trip in 2008 – hopefully giving more time to see the new Porsche museum and the Mercedes Museum in more detail than this time.
We stopped at the cafe half way up, I enjoyed the views and the fresh clean air – we could see for miles and miles. Another half an hour or so drive and we were at the glacier itself – the last place I expected to see a multi storey car park. There's a big tourist site there, a restaurant where had a lovely meal while looking out of the window across to the glacier itself. Its a very odd experience, it all looks rather close but in actual fact the peak of the Grossglockner was in fact still the best part of a kilometre away. We were rather taken by the Marmots, funny little beaver type things that live in the side of the mountain. When we headed back to the bottom and on almost level ground we stopped and took in the smell of burning smart brakes! Once the smoke from the brakes had dispersed we set off on a zoom to Salzburg – once again I lost everyone else and relied on my satnav to do the guiding. The hotel in Salzburg was a new place, very modern with flat screen TV's, wood floors,
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If anyone wants details of the hotels we used for the extended part of the trip or contact details for the Porsche & Mercedes tours contact me via my email J500ANT@blueyonder.co.uk or as a PM on the message board. Submitted by: Tony & (big) Andrew “J500ANT” plus (little) Andrew “andmarsh”
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Events : Review
Add our start time and end time to each control, mark in average speeds – anything else?
España-Santiago Rally: The co-driver’s perspective …
No, just try and get some sleep. 5.00 a.m. up, fresh croissants and coffee on the table but I find it difficult to eat anything, Liz is being really nice and I just want to cry (Liz’s comment to me later was “it looked like you were being taken to the gallows not going on an event you were suppose to enjoy”). Get bags together, go to the loo, pack the car, go to the loo then time to leave … just after a quick visit to the loo.
I thought I might add a few words to give people a little insight into being a fairly rookie navigator alongside someone who is (a) experienced in this type of thing and (b) quite competitive – strike that – very competitive. It had been 2 years since our last outing in Monte Carlo and for a complete rookie (not even understanding Pace Notes and for that matter never having seen a Road Book when we entered) was a fairly quick learning curve. However we had done exceptionally well and finished 3rd overall in that event and I was really pleased – I could actually make a reasonable attempt at this which was a surprise to me as well as a lot of other people probably. One of the comments that sticks in my mind, which was said after the dinner on the last night, “where do you go to now – down!”, probably, but we could try up!! Anyway back to Santiago – we were very lucky and had friends (Liz and Francis) in Angouleme with whom we could stay. Arrived Saturday early afternoon, relaxed, watched the cars (it was a race weekend in Angouleme) and sat in the sun until scrutineering on Sunday afternoon. Scrutineering was fine and then we moved into park ferme for the night – 9.00 p.m. briefing. This is when I realised what I have done, again. The Road Book, the notes, the daily schedules – I’ve a little work to do before going to sleep tonight. After the briefing, Liz and Frances run us home and in their usual way try to get us to have something more to eat and drink – all I want to do is lock myself away and try to remember what I am supposed to do. Now I’m beginning to feel a little nervous. I excuse myself and go upstairs and write my lefts and rights (Ls and Rs) on each pace note diagram if necessary – it helps a lot when you are in hurry, moving fast and don’t have to think, its in black and white).
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Francis takes us to Park Ferme and wishes us luck before going off to work. Everyone seems to be so relaxed and chatty, am I the only one who is terrified! We are third off so at least we don’t have to wait too long before the off – I try to calm myself by reading notes, checking the Brantz (trip computer) but I hate towns and we are starting in the middle of one – and we haven’t even left the start and I need the loo (One competitor told me that she was always on the look out for a garage, I don’t get that luxury!?!). We line up – hay what’s this, porta loos at the start. Bliss bliss (it is surprising the little things that please). Now I feel a little bit more relaxed (only a bit) then we’re off …
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Within half an hour (or an hour) we’ve settled in and I’ve come down from the heights and am concentrating on the pace notes.
•
A couple of instances that stick in my mind during the rally:
•
Day 1 – being pulled in by the Spanish police for speeding on a road section – as if … We were OK for time and this was the run in to the hotel, Al was ambling along when I said “OK we have time but I wouldn’t slow down too much as anything can happen and there’s no penalty for being early at the end of this stage”. One other competitor was also stopped (after us) and I was less than impressed that the Spanish police attended to him first. I was jumping around and all I wanted was the ticket so we could get on or way and not be late for the finish of Day 1. I also realised that the Spanish don’t eat until very very late, and on a couple of nights it was 10.00 before we started eating and the only thing I wanted at the end of the day was sleep. Day 4 (the dreaded day – we were due out on minute 13 so started as car no. 13). The day commenced with an error on my part and I told Al to take the wrong turning (however I did feel better later when I learned that about half the cars took the wrong turning – two roads metres apart with the same sign post). So we lost time and had to make up quite a bit. Mid stage, flat out and BANG … “that will be the exhaust then” We saw the entire system and bits of wiring loom on the road behind us. Rally over???
• •
•
Day 1 – Market in town, unable to follow Road Book, and had to try and pick up the route another way – late for one Time Control 5 points. Day 2 – One point – not sure why but as you can only pick up one point if you arrive 1 minute early at a Passage Control (average speed check) I assume that was the reason. Day 3 – One point for being 0.9 seconds over the target time on the special stage Day 4 – 15 points – explained by one navigation error and a very broken exhaust. – arriving late at Timed Controls 10 points and 5 points. Day 5 – Clear.
All in all not too bad – 22 points finishing 18th overall out of 43, 36 finishers and 7 retirees. A little miscellaneous information: The Road Book is 160 pages long with eight instructions on each page. And our Day 1 incident? We avoided a ticket from the Spanish police – they have to have a photo of the car and ours was obscured by the guy in front, how’s that for luck!
No, the car will still go - just ignore all the warning symbols on the dash, pick up the exhaust and bits (after it has cooled sufficiently to pick it up!!) strap it to the back and off we go albeit a little louder than before but maybe we shall finish after all. One competitor had a bad accident which involved the police who managed to confiscate a Road Book ☺ They now knew where we were going to be on Day 5 but not when. This upset the last day a little but we were still biting our nails through traffic at the end when we thought we had plenty of time – always the way.
I was glad we had finished in one piece (almost) and it was all over for another year. Now only the very long journey back to Edinburgh from just north of Portugal, across the top of Spain, the whole way up through France, cross the Channel and up from Dover to Edinburgh. Exhausting.
Overall, it was a great event and endurance was certainly the name of the game. It said a lot for the strength of the car and overall reliability that we got through all the competitive days. So, by way of summary, it all went as follows:
Just one last thing to say – would I put myself through it all again – most definitely! RomaItalia 2008 here we come!!
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Submitted by: Fiona Young
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Dealership News
smart centre Saarbrücken
smart centre Saarbrucken th
10 Anniversary The smart centre Saarbrücken is turning 10 this year! The great news is that 8 out of the 10 coworkers working there 10 years ago are still employed there today and are glad to be in the team. The two others chose different careers as a "mom" ☺ however they never miss a smart event. Uwe Conrad, centre manager, successfully formed a team of co-workers that are passionate about their work. Team spirit isn’t just an expression but is implemented in daily business. In March 2006 the smart centre Saarbrücken won the award for customer satisfaction in service and sales. In April 2006 the smart centre Saarbrücken was chosen to be "best car centre in Germany across all brands". Uwe Conrad has set the goals for the future: "To offer best service for our customers, to work efficient and always go the extra-mile". thesmartclub is delighted to wish smart centre th Saarbrucken a happy 10 Birthday and, as with previous years, our Hambach 2008 event will include a visit to this outstanding smart centre.
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Das smart Center Saarbrücken wurde zehn Jahre jung und von den zehn ersten Mitarbeitern sind heute noch acht dabei – die zwei fehlenden Mitarbeiterinnen sind wegen Mutterschutz ausgeschieden und verpassen noch heute kein smart Event als Privatiers. Center Manager Uwe Conrad der das Motto „Unsere Kunden sind unsere Gäste“ geprägt hat, hat es geschafft, ein Team zu formen, dass mit Spaß und Erfolg bei der Arbeit dabei ist. Teamgeist ist hier kein Schlagwort, sondern wird täglich gelebt – zum Beispiel durch das Thema Job-Rotation. Mehrfach im Jahr werden die Rollen getauscht: So macht mal ein WerkstattMitarbeiter Rezeptionsdienst und ein Verwaltungsmensch lernt die Sorgen eines KfzMechanikers bei der Inspektion kennen. Ein starkes Team! Center-Manager Uwe Conrad , Verwaltungs- und EDV-Manager Gerhard Seel, Teamleiterin Verwaltung Katrin Heinig, Teileund Service-Mann Werner Letter, Teamleiter Service Uwe Fegert, Service Berater Rüdiger Philipi, Verkaufsleiter Daniel Fries und Presseund PR-Communications-Manager Michael Rennig sind nicht nur smarties der ersten Stunde – sie stehen auch wie eine eins hinter dem Produkt smart, das bekanntlich viele Höhen, aber auch einige Tiefen hinter sich hat.
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Dealership News smart centre Saarbrücken (cont) „Gerade bei Krisen zeigt es sich, wie loyal Mitarbeiter zu Ihrem Arbeitgeber und der Automarke stehen“, weiß Conrad. Dabei haben die Saarländer viele Gründe von Positivem zu berichten. Kein Wunder dass der Flur im Aufgang zum ersten Geschoss des smart Center Saarbrücken voller Urkunden und Auszeichnungen ist und deshalb liebevoll „Wall of Fame“ genannt wird. Im März 2006 belegte das smart Center Deutschlands den ersten Platz bei der Kundenzufriedenheit im Verkauf und im Service. Im April 2006 wurde das smart Center in Leipzig markenübergreifend als bestes Autohaus Deutschlands gewählt und durch die DaimlerChrysler AG später als „Bestes Autohaus des Jahres“ ausgezeichnet. Im Juni 2007 punktete das smart Center Saarbrücken als Gewinner des Wettbewerbes „smart&smile Service in Bestform“. Da fragt man sich natürlich, welche Ziele noch anstehen. Uwe Conrad braucht nicht lang um eine Antwort auf diese Frage zu finden: „Unseren Kunden bestmöglichen Service zu bieten, immer mal wieder positiv zu überraschen, in dem man mehr tut als der Kunde erwartet und dabei wirtschaftlich zu arbeiten – auch in der Zukunft“ fasst der Auto-Profi zusammen. Und gibt es mal Probleme, dann werden diese wie in der Familie am Tisch besprochen und gelöst: So findet jeden Montag eine Teambesprechung der Abteilungsleiter und einmal im Monat ein komplettes Meeting mit allen Mitarbeitern statt. Und sollten diese Gespräche nicht reichem, so trifft man sich mehrfach im Jahr bei Themenabenden wie Bowling, Kartfahren, bei einem Krimi-Dinner oder mal ganz spontan auf ein Bier bei Flipper und Billiard. Unser smart Center Saarbücken – ein klasse Team – oder sollen wir besser sagen: Eine tolle Familie?
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Dealership News smart USA smart USA has established 74 Dealerships in the U.S. Currently 68 stores are open for business and all report a steady stream of customers since their doors opened. At this point dealers are fulfilling orders from the reservation system however; dealers continue add more and more smart enthusiasts to the reservation system. Currently there is approximately a 1 year wait for a smart fortwo. Throughout this year smart USA will continue to establish the brand in the United States. The
company will utilize grass-roots marketing initiatives and its customer base to create awareness and continue to drive demand. The company is in the process of establishing an owner’s website. This site will allow smart owners from throughout the United States and around the world to communicate to one another in a “smart” environment. There are also reports of owner groups beginning to form in states across the country. For more information about smart activities in the United States please visit the company’s website at www.smartusa.com Submitted by: Ken Kettenbeil, Communications, smart USA
Director
Nicholas Goddard, age 25 of Manhattan, was the first person in the USA to take delivery of a smart fortwo. Nicholas, pictured in the center, took delivery at smart center Englewood (in New Jersey). Nicholas is surrounded by Dealership staff, girlfriend and smart USA president, Dave Schembri.
Las Vegas
in the parking garage of the Fashion Show Mall.
thesmartclub has also heard that in Las Vegas, people waited patiently for an hour in temperatures of 104°F (40°C) to test the cars in www.thesmartclub.com
Some people even went straight back to the end of the queue again after the short jaunt in order to drive a smart one more time ☺
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Dealership News the smart fortwo has arrived in America On January 16, 2008, smart USA joined 36 other countries that sell the smart fortwo. In just six short weeks approximately 1800 Americans took delivery of their smart fortwos and for many, ended years of waiting and hoping the popular overseas car would one day be sold in the United States. On June 28, 2006, then DaimlerChrysler announced Penske Automotive Group (PAG) would be the distributor of the smart fortwo in the United States. smart USA, is a wholly owned subsidiary of PAG and is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. smart USA quickly got to work to introduce the brand in the U.S, develop a customer base and establish a dealer network.
Throughout 2007, smart USA embarked on a 50 city road tour. The company dispatched three teams of product specialists to the 50 most populated American cities. Each team had six cars for customer test drives, a tridion safety cell cage to showcase the car’s safety features and an interactive display trailer. Test drives were conducted in popular, high traffic areas in each city. The results were amazing. Over 50,000 test drives were conducted, 90% of test drive participants said they could see themselves driving a smart fortwo and over 70% of road show participants wanted to be contacted by a dealer once they opened. It is clear Americans are ready for the smart fortwo.
During the last 18 months smart USA accomplished it goals. A website was established the day the announcement was made that smart was coming to the U.S. The company website – www.smartusa.com – to date as had over 4.5 million unique visits. Over 115,000 people have requested to receive the company’s e-newsletter once a month. Visitors spend an average of five and an half minutes on the site, per visit. In March 2007, a reservation program was established. This was the first step in the sales process and it allowed Americans to place a refundable $99 reservation on a vehicle that would go into production later in the year. To date over 30,000 people have placed a reservation for a smart fortwo. smart USA has received reservations from all 50 states.
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element of customer choice – favouring suppliers who demonstrate environmental awareness and action.”
Dealership News smart of Edinburgh Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce lined up two liveried Smart cars on Monday 11 February in the capital's Festival Square. Smart of Edinburgh recently joined the Chamber's club of premier supporters, Partners in Enterprise. Investing in the Smart option spearheads an initiative to encourage businesses to reduce their carbon footprint.
Graham Affleck, Market Area Director for Mercedes-Benz and smart of Edinburgh, said: “From our point of view, we’re delighted to supply such a prominent organisation as the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and hope that their foresight will inspire other businesses to consider the smart car as a solution to today’s urban mobility issues.” The company, which opened purpose designed new showrooms at Newbridge in Summer 2007 will have the opportunity to work with the Chamber on these issues in the coming months.
smart of Portsmouth Destination Brooklands Convoy
Welcoming the move, Chamber Chief Executive Ron Hewitt said: “We are delighted to enter such a prestige partnership. I do not use the word ‘partnership’ lightly, and Smart of Edinburgh join a supporter’s club of the highest calibre which bring strength and depth to what the Chamber can offer its members. The growing success of Chambers of Commerce in taking forward the goals of their members is rooted in such two way processes. "In this case I am especially pleased that linking up with Mercedes Benz and smart of Edinburgh will spearhead our initiative in 2008 to encourage businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. By choosing two smart cars for our pool fleet we will significantly reduce the environmental impact of essential business transport, complementary to our existing policy of preferring public transport or walking where possible. For some journeys (such as setting up exhibitions) the car is unavoidable. By using smart cars we will be making a very visible statement about an important issue. "There is no doubt that as taxation of vehicles moves towards carbon emissions levels that businesses will see financial benefits from such investments alongside the important environmental gains. This relationship will enable us to support member companies to take a similar approach to what is becoming a key www.thesmartclub.com
smart of Portsmouth are planning a huge gettogether for breakfast and subsequent convoy to st the 2008 Destination Brooklands on 21 June. The Dealership is located at: Portsmouth Motor Park, Airport Service Road, Portsmouth, PO3 5FH UK When event Registrations go live and if you are planning to start your journey from smart of Portsmouth, you can register directly with this Dealership who will supply you with event stickers etc prior to departure. Contact smart of Portsmouth directly on +44 (0) 845 128 2789 or by email to smart.portsmouth@dc-smart.co.uk. smart of Portsmouth participate in thesmartclub’s Privilege Card scheme meaning you also save cash on smart parts and accessories.
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News from smart th
Stuttgart – January 24 2008 The well-known Italian automobile publication ’Quattroruote’ has awarded the smart fortwo cdi a special accolade on account of the car’s exemplary consumption and environmental friendliness. On the occasion of the annual reader’s poll ‘Le auto che preferisco’ (‘favourite car’) the specialists at the Italian publication ‘Quattroruote’ singled out the smart fortwo cdi for a special award – the only one presented directly by the magazine. The award is a tribute to the extraordinary environmental friendliness of the trendy two-seater, which proved its status as a 3-litre car during an extensive test drive by the Italian car magazine. In justifying the presentation of the special award ’Quattroruote’ wrote: “the smart fortwo cdi was the first car in the world to realise an average fuel economy of 3.3 litres per 100 kilometres over a total drive of 1000 kilometres. This is an excellent result, which meets the highest demands concerning environmental aspects and energy conservation – combined in a car which is affordable by everyone”. Thanks to its direct-injection diesel engine the smart fortwo cdi also boasts emissions of just 88 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre, making it the world’s CO2-Champion. The smart fortwo has already been awarded the ’ÖkoGlobe’ and an environmental certificate from the ‘Öko-Trend’ institute. According to a study by the German automobile club ADAC the smart fortwo is also Germany’s most economical car. th
Stuttgart – February 6 2008 The German “Öko-Trend” environmental research institute has awarded its environmental certificate for cars to the smart fortwo micro hybrid drive (mhd). In extensive analyses by experts from the Wuppertal-based independent institute the smart fortwo mhd scored top marks for all environmentrelated criteria. According to the institute’s findings, the 52 kW (71 bhp) petrol variant which has been available in certain markets since October 2007 scores excellent ratings in terms of fuel consumption, exhaust and noise emissions. The manufacturer’s ecological credentials are also found to be exemplary with regard to production, procurement, logistics and recycling. The start-stop function of the smart fortwo mhd came in for particular praise from the Öko-Trend institute. This feature uses each idling phase – at traffic lights, level crossings or in stop-and-go traffic, for example – to shut down the engine completely. As soon as the driver releases the brake pedal, the engine restarts automatically and the journey can continue immediately without a noticeable delay. “That works perfectly smoothly in practice, providing for a pleasant calm and quiet while the car is stationary and reducing fuel consumption.” All previously examined smart models have received an “excellent” rating for all test criteria. The Öko-Trend environmental certificate for cars is a further development of the Öko-Trend annual car environmental ranking that has been compiled since 1997. The first generation smart fortwo was one of the first vehicles to be awarded this certificate.
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News from smart th
Stuttgart – February 13 2008 smart reveals its aesthetic approach to environmental issues Automobile company smart will introduce its creative anthology, “sideways. a smart art project,” on March 19, 2008 in New York. The book picks up on the brand’s philosophy of questioning generally accepted ideas. The collection includes work by 100 international artists and creative minds, and seeks to evaluate the way we think about the environment and mobility in the here and now. The artists present work from the fields of photography, illustration, graphic design, painting, sculpture, architecture, styling, hairstyling and make-up over 248 pages, providing an aesthetic crosssection of modern-day pop culture and making creative statements about how we can promote greener modes of transportation. The international Trend Magazines acted as curator for the project, and the book itself was produced by the Gestalten Verlag, a Berlin publishing house, in conjunction with smart.
Developing greener urban transportation for the future is one of the smart brand’s primary goals, which explains why the manufacturer has been producing the series vehicle with the lowest CO2 emissions in the world for many years now. The “sideways” project will be accompanied by an international marketing campaign and will seek to underline smart’s view that it is possible to act ecologically without remotely neglecting aesthetic design concerns. Anders Sundt Jensen, Head of Marketing and Sales at smart, explained the motivation behind the project: “sideways looks at the issue of ecology in a new creative context, and it should therefore generate some interesting new takes on the topic. And this is a key motivation behind the approach of smart itself.” sideways will be presented officially at its U.S. launch on March 19 in New York and will subsequently be available in bookshops and through the dvg Verlag at €29.90 per copy
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News from smart th
Stuttgart – March 4 2008 To match the new look of the smart fortwo, Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH is presenting the multi-faceted Collection 2008, which underlines the urban lifestyle of the smart community with four product lines. The products featuring the brand logo and pictograms of the smart fortwo or the smart fortwo cabrio stand for innovation, functionality and joie de vivre. With their two-tone design and versatility they carry typical characteristics of the brand to the world of fashion. The Collection 2008 for the smart fortwo comprises the four product lines "pure", "pulse", "passion" and "cabrio". Whilst "pure" puts the emphasis on the smart brand as a whole, "pulse" and "passion" feature lifestyle-oriented and sporty fashion for men and women respectively. The "cabrio" line boasts a varied range of high-quality and trendy items for the summer. The "pure" line forms the basis of the Collection 2008 and caters to both men and women. All "pure" items feature the smart fortwo brand colours silver-grey, white and yellow. They are printed with the smart logo, the smart fortwo pictogram and the official smart brand slogan "open your mind". The baseball caps, key fobs, insulated mug and T-shirts in the distinctive brand look are a must for all smart fans. The "pulse" line has been designed for male smart fans. Based on the two-tone bodypanels and tridion cell of the smart fortwo, the olive green colouring with inserts, stripes and prints in lime green takes up the main theme of the smart design. The colourful contrasts are supplemented by black elements. Graffiti prints, for example on the "pulse" T-shirt, are a reference to the urban character of the agile two-seater. The reinterpreted pirate logo consisting of a smart fortwo outline in front of crossbones is a humorous detail on the "pirate" T-shirt and the hood of the "pulse" sweat jacket. The emblem is also found on the back of the collection's most exclusive item: the "pulse" track jacket produced in a limited edition of just 500. The "passion" range is the equivalent of the "pulse" product line for women. Here, too, the collection is characterised by a two-tone look à la smart fortwo with purple as the dominant colour and coral pink stripes, inserts and prints. The print on the front of the "passion" sweat jacket and the print on the back of the "purple" T-shirt are reminiscent of city graffiti art. The "purple" T-shirt features gathered sleeves for a feminine look. The "passion" bandana is versatile just like the smart fortwo itself: this trendy item can be worn as a scarf, headscarf or a headband. A polo shirt, key fob and baseball cap in "passion" look complete the range. The "cabrio" product line stands for a particularly sporty holiday and outdoor feeling and underlines the many facets and versatility of the smart fortwo cabrio. The distinctive look is characterised by the colours sun yellow, azure blue and white, supplemented by light silver-grey elements. Typical decorative elements include the smart fortwo "cabrio" pictogram and the palm tree and sun print. The "cabrio" series also comprises ladies' and men's beach shorts made of quick-drying microfibre, a men's t-shirt, a ladies' top, a baseball cap and a cabrio scarf that is a trendy eye-catcher on cool summer evenings. Two stylish, high-quality types of sunglasses and a loop-shaped key fob round off the range. All products in the Collection 2008 for the smart fortwo will be available from smart centres from April 2008
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