thesmartclub ltd … since 2000
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‘4site’ : Issue 22
2012-#2
thesmartclub ltd … since 2000
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’ : Issue 22
2012-#2
thesmartclub ltd … since 2000
Club News
Editorial
How to join thesmartclub 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. Here you will find two options, one giving web only access, the other giving you web access plus four copies of ‘4site’ and a Privilege Card!!
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. You receive a copy of ‘4site’ delivered to your door each quarter, 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:
thesmartclub ltd, PO Box 28549 Edinburgh, EH4 5WB, UK
Our Membership saving!
Card
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Welcome to Issue 22 of thesmartclub’s smart magazine ‘4site’. There’s no doubt about the fact that the first half of every year is packed with planning, events and smart activities that take more hours there are in a day – that said, we’re confident that as promised, 2012 is shaping up to be the most active ‘smart filled’ year yet. We have recently completed our 12th annual consecutive visit to Hambach/smartville, our 10th Anniversary visit to Victor’s Hotel Saarbrucken and our 4th visit to BRABUS Bottrop. Planning is virtually complete for smart times 2012 in Antwerp, Belgium 23rd to 26th August and we’re in good shape for the event to again hit at least one Guinness World Record! You can keep up to date with all developments via our dedicated portal at smarttimes2012.com. In addition, we are delighted to announce that The smart Festival WILL take place this year and you should head for Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge, UK on 6th October. Already shaping up to be another great event, you can Register and (from end July) get information on latest Dealership start venues and event logistics via our portal at thesmartfestival.com
smart
Now in its 8th 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 Store and, better still, benefit from significant discounts on our Major Events prices.
Finally, on behalf on the entire team at thesmartclub committee and all those present at this year’s Hambach visit, we wish Daniel Fries at Saarbrucken smart Centre a speedy recovery from his recent ill health. As our regulars will know, Daniel has been an advocate of the smart community during our visits and he has been instrumental in ensuring the success of our visits over the past years. We sincerely wish him the best of health. Al Young, Chairman & Managing Director thesmartclub ltd
thesmartclub
Full Membership of thesmartclub includes a Privilege Card as part of the ‘Pack’ and we also have a number of UK smart Dealerships providing Membership Packs with every new and used car purchased – contact thesmartclub
www.thesmartclub.com
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thesmartclub ltd … since 2000
Events – Review Smartville Hambach & BRABUS 2012 The annual trip to smartville, the birthplace of every fortwo and roadster, has become something of a pilgrimage for some. There is something very special about this trip, irrespective of whether it’s your first or your fifth trip, and this year was particularly notable. For the first time since 2009, thesmartclub had arranged for us to also visit smart-BRABUS and BRABUS in Bottrop as part of the week, so we had the chance to spend even more time geeking over our favourite cars. Every year, many of us, and particularly those with a long way to travel, stay the night before the crossing in Dover. This year, some of those going decided to start the get together a little early and meet up at Thurrock Services for a little tube down to Dover – anything to make the M20 a little less dull! We arrived, mainly all together (although some decided to take a rather more scenic route than that recommended by the roadbooks…!) around 5pm, to the Premier Inn Dover West: a different hotel from previous years and a very good one. We sat out in the sunshine for a pre-dinner drink, and then headed in for a very good meal at the Beefeater.
A very early start to the next day’s festivities meant that many headed for bed at a very reasonable hour, so when the alarms started going off around 5.30am most heads were remarkably fresh for the off down to the Docks at just after 6am! When we got there, it seemed strange to be heading for the P&O lanes rather than SeaFrance, who sadly had become victims of the global downturn earlier this year. However, thesmartclub had arranged with P&O for us to have our own dedicated boarding lanes – a nice touch!
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The previous evening’s warmth was long gone the morning air was FREEZING and we couldn’t wait to get on to the Ferry for breakfast and a warm-up! We met up with those who had come straight down to the Docks that morning, and the gang was all assembled! We boarded the Ferry, the “Spirit of France” and, with the traditional breakfast on the boat done, it was then time for the now also traditional “smart meet out on deck”, just to blow out any remaining cobwebs. Arriving in Calais just after 10am, we gathered everyone together to make sure we’d all arrived in good order, and set off for Saarbrücken! For most, it’s a leisurely stroll down the Autoroute des Anglais, taking in the lovely scenery and the marvellous sight of a long tube of smarties winding their way along the motorway. Our first stop on the way is near St Quentin, a large service area called the Aire d’Urvillers. This seems to have been being built, rebuilt, changed round and covered with plastic bunting for at least the past five years, and is something of an obstacle course/problem solving exercise just to get into the right car park! This year, most of us excelled ourselves, some actually going around the maze of roads and petrol stations THREE TIMES before finally getting parked up (albeit in the wrong car park, sending us back down the motorway in the direction that we’d just come from!), providing much amusement for everyone who’d already navigated their way in and were watching from the right car park! The remainder of the journey down was relatively uneventful (encountering on the way something from a vending machine being sold as “coffee” but smelling and tasting more like “fluffed-up Bovril mixed with concrete”) and we all arrived safely at a very warm and sunny Victor’s Hotel in Saarbrücken in very good time. A beer on the patio soon loosened up any stiff backs, Al Young’s now customary pre-dinner “ramble” gave us all of the information that we needed (including details of some important roadworks that we would need to avoid on the route to smartville) to make sure we wouldn’t be late the next day, and we settled down for some good food and a relaxing evening in the bar catching up on the day’s events. Monday morning fortunately brought no rain, and after a nicely leisurely start, we set out for the first of the main events: smartville at Hambach! We set off in groups, with experienced Hambachistas dotted through the line to make sure everyone got to the end destination.
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Hambach/BRABUS 2012 (continued) Despite thesmartclub’s best efforts, some still preferred again to take the scenic route, with a couple of committee members doggedly following on behind them, commenting over the radios that they thought there might have been a bit of a hiccup – or words to that effect! The journey down to smartville is one of my favourite parts of this trip. As you head over the French hills, the sight of the huge white building appearing is always a special sight, knowing that your fortwo or Roadster started its life there – it really is like bringing your car home. It’s a bit soppy, granted, but I’ll cheerfully admit to that – and I’d hazard a guess that there aren’t many who don’t feel the same way. We parked up at the Communications Centre and had a little time to wander round the garage around the back, which is full of early editions and prototypes, not least the embryonic formore, the Roadster which was shown at the Geneva Motorshow in 2003, and the fortwo’s first concepts – always a treat to see these, bit also a shame to see them covered in dust rather than out on display for posterity! It was then time to head inside for an early lunch. It was at this point that Al was presented with an amazing radio-controlled model of his smarts4U Racing forfour for his birthday, complete with all of the decals – a perfect replica
Fed and watered, we left the Communications Centre to get on a bus to take us to smartville! We split up into two groups, one heading to smartville first, and the other, our group, going to Magna Chassis – and the robots! This factory is incredible, and an experience that we never tire of. Watching the robots assembling a tridion from various sheets of metal, welding them together, but moving all of the parts around with such apparent care and gentility - we could cheerfully stay in there all day without ever
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getting bored! It’s fascinating how such wobbly,flimsy sheets of metal come together to make such a strong and sturdy frame for our little cars. This year, we were shown round by another of the Magna Management Team – very interesting as he was clearly very “hands-on” and interacting with the production line as we were walking around. We left Magna and walked over to the cruciform building where the main assembly takes place. While we were waiting to go in, we had a real surprise – Dr Annette Winkler, smart’s CEO was on one of her weekly visits to the factory and stopped to say hello to us! She asked if we were going to go to smart times this year in Antwerp, to which we of course said that we were; Dr Winkler was at smart times in Riccione last year and it’s absolutely evident that she herself is a real “smart-fan”: hugely enthusiastic and very keen to push the smart brand forward by engaging with its “fan base”. We then went in to the factory; there’s always something new to see on the production lines and this year was no exception. This year it was the new 2012 facelift 451 with a larger smart logo embedded into the grille and a wider lower grille and the edition “sharpred” was (in my opinion, at least!) a really lovely and very striking limited edition with black panels and a red tridion with red highlights in the cabin. Only 1,800 of this edition will be produced, with both a coupé and cabrio version and it’s rather tempting! There were also some interesting new styles of wheels to be seen, some very similar to the Roadster spikelines – sure they’ll prove to be very popular! The factory tour finished, we were taken back to the Communications Centre where we met up with a member of the French smartclub who had popped over to smartville after their spring meeting in the centre of France to say hello. Then, with the Hambach and smartville part of our trip finished for another year, we waved our au revoirs to the factory and headed back to the hotel for a debrief and another refreshing Pilsner on the terrace. Victor’s is another institution on the smartville event. Thesmartclub have used this lovely hotel for the past ten years, an event which this year we were all very happy to mark by presenting
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Hambach/BRABUS 2012 (continued) the staff of the hotel with a certificate and flowers to thank them for a decade of hospitality. There were also three participants on this year’s trip who also gained special mention, Jenny and Roger Broome and Steve Smith (the Gourmet Snapper), for being on their tenth trip to Hambach!
The day after was a day to ourselves. Everyone’s free to go wherever takes their fancy, and this year a group of us FINALLY got around to walking down into Saarbrücken City. It’s a lovely place with both cultural places to visit and shopping - for lads (Lego!) and lasses (shoes!) alike! We had a very fun but relaxed day which we thought would be needed, given that we’d be driving up through Germany the next day…and these transfers, although theoretically easy and laid-back, always throw some curve balls to us to make them a bit more challenging than expected… We left Victor’s the next morning for the drive up to Bottrop, the home of smart-BRABUS. We’d filled up our smarties with the 100 octane VPower available on the continent, and the next part of the journey was on!
was actually very nice, sunny and warm, but Al said that if we’d been there a couple of hours earlier, we’d have seen a good few inches of hail on the ground and the manhole covers being lifted off the road by the force of the water coming up from the storm drains! We got settled and headed down for a restorative beer (is there a theme developing here?) and dinner. We had Al’s customary ramble, giving us the details for the next day’s events, and he said that he and Fiona were heading off to Antwerp the next morning for a pre-smarttimes logistics meeting, so they unfortunately wouldn’t be coming with us to BRABUS. However, it was all being left in the capable hands of Barrie Cox and Amanda Randall, so all would be well. smart-BRABUS is a fascinating and exciting place to visit, particularly for the engineeringminded amongst our number. The first place you see is the showroom, with examples of 450s and 451s that have had the BRABUS treatment. There is also a racing forfour, and one of the only two remaining V6 biturbo Roadsters in existence – a car of real beauty and engineering excellence. The next thing to see is the workshop, where the smarts go to be stripped down to their frame and completely rebuilt according to the customer’s specifications. One in particular had gunmetal grey panels, its tridion completely wrapped in genuine carbon fibre and the whole of the interior bedecked in very understated, tasteful and impeccably finished shades of grey alcantara. Any colour of tridion or panel can be catered for in the Tailor Made package – the only limit is your imagination…and the depth of your wallet!
Our group had agreed to stop for lunch in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany, which was very pleasant. We did the “tourist thing”, taking some pictures by the Rhine and by Beethoven’s House, and then set off for the last stretch to Bottrop… where we encountered the unexpected challenges! At lunch, we’d sat outside. Once on the motorway though, we had almost every sort of weather thrown at us and it seemed to be all at the same time! Driving conditions were atrocious; there seemed to be accidents all around us and by the time we finally arrived, thankfully all safe and sound, at the Arcadia Hotel in Bottrop, we were all ready for a breather. We were surprised that the weather
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We went through to the development areas of the factory, being shown around the Rolling Road room, and the test bed room, where there was an engine in situ that can have virtually any environmental and performance condition applied to it to see how the engine will perform.
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Hambach/BRABUS 2012 (continued) However, this being Germany, the energy produced by the engine does not go to waste. It is converted into electricity and used to run the factory and the offices, with any excess being fed back into the grid. The next room held the only Roadster in existence (that we’re aware of, at least!) with a manual gearbox – it’s very weird to look into the footwell and see three pedals! We then left smart-BRABUS and hopped in our cars for the short drive over to the larger BRABUS facility. We went in via the showroom and shop, where there were some very expensive cars available to buy, including an immaculate Roadster “pitchblack” edition – basically, a Roadster Light with a CD player and a sound pack, 58 of which were ever made and only for the German market. As we walked around the BRABUS workshop, we could see some of the many customers’ cars currently being worked on. There were a lot of Range Rover Evoques, classic 60s and 70s Mercedes there, as well as a Maybach (roughly the size of a small house, with curtains) but the highlight for me was to finally see a 450 BRABUS Blackstar 101, one of a limited edition of 101 cars, and uprated to 101PS, at the bargain price tag of €34,900! A little out of my price range, but what a beautiful car! We returned to the smart-BRABUS showroom, and they were all fascinated by the smarts4you racing car, taking it out for a few test drives and returning with huge grins on their faces. The guys in the factory had really pushed the boat out for us – they’d laid on a great lunch and also were kind enough to give us all a goody bag! Big thanks have to go to all of the staff at BRABUS for their welcome and hospitality.
It looks as though we could be in for some real fun and games at smart times in August as the ring road was completely gridlocked, and those who decided to try to avoid this by going through the centre reported back that “it’s crazy in there!” After a very brief pitstop on the western side of Antwerp, we realised that we would have to really up the pace to get to Calais in time for the ferry. We managed it, arriving in what would normally have been plenty of time, but this time passport control were being very thorough, and had only three booths open – meaning massive queues…fortunately, P&O had delayed the ferry by 15 minutes and we boarded with a bit of time to spare! Our final goodbyes to everyone were said on the ferry, having met up with Al and Fiona who had been in Antwerp and reported back that there were some very exciting developments for smart times – looking forward to that! However, at that point we were still looking back on a brilliant week away with great company. It’s definitely an event not to be missed, which is why so many of us return year after year – and if you’ve never been, I can only heartily recommend applying for next year’s visit. You’ll see some amazing sights and make some great friendships, with a really welcoming bunch of “smart fans”.
Our next stop was smart of Oberhausen for a bit more shopping, and then back to the hotel to pack up for the next day’s return journey. Barrie was (reluctantly!) acting as Al’s deputy and did a sterling job with the ramble, advising us that we’d be well advised to head off by 9.30am the following morning to make sure we were at Calais in time. Wise words…. So, when our group finally left Bottrop at 10.15am, we had a bit of catch-up to play! All was well, right up to…where? Antwerp, of course!
www.thesmartclub.com
Submitted by Helen Mackenzie-Burrows Pictures © Tony Williams
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Combined Service and MOT offer 10% discount Every 3rd Service car or customer offer 20% discount New customer offer 10% discount Free courtesy cars (Terms and conditions) apply)
smart times 2012 thesmartclub’s planning has now been completed and following site visits to the amazing venue at Hangar 29, Waagnatie, Antwerp, we know this year’s events will be spectacular. Our own package trip is fully booked and in addition, there are thousands of smart fans travelling from across Europe for the event running 23rd to 26th August. We have a dedicated portal to thesmartclub’s own information and that of smart, including venue and programme details at www.smarttimes2012.com where you can also Register for the event and signup for smart’s Event newsletter. For any last minute questions you may have, simply email info@smarttimes2012.com.
smart of Wolverhampton
www.thesmartclub.com
S2smarts
Tune4Performance
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The smart Racing Club
‘4site’ : Issue 22
Daimler Insurance Services Ltd
2012-#2
thesmartclub ltd … since 2000
smart festival
Dealership Special Offer thesmartclub is delighted to announce a range of very special offers available from smart of Coldstream and smart of Edinburgh celebrating the opening of the Coldstream Approved Repairer site. Both Coldstream and Edinburgh are offering the following superb deals: "A" service from £145 "B" service from £195 Air Con Service £49 Wheel Alignment £39.99 Front Brake Pads £99 Front Brake Pads & Discs £199 MOT £40 All these offers include vat & fitting. PLUS, as a Member of thesmartclub, you can benefit from an ADDITIONAL 10% discount to the prices shown above.
As you may have seen, we are delighted to announce that The smart Festival will take place at Mercedes-Benz, Weybridge, UK on 6th October 2012. We are liaising closely with smart to help ensure that this year’s event continues to innovate and bring you a whole range of smart related activities and features. Registration for the Event is now available online via thesmartclub’s portal at www.thesmartfestival.com and we will also be publishing full details of participating Dealership start venues from end July onwards.
Contact details for smart of Edinburgh are shown opposite and you can contact smart of Coldstream on +44(01890-883272.
www.thesmartclub.com
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For any questions meantime, email us at info@thesmartfestival.com or contact thesmartclub by any of the means listed on Page 24 of this issue of ‘4site’
‘4site’ : Issue 22
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thesmartclub ltd … since 2000
Robbie Williams was keen to get his hands on a crossblade and immediately placed an order for car Number 0001. He collected his car to tie in with the 2002 Comic Relief Charity event, providing further indirectly publicity for the car and its association with the celebrity world.
Feature 10th Anniversary smart crossblade Still one of the most innovative and head-turning automotive productions to date, the smart crossblade celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year. Accordingly, in this issue of ‘4site’ we thought it worthy to bring you a little background information about the car to those of you unfamiliar with the history and also bring you some images and text surrounding a few of these iconic cars on the road today.
One differentiating factor with the crossblade separating it from the more conventional smart City Coupe models was a software change made to the engine map pushing the car to produce 70 bhp from the 599cc engine – with the car weighing only 740kg producing a PWR of 0.043. Top speed of the car was 135 km/h (84 mph) with a peak torque of 108 Nm. The interior of the car featured water repellent, bright red synthetic material covering the seats and instrument panel with contrasting black seat inserts whilst the floor consisted of a single plastic ‘tub’ arrangement with drain holes enabling rain water to escape through the floor.
The crossblade was first unveiled to the public in March 2001 at the Geneva Motor Show. Based on the (at that time) smart city coupe (450 model) the cut down version of the 450 had the roof removed, a large section of the tridion shell removed accompanied by lack of windscreen, lack of doors and a waterproof interior that managed to achieve a mix of smart style mixed with retro beach-buggy. There was no doubt that launching this car at the prestigious show was a superb move with journalists and public immediately keen to drive, talk about and own a car than reflected this mix of new styling and technology with retro ‘open air’ driving. smart themselves described the car as “an open leisure car uncompromisingly designed for blue skies and high spirit … The car is intended to provide these drivers with an exhilarating feeling of motion such as they can otherwise only experience with rollers under their shoes – on roller blades or skateboards”. smart had never intended this car to be a mass market, mass production car and the plan was to build a maximum of 2000, individually numbered cars going on sale from June 2002. Following the Geneva Motor Show publicity, www.thesmartclub.com
The ability to take a car from launch at the Geneva Motor Show to a planned production run of 2000 is an amazing achievement. The (then) Chairman of the Board at smart (Andreas Renschler) commented in 2002 “The fact that we have developed the smart crossblade within a year is further proof of the potential of our vehicle concept, and at the same time it is a further step towards extending our product range. After the almost euphoric reactions at last year’s Automobilsalon in Geneva, we have decided to offer this car to our customers”. Smart priced the crossblade model at around €21,000 (a price reflecting the collectable and innovative nature of the car rather than the amount of car one was purchasing!) and shortly after launch, Robbie Williams’ car went onto eBay having been duly signed by Robbie himself. A 10 day eBay auction launched and the winning bid saw the lucky successful bidder pay an amazing €51,000 for the car! Ever since launch in 2002, thesmartclub has been privileged to have Members who own one of these models and, without fail and irrespective of weather, one or more vehicles will appear at local, national or international meetings. In much the same way as owners with any unique model of car will gather in one location to share news, views and compare cars, the same holds true across Europe and around the world with the crossblade. Many UK models have
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10th Anniversary crossblade (continued) been shipped abroad to warmer climates, some shipped half way around the world. The cars invariably fall into two distinct camps – namely (1) cover up, keep warm and store as a collectors item or (2) care for, cherish and then drive out to experience that very “exhilarating feeling of motion such as they can otherwise only experience with rollers under their shoes” smart wanted when they launched the car. There has long been debate as to whether all 2000 models were produced but one thing remains true and that is 10 years down the line, they are as iconic now as they were when they appeared in Geneva. The DVLA in the UK have provided us data relating to the number of UK crossblades registered with them whether they are currently taxed or marked as SORN (the latter applicable if the vehicle is ‘off the road in storage’) and the chart at the foot of this page provides an indication of the numbers either on the UK roads or in UK storage at the current time.
The following images and text has been sent to thesmartclub to reflect the passion, individuality and incredible international sense of community that surrounds a model of smart, now 10 years old and still looking as new as ever. Our thanks go to all the owners for their support: Tadaisa, Japan. I'm fuse smart mania!! Now I have 3 smart cars. A (type 450 crossblade, a 450 coupe and a 451ultimate112) especially I love crossblade!! My crossblade has so many modification. Wheel, seat, steering. re-covering to the leather of a dashboard or a door handle, more!! Recently I made my special cycle carrier for my Alex Moulton. I'm enjoying my smart life!!
Of course, thesmartclub, this magazine and the cars are about more than the vehicles and the owners, culture and personalisation continue to be a theme across the smart community. We are delighted to bring you some images and commentary from owners around the world, th Anniversary of the celebrating the 10 crossblade …
The chart below indicates the total number of smart crossblade models registered with the UK DVLA from Q4 2003 through to Q1 2012 inclusive. At the time of publication, on 17 crossblades remain registered in the UK.
www.thesmartclub.com
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thesmartclub ltd … since 2000 Andreas, Germany: This year I fulfilled my greatest wish, I bought my Crossblade with the serial number 535, with the consent of my dear wife. It was built in May 2003 and I got him in January 2012 with 9750 Km I painted the front and rear bumper in black. Then he got new springs of CS - Tuning lay deep around him and even a new sport exhaust by RS - parts, washers front and rear, with 20mm. My Crossblade is our pride and joy.
Hans-Peter Mundt, Germany: Being a smart car owner since 2001 we got the crossblade no. 0306 in March 2006 in addition to our cdi city-cabrio, roadster and forfour as a then still "brand new" one (first owner). Both my wife and I as well as the daughters just love the crossblade even for long trips as to the smart times in Zell am See in Austria or even Riccione in Italy last year – which was a quite long but really beautiful trip from Northern Germany. And of course we already we have plans to bring the crossblade to the big anniversary at Antwerp too. We're looking forward to seeing many crossbladers there again..
Hans, Germany: Crossblade 0766 - Viele Grüße
Peter, Germany: I’m Peter from Lörrach / Germany and first owner of Crossblade no. 1329. Carbon style inside, 17" alloy wheels, waterproof navigation. I’ve organised a couple of crossblade trips in Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.
Colin, UK: My Crossblade No. 0025 was imported by MB Uk as their demonstrator in July 2002. The car was commissioned to be repainted Ferrari Red. The previous owner owned it until 2004 when I purchased it. Now 112BHP and 137 Ft.pounds of torque. ,not to shabby for 700cc. Last year I attended Smarttimes 2011 in Riccione Italy, that was some drive. I look forward to seeing you all at Smarttimes 2012 Antwerp.
Ian, UK: Purchased October 2009 (Number 1345), from a guy in Central London & I paid £8250. Was full euro spec so I changed headlights, rear lights & speedometer to UK specification. Have also added DRL’s & eyelids to headlights. BRABUS box & paddle-shift steering wheel also added. Personal registration plate fitted – as seen in later pictures. Many more mods planned & hopefully completed by the time we go to Smarttimes 2012 for 10th Anniversary. I now call it my MARMITE car..........because like Marmite, people either LOVE it or HATE it !!! www.thesmartclub.com
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Rob, UK: Smart Crossblade 1073. Affectionately known as WES (after Wesley Snipes), he’s Blade, he’s cool and he’s black, enough said. Originally bought from smart of Northampton, their demonstrator, shipped to Spain. He didn’t see much use there as the roads were not suitable. It was shipped back to relatives in the UK to be sold. It was when a friend of the owners family put it on the smart club
thesmartclub ltd … since 2000 Alan, UK: I am told 1149 started Franz, Austria: Crossblade 0267 life on display at a Swiss Mit freundlichen Grüßen dealership then was bought and shipped to Germany in 2005. Which is where I found her with 800km on the clock. I pulled her out of storage this week, having been laid up for the last 2 years, she started on first turn of the key! Her 10th birthday will actually be 18th November 2014.
Dino, Germany: Happy Birthday crossblade! Every day with you is rock *n* roll. thx dino (www.crossbla.de) see you on smarttimes2012!
Carmen & Thomas, Switzerland: We are Carmen and Thomas from Switzerland since 2003 and continue with the number crossblade 0633. Here are some impressions from our trips to the smart crossblade-days and we have organized since 2004. As we travel with like-minded 3 days by Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland. This year it is 27 crossblades.
So … 10 years of the iconic crossblade and the passion, the community and the diversity of activities that involve the car and its owners continue to grow from strength to strength. We are grateful to everyone who submitted their images and text to us and apologise to those who have nod had images included – the great news is that thesmartclub will be dedicating an area of their web site to the crossblade’s anniversary from August 2012 where you can see all these pictures and more. Meantime, don’t forget, the crossblade community will be at smart times 2012 in Antwerp 23rd to 26th August and The smart Festival, Weybridge UK on 6th October. You can find out more information about these events via thesmartclub’s dedicated portals at www.smarttimes2012.com and www.thesmartfestival.com respectively. www.thesmartclub.com
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Regular Local Meetings If you regularly meet with a group of local smart owners and enthusiasts and you would like your meeting included in our future listings, please email: events.team@thesmartclub.com or telephone us on +44 (0) 845 299 0332 with details for inclusion in the next issue of our ‘4site’ magazine. For LATEST information and location details always check the Events section in our Online Forum (www.thesmartclub.com). East smart Cambridge meet nd 2 Monday of every month, Grantchester St. Albans Meet 28 April and monthly thereafter, 19:30 - 22:30 at The Airfield, Lemsford Road, Hatfield, Hertfordshire Milton Keynes & Northampton smart meet Every 2nd Monday, 7:30 pm onwards Check Meetings Section of thesmartclub MessageBoard, Navigation Pub, Stoke Bruerne
DAFT Mansfield meet 1st Wednesday of every month at 7:00 pm The Snipe Pub, Alfreton Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 1JE Shepperton meet 1st Wednesday of every month 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm: The Thames Court, Towpath, Shepperton, TW17 9LJ. East Kent smarties 2nd Wednesday of every month, from 8:00 pm Dukes Head Pub, Sellindge, nr Ashford, Kent Greater Manchester & North Lands Meet 4th Thursday of every month from 7:30pm, Wilton Hotel, just off M60 at Heaton Park Sussex Smarts Sunday breakfast Our Breakfast meet is every 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month.10.00 am, Chalet Cafe, Cowfold, West Sussex. (approx half mile south of Cowfold on A281). Please note that as many of the above meetings are outside of the direct control of thesmartclub, details and dates may change.
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@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 Or pick up a pen and paper and send to: thesmartclub ltd, PO Box 28549, Edinburgh, EH4 5WB, UK ‘4site’ is edited and produced by thesmartclub Ltd Editor and Managing Director, Al Young +44-773-882-2042 editor@thesmartclub.com
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News from smart Smart of Swindon service charts
tops
The team at smart of Swindon is certainly a smash hit with customers after being named ‘number one’ for customer care on servicing by the manufacturer.
However having returned from travelling around Europe and North Africa, where she visited 21 different countries, Sophie is completely revved up for her career resumption at smart of York where she has just been appointed Brand Manager. The 23-year-old is relishing her first taste of the motor trade with the iconic smart brand after previously working in customer service and marketing roles with companies selling caravan and motor-homes and aggregates. “I have always admired smart cars so this is a fantastic opportunity and a definite step-up from my previous jobs,” said Sophie. “The cars are not only practical around town but they are fantastically economical and comfortable on longer journeys and being part of Daimler and the Mercedes Car Group emphasizes the quality.
smart ranked the Drakes Way retailer’s After Sales department as the best in Britain when it came to looking after the needs of owners seeking servicing, general repairs or parts during 2011. Customers recognised the care, attention and professional approach on offer by awarding smart of Swindon the highest Net Promoter Score in the country. This measures customer satisfaction within the smart retail network and provides a vital indicator of whether customers would recommend retailers to friends, relatives or colleagues. “I am really proud of my team and to be the number one dealer in the UK for service customer care is like winning the F1 season,” said Mike Fellows, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz and smart of Swindon. “The result reflects our aim to be famous for outstanding service and to ensure that existing customers return to us and refer us to their acquaintances and family members.” Sophie drives career forward with smart of York
In her spare time, Sophie enjoys biking, walking and hiking but is now looking forward to adding climbing – of the ‘social’ kind – to her list of interests. She is going to be overseeing smart of York’s heightened presence on Facebook and Twitter as well as planning a variety of events over the coming months. “There are lots of exciting developments in the pipeline for smart over the next two or three years,” added Sophie. “We’ve already welcomed facelifted and electric drive versions of the smart fortwo this year and are about to take delivery of the smart ebike, which offers mobility on two wheels. “With more new models and limited edition versions on the horizon, there has never been a better time to be associated with the smart brand.” Caught on Camera
After spending much of the past 12 months driving 23,000 miles around foreign lands, you would be mistaken if you thought Sophie Huetson might not want to see another car for a while.
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“smart owners are a great bunch of people to deal with too and totally different from any other group of motorists as they are enthusiastic about their cars, very loyal to the brand and generally once they are in a smart don’t tend to change unless it is for a newer model.”
smart of Brighton’s recently-appointed Sales Executive Ben Pulham has been getting plenty of clicks from his new role with the south coast Retailer.
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Advertisement - smart of West Midlands There has never been a better time to visit smart of Wolverhampton. The Midlands based franchise, part of the award-winning Drayton Group, has a range of unbeatable offers on new and approved smart cars. Smart of Wolverhampton General Manager, Matthew Harris told us more: “We have some terrific offers for the summer. Until August 31st, you can drive away any of our approved used smarts at 0% interest and we have an extensive range of new smart fortwos starting from just £99 per month. With part exchange and retailer contributions to your deposit also available with these finance packages, there has never been a better time to get a smart from us.” The approved used 0% interest offer is particularly attractive, as all approved used smarts feature 12 months unlimited mileage warranty, 12 months free roadside assistance, MoT Test failure cover and a 30 day/500 mile exchange plan
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As one of the UK’s largest smart dealerships with its own dedicated reception, showrooms and service workshops, smart of Wolverhampton has a wide selection of new smarts and up to 50 approved used smarts in group stock. The Drayton Group smart network is supported by smart lite dealerships at their Worcester, Shrewsbury and Stoke locations, with an after sales centre at their site in Stourbridge. Matthew Harris again: “We have a centrally based network to support you and we offer a nationwide delivery service. We have a number of special events and offers throughout the year for our customers, many of whom have been with us for a number of years. This summer is a great time to join them.”
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To find out more or arrange a part exchange valuation of your current car, please call 0844 573 6310 or visit www.smartofwestmidlands.co.uk
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Having transferred from another smart Retailer, Ben is used to putting customers in the picture about the benefits of smart ownership but now he has further developed his approach.
been reported, you have to keep an open mind and eliminate all possible explanations until the only thing that could be causing it is a ghost or spirit and there is a difference between the two,” explained Claire. “A ghost is a form that recreates part of its former life over and over again, such as walking through a wall where there use to be a door, and you cannot communicate with them whilst a spirit you can.
The keen photographer has been snapping smart cars on location around Brighton and some of his pictures have been put on display in the showroom to add some local interest for visitors.
“If somebody is present then it is my job to find out who they are and why they are there and I use various means to communicate with them from a Ouija board to the white noise of a radio,” she added. “I’ve been pushed and sworn at by ghosts in the past but the most memorable incident was at Margam Castle in South Wales, when I opened a huge door and it was slammed shut behind me even though no-one was around.”
smart is Claire’s regular haunt Her clients may be running scared but ghost hunter Claire Salter is certainly driving soundly thanks to the frighteningly impressive performance of her smart. Decorated with a livery that features witches and spiders’ webs, the car is proving to be a driving force for Devon & Cornwall Paranormal Events, the events company that Claire has recently launched to entice tourists interested in spooky goings-on across the South West. A clairvoyant and trainee medium, Claire has worked as a paranormal investigator for the past five years and has freelanced her services at various locations up and down the UK. “If you are visiting a place where strange activity has
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Just as spine-tingling, Claire reckons, is the performance of the fortwo coupé that she has just acquired from smart of Poole, where
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husband Terry bought a brand new smart fortwo cabrio at the same time. “This is my second smart and Terry’s third and we simply love them as they are just such good fun to drive,” said Claire. And there is another member of Claire’s family, who seems to be savouring the spirit of smart travel and that’s her father Keith despite passing away two years ago. “Dad taught me to drive and maybe that’s why I can always sense him sat next to me in the car,” she smiled. “He liked a laugh and is always letting us know he’s around whether it is by ringing the doorbell, switching on the TV or moving things around such as the keys to my smart.” Ollie finds his motoring match Blackpool manager Ian Holloway is certainly on the ball when it comes to motoring. The Seasiders’ boss has made a star signing in the shape of a new car acquired from smart of Blackpool. Although predominantly used by his wife, Kim, Sales Executive Richard Edge, who sold the eye-catching smart to the Holloways, said that Ian can often be seen around town in the car and no wonder – it is a nightorange edition in keeping with Blackpool’s famous tangerine colours. After narrowly missing out on a place in the Premier League with defeat in the play-off final at Wembley, it is to be hoped that Ollie’s drive for promotion in the 2012/13 season will be just as smooth as that of his smart car. .
Smart conquers Russian Market – Stuttgart 20th June In addition to inventing urban mobility, smart is also shaping its future. With the official sales start of the smart fortwo in Russia on July 1, 2012, the smart brand is taking the next step in pursuit of its goals. Initially, dealers will offer the vehicles in Russia’s capital city Moscow. Further cities will follow in the course of the next 12 months. The Stuttgart-based brand believes that the compact two-seater, which requires the minimum road and parking space, has the potential to be a great success in Russia. "The smart symbolizes urban mobility better than any other car,” says Dr. Annette Winkler, Head of smart. "We’re looking forward to becoming a fixed part of city life in Moscow as well." When the vehicle is introduced to the market on July 31, 2012, the smart fortwo will be available at the Moscow dealerships as 52-kW pure coupe and passion coupe models as well as a 62-kW passion coupe. Thanks to its innovative concept and unique design, the smart brand has long since become an automotive lifestyle icon. With a compact length of 2.69 meters and low-level CO2 emissions, the smart fortwo is ideal for city driving. Following its introduction in Russia, smart will be represented in 46 markets worldwide. The main sales markets for the smart fortwo are Germany, Italy, and China. Since the first smart model left the production line in 1998, more than 1.3 million units of the two-seater have been delivered to customers. Smart launching escooter Stuttgart 10th May smart will launch the escooter on the market in 2014. For smart, this is the next logical step in implementing its comprehensive concept for future urban mobility. “The decision in favor of the escooter has been made,” announced Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, on the sidelines of the international dealer meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
thesmartclub is grateful to Scott Fenn of Impact PR for the above smart News submissions
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“With this step, we are adding a further important component to our smart mobility concept for urban mobility in the future,” he added.
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Back in 2010, smart unveiled a comprehensive portfolio of electric products for urban transport at the Paris Motor Show. In addition to the smart fortwo electric drive as a coupé and a convertible, it includes the smart ebike and the escooter. smart is now consistently turning this concept into reality: the smart fortwo electric drive will be launched on the market in summer 2012, and delivery to customers of the first ebikes is just beginning. The fully electric escooter will be premiered within the next two years. The design of the escooter study is being developed and refined further. With its many innovative and trendsetting features, the new product will be unmistakably a genuine smart. Just like the ebike, the escooter will also be available for customers who (as yet) have no driver’s license for cars as a smart on two wheels.
“Anyone who thinks of urban mobility has to think of smart,” says Dr. Annette Winkler, the head of smart. “We offer the perfect zero-emissions vehicle for every requirement, and with our products, electric travel is a lot of fun too.” “We are especially proud that the ebike received the red dot award, and that our comprehensive mobility concept won the 2012 iF product design award,” Dr. Winkler added. The judging panel for the red dot awards gave the coveted “best of the best” predicate to the series production version of the 2012 smart ebike. This year, the iF product design award, which has been internationally recognised since 1953, singled out the smart mobility concept, consisting of the smart electric drive, the smart ebike, and the smart escooter, as an excellent overall concept for urban mobility.
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smart launches world’s first commercial on Twitter – Stuttgart 13th April The smart fortwo fits not only into every parking spot, but also into a tweet. smart Argentina has launched the world’s first animated advertising campaign on Twitter – a digital flip book consisting of 455 individual tweets. The message is “smart is the only car that fits everywhere, so why not into 140 characters, too?” Using the individual images, an additional video clip has been produced specifically for social media. The success is overwhelming. In the first 50 hours alone it reached more than nine million twitter users worldwide, while the video attracted enormous interest on YouTube.
The ASCII animation at www.twitter.com/smartArg runs similar to a flip book using the “stop motion” principle. By scrolling down, the images in the 455 individual tweets come to life to create an animation. They show a smart fortwo driving through the city and maneuvering into a tiny parking space. With this innovative advertising campaign, the brand is once more underscoring its role as a trendsetter in modern urban mobility – true to the brand claim “open your mind”. All white or Sky Blue? Stuttgart 14th June The latest smart fortwo special model is the ‘edition iceshine’, which combines a fresh, cheeky look with chic equipment details. This exciting special model can be preordered in white or exclusive azure blue from June, while the first vehicles in this limited series will be rolled out to dealers in October 2012. The smart fortwo edition iceshine is available as a coupé or cabrio, with a 52kW mhd petrol engine or a 62kW petrol engine. Prices start at €14,490. The smart fortwo edition iceshine is the latest in a long line of attractive special models from smart, and shows once again how extensively this two-seater can be customised. Its
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appearance is unusual. The tridion safety cell comes in white, while the bodypanels are available in a choice of two attractive colours: white, or an azure blue specially developed for this edition. Other exclusives include the white alloy wheels, with their new 3-double-spoke design and wide tyres in size 175/55 R 15 (front) and 195/50 R 15 (rear). These tie in nicely with the white tridion safety cell and door mirror caps. The LED daytime driving lights and special logo on the mirror triangle also identify this edition. The sporty, top-flight feel continues in the interior: all edition iceshine models come with exclusive leather-effect seats with a white fabric insert on the backrest and white stitching, plus a 3-spoke leather sports steering wheel with shift paddles. The rings round the dashboard instruments and some contrast components are also white. The audio system basic, comprising an RDS radio with USB and AUX ports for your MP3 or CD player, two integrated loudspeakers and an additional drawer below the operating unit, is fitted as standard – as are the exclusive floor mats.
Zero-emission driving fun: Goodbye, filling stations Stuttgart 18th June With the launch of the new smart fortwo electric drive, in future smart customers can enjoy even more fun at the wheel of an attractively priced vehicle that has the familiar compact dimensions - as a coupé or a cabriolet. The most important feature distinguishing it from its siblings with conventional engines is the fact that it does not produce any emissions on the road. With its 55kW electric motor the smart fortwo electric drive accelerates from 0 - 60 km/h in 4.8 seconds, and with a maximum speed of 125 km/h driving pleasure is also guaranteed on urban motorways. The 17.6 kWh battery enables the urban two-seater to travel approximately 145 kilometres in city traffic without producing any local emissions. The new sale&care model makes opting into electric mobility particularly attractive: it offers customers an opportunity to buy, finance or lease the vehicle at an attractive price and to rent the battery for a monthly fee. Extensive experience and customer feedback from various electric mobility projects were integrated in the further development of the smart fortwo electric drive. Ever since 1998 the smart has been revolutionising urban mobility like no vehicle before it. Compact, agile, environmentally friendly and stylish – it has evolved from a practical small car to a lifestyle product and has long become a familiar sight on the roads of cities around the world.
Limited to 1,800 vehicles, this model is based on the passion equipment line. Among other standard features, it therefore comes with the softouch automatic gear programme, electric windows, air conditioning with automatic temperature control, and a panoramic roof with sunblind. Electric power steering, heated seats, a lockable glove compartment, the smart sound system with five loudspeakers and other optional extras are also available. What is more, the smart audio system navigation/multimedia, black leather-effect instrument panel, BRABUS 3-spoke sports steering wheel with steering wheel gearshift and ® smart cradle for the iPhone 3/3GS and 4/4S are available for the edition iceshine at special prices.
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From the summer the smart fortwo electric drive will start winning wide-ranging buyers in more than 30 international countries for its innovative and forward-looking drive concept. Dr. Annette Winkler, Head of smart, says "The smart fortwo was designed for an electric drive right from the start as our customers to date have already been able to experience for themselves in their daily use of this vehicle. We have taken their feedback and wishes very seriously. The new smart fortwo electric drive represents a completely new dimension of zero-emission driving pleasure at a price that is really attractive." The new model is fitted with a 55 kW magnetoelectric motor - the first product from the EMmotive joint venture founded together with Bosch – ensuring that it is as agile and lively.
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With torque of 130 Newton metres it accelerates powerfully from 0 to 60 km/h in 4.8 seconds, and thanks to better acceleration in the higher speed range it can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 11.5 seconds as it has much more tractive power than its predecessor. This makes for speedy driving and overtaking. The battery-electric two-seater smart fortwo now has a higher top speed of 125 km/h, as well. That is putting it on a par with the combustion-engined smart – also on the motorway.
A battery from the joint venture "Deutsche ACCUmotive" with Evonik Industries is fitted in the new smart fortwo electric drive for the first time. With capacity of 17.6 kWh the lithium-ion battery enables 145 kilometres of pollutant-free driving fun. In addition to the higher battery capacity clear improvements have been made to the efficiency of the drive system, resulting in a greater range. When completely empty it takes a maximum of seven hours to fully charge the battery at a household socket or charging station on the electricity systems of most countries i.e. overnight.
wallbox at home or work the smart Sales department will contact SPX. SPX will examine the local conditions, make an individual offer, and after a purchase decision, arrange for installation of the wallbox from KEBA. The wallbox is standardised and can of course also be used to charge vehicles from other manufacturers, for example if there is a mixed fleet. There are two different types of wallbox: Basic and Connected. Both variants can be used for the quick charging of a single vehicle, or several vehicles one after the other. For private customers who want to charge up quickly and easily at home, a Basic wallbox is the perfect solution. It provides quick charging up to 22 kW and can be used both indoors and outdoors. The Connected wallbox also provides internet connectivity once linked up to the customer's web connection. Furthermore, the Connectivity Plus system is an ideal solution for fleet customers. It enables up to 16 Connected wallboxes to be linked up to the "fleet server". This fleet server then enables several vehicles to be charged at once, all controlled intelligently and automatically. For example, certain vehicles can be given priority or a load limitation can be set. SmartCharging is also possible: economical charging and charging with green electricity (if the utility company provides the relevant data). This is financially advantageous to customers as they always have full control over their charging. The relevant charging cables are of course also available from SPX.
Quick charging in less than one hour For the feasibility of quick charging it is possible to optionally equip the car with a quick-charging function. The 22 kW on-board charger enables a completely empty battery to be fully charged in less than an hour. A power cable is needed for this which is used to connect the vehicle to a public quick-charging station or a "wallbox" at home or work. smart will offer this in future in cooperation with SPX, one of the world's leading suppliers of technology solutions in the fields of energy and automotive as a global installation and service partner, and with KEBA, a specialist for innovative E-charging infrastructure and wallboxes. If a customer decides to install a www.thesmartclub.com
Attractive introduction to electric mobility The smart fortwo electric drive makes opting into electric mobility very attractive with a new marketing concept. With the sale&care model customers can buy, lease or finance the
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vehicle at an attractive price and rent the battery. The rental costs include regular maintenance and, if necessary, quick battery replacement. smart also has a solution for all those who want to buy the entire vehicle. In Germany the price for the vehicle with the sale&care model is €18,910 inc. VAT for the coupé and €22,000 for the cabrio. As well as this there is the standard battery rental charge of €65 including VAT in all sale&care markets. In view of the low operating costs electric driving is therefore a very attractive form of individual mobility. National promotion programmes in many countries and various mobility benefits such as the use of special lanes or exemption from city congestion charges are further advantages of electric driving. With the attractive sale&care package and the significant technological advancement of the smart fortwo electric drive smart offers its customers affordable driving pleasure in daily use based on the environmentally friendly drive. smart also has an attractive offer for customers who want to buy or lease the complete vehicle with the battery: including VAT the new smart fortwo electric drive costs €23,680 as a coupé and €26,770 as a cabrio. Since the International Motor Show in Frankfurt anyone interested has been able to register on www.smart.com with no obligation to receive all the latest news on the new electric smart. In some markets, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the UK customers have been able to make advance reservations for a vehicle online – and these customers will be among the first owners of the new smart fortwo electric drive. A four-figure number of reservations has already been received – and a five-figure number of people have even registered on the smart website. Fill up on renewable energies Electric vehicles cut down greenhouse gases on a sustained basis, especially when they are powered by renewably generated electricity. This is why the company is supplying as much additional energy generated by wind power to the German grid as is needed to run all new electric smarts sold in Germany – thus supporting the
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ambitious climate targets of the EU. The energy needed for this is supplied by a new wind power plant on the A9 motorway, which Daimler has acquired in order to supply additional power generated from a completely renewable source to the grid on time for the launch of the new electric smart. Within the framework of this initiative Daimler is deliberately not taking up support measures from the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). With nominal output of 2.3 megawatts per year the onshore wind energy plant type Enercon E82 will generate enough green electricity to run the approximately 2,500 smart fortwo electric drives initially sold in Germany. Any power required over and above this could also be covered with electricity from wind power, without EEG funding. Intelligent charging The smart fortwo electric drive can be connected to the internet at home via a standard powerline adapter (Homeplug AV) for SmartCharging. After entering the planned departure time in the vehicle or the web portal the vehicle will be fully charged in a battery-saving and economical way. The smart fortwo electric drive also makes charging at public stations easy. With Plug&Charge the vehicle identifies itself as soon as it is plugged into a compatible charging point and the charging process is settled automatically. Clever app smartphones
for
infotainment
with
smart is the first car brand to develop its own drive app for the iPhone®. Together with the smart kit and cradle for the iPhone®the cult phone becomes a multimedia trip computer that is optimised for the smart fortwo in terms of function and design. The smart drive app for the iPhone® has all the important features needed whilst driving: phone calls via hands-free system, your own extensive music collection, internet radio and a clever navigation system with a special smart touch. There are also smart extras – for example the Car Finder that will guide you back to wherever you parked your car.
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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 per 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:
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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 resale or commercial redistribution. All content © thesmartclub 2012 and global Daimler media © 2012 Daimler AG. All rights reserved. The submit button © Kiankhoon, email image © Tomislav Stajduhar, party people image Poznyakov, 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.
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4two Cup – Rounds 1 & 2 Donington Park Fresh from their enthralling season opening Invitation race weekend at the picturesque Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, the 4two Cup series steamrolled into Leicestershire’s Donnington Park circuit for rounds 1 and 2 of the 2012 season. Consensus in the paddock was that following his performance 3 weeks previous, David Moore would be the hot favourite to take the honours again around the 1.979 mile circuit – and thus add to his 4-race winning streak in Belgium. Saturday’s practice sessions were held in typical Spring conditions with a steady breeze and clear skies and with the Smart Car Village drawing major attention from the influx of fellow racers and spectators alike, the results promised a similar level of interest for Sunday’s qualifying sessions and the two 20 minute races later in the day. With the qualifying for races 1 and 2 decided by the times set in the first 10 and the last 10 minutes of the session respectively, the 21strong field demonstrated their supreme handling capabilities at speed by seeing the top 15 drivers only separated by 9.926s, and with no incidents worth the mention. The cool track conditions made life difficult for all but it was David Moore’s sister Sarah who claimed an impressive pole for race 1 ahead of Jake Jackson in the #9 car and the #1 machine of brother David. Heading into the lunch break, the clouds turned a darker shade of grey and it wasn’t long before the heavens opened, depositing a fair amount of rain on the circuit. The anticipation of an exciting race in prospect grew to such an extent that despite the soggy conditions, spectators were on their feet as the Safety Car steered into the pit lane at the end of nd the 2 parade lap, and the field began their rolling start formation onto the start/finish straight. At the green light, it was the #1 car of David Moore that made the most of the slippery conditions, catapulting himself from 3rd on the grid to 1st and passing pole sitter (and younger
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sister) Sarah Moore on the inside into Redgate corner. With the rear wheel drive machines noticeably twitchy in the damp conditions, the racing on the opening lap was an enthralling sight and as they crossed the line for the first time, it was the #1 car, followed by the #6 and Jake Jackson in the #9 machine.
Failing to negotiate the Old Hairpin ,Tim Summers spun his #3 car into the grass while at the same time, Gregory Cosse in the #302 car went off in sympathy and remained beached in the gravel trap – the Belgian driver thus forcing the Safety Car to come out but not before Jakson lost traction and fell down the order in the process. The #302 machine now removed from the track, racing resumed at the end of the 5th lap and with race leader Moore extending his lead, sister Sarah came under pressure from a fast starting Maiken Rassmussen in the #456 as they headed into the first turn. Out of Redgate, Moore held her line and down the hill into the Craner Curves, was able to abolish all hopes Rassmussen had of 2nd place by claiming the racing line – forcing her rival to lift off before resuming her quest to close the gap to her brother ahead. Behind the top there was plenty of action with many drivers trying various lines in their quest to find extra grip and to gain position. The spectators were delighted to see three cars side by side into many corners throughout the remaining laps and the standard of driving was undoubtedly of the highest order. Out in front however, David Moore added to his
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opening four wins in taking the chequered flag 4.234s ahead of Tockwith Motorsports team mate Sarah Moore and Rassmussen. Silvano Ciara (#457) impressed coming home in 4th position ahead of Tom Knight (#12) and the#7 car of David Nash in 6th. “It’s a fantastic feeling to continue my winning streak but this was by no means an easy race,” a delighted Moore confirmed. “These cars are fantastic to drive in the dry but they are even more so in wet conditions as they command so much respect. I managed to make a great start and after taking the lead at the opening corner, I just focused on not making any mistakes and managed to control things and maintain the gap to Sarah right to the end. 5 wins out of 5 starts can’t be a bad thing and while the others may be hopeing for clear skies for race two, I’d quite likesome more wet stuff…” Race 2 and with it came the sunshine and despite the lack of rain he initially wished for, Billed as the last event of the days running at Donnington, round 2 of the 2012 4two Cup Series brought with it as much racing as the first and a ice tonic of sunshine. Despite his wish for more rain, David moore needn’t have worried about his performance as this time, his driving was from the top drawer – the Tockwith Motorsports #1 car dominating the race from the moment the Safety Car pulled into the pits at the start of the race.
end of lap 13, finishing over 6.2s clear of Jackson and Sarah Moore in third place. Impressing in 4th was the #12 car of Tom Knight while rounding out the top 6, Rassmussen edged out Coster who eventually finished 2.3s behind the Swede. “A great weekend all in all,” Moore proclaimed after his dominant performance. “The car was simply magnificent all day. To have taken fastest lap in both races too underlines how consistent these cars are and how much pleasure they give the driver. I just focused on the road ahead and never concerned myself with where my sister was or where Jake was and this enabled me to focus on maintaining my lines, building the gap, and taking another victory.” “David was just too strong for the rest of us,” said a content Jackson. “He had the car hooked up all around the circuit and so I just tried to keep Sarah behind me as I knew she would be strong following her performance in race 1 but nevertheless, second is a great result for me.” Admiring her brother’s performance Sarah Moore was pleased to have registered antoerh strong finish. “David deserved to win this one,” she said. “We were never going to trouble him once he started pulling away at over 0.5s per lap so I tried to concentrate on Jake but in doing so, I made a couple of slight errors and had to settle for third.”
Into Redgate for the first time, he was initially hounded by Jackson and Sarah Moore but at the end of the first lap, the race leader was 0.6s clear and into a race of his own. Lap two and the gap was out to over a second and despite their attempts to cling on to the coattails of the #1 car, his persuors could do nothing but watch the gap steadily grow by half a second per lap. Further down the field, battles were raging with various drivers trading places like it was going out of fashion. Series organiser Paul Bates was into the pits at the end of the first lap with a terminal th mechanical failure but the battle for 5 began to catch the eye of the spectators as Coster and Rassmussen got busy with another. Their contest highlighted the very best this series has to offer with the cars bouncing through the corners with tremendous traction and a level of driveability seldom found in a series of similar nature.
With their place on the Britcar support programme now firmly set in stone, the 4two Cup Series delivered what the watching public goes to the race tracks of the British Isles for – good, clean, entertainment. Oh, and an avalanche of pure motor racing.
James palmer in the #4 machine and Tim Summers (#3 car) provided a fantastic spectacle th with both men fighting over 8 position yet at the front, it was David Moore who took the flag at the
Next stop for the rapidly growing series – Snetterton in Norfolk ….
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4two Cup – Rounds 3 & 4 Snetterton
4two Cup – Rounds 5 & 6 Brands Hatch
Tockwith Motorsports driver David Moore stretched his unbeaten run in the 2012 Smart Car 4two Cup to 4 wins out of 4 after dominating the 3rd and 4th rounds of the season at Snetterton, Norfolk on Saturday 12th May 2012. Despite a stiff breeze, the 11-car field (supporting the Britcar championship again) produced an enthralling days entertainment for the 1,000-strong spectators who were full of admiration at the driveability of the 130bhp, 451spec cars and the wheel to wheel action visible throughout the field. The 4two cup meeting was unfortunately devoid of the 11 cars from the Belgian Smart Car Cup courtesy of transportation problems but, as was the case at Donington Park three weeks ago, it was the Britcar-sponsored No1 machine of Moore which took the honours. Claiming pole nd position and a 2 place on the grid for rounds 3 and 4 respectively, Moore endured a closer run from nearest rivals – a resurgent Jake Jackson in the 1st Containers sponsored No9 car and Moore’s younger sister Sarah in the Spacewise livered No 6 machine. Despite Jackson setting fastest lap in both rounds, Moore held on to win both 20 minute races. David Moore commented “My car today was unbelievable in both races and I am naturally delighted to have kept my 100% winning record intact in 2012. I am a little disappointed not to have set fastest lap in either race but credit to Jake Jackson as he was really on it this weekend. I really enjoy this track and the car was set up perfectly and enabled me to really push and although Jake and Sarah were closer to me this weekend than they were last time out at Donington, I was always confident I had enough pace to win.” Paul Bates, from smarts4you Racing stated “Our second UK race meeting of the year was a resounding success. As expected, In both races the usual suspects were up the front, but fighting closer battles for first, second and third. We also had a few new drivers on the grid who were swapping places for fourth up to three times a lap. I think once these drivers get used to their cars properly they will be up front challenging for the lead and braking the strangle hold the young drivers seem to have and now we are all looking forward to Brands Hatch.”
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Following on from an exciting days racing at Snetterton four weeks ago, the Smart Car 4two Cup strolled into the Kent countryside for rounds 5 and 6 of the 2012 season. With early morning rain gracing the 1.2079 mile Brands Hatch Indy circuit, the 18-car field headed into its 20 minute qualifying session with a drying track and optimism for a dry day of racing. Race 1: At the lights, pole sitter Jake Jackson made a clean getaway with David Moore fighting to take the lead as they headed into Paddock Hill bend but the leading #9 car held the line to lead the field up the hill into Druids for the first time. Moore’s #3 car tried to pass into the right hand hairpin but Jackson held firm while behind the front runners, the #6 car of Sarah Moore dropped a position – being passed by the #14 rd car of Tony Horrobin for 3 place. Over the line for the first time, it was Jackson, Moore, guest driver and Formula Renault racer James Theodore with battles raging all the way down the field. Into Paddock, Moore took the lead albeit momentarily as the #1 car ran slightly wide on the exit, giving Jackson the opportunity to slip inside at Druids. Keen to re-establish his authority on the race, Moore forced his way back into the lead into Graham Hill bend with Jackson slotting in behind and married to the gearbox of Moore’s #1 machine.
Despite opening up a 2s gap to the chasing pack, the battle for 7th was raging with guest driver and National Editor for Autosport magazine Ben Anderson, trading paint with the #451 machine of Belgian Silvano Cairo and the #456 of Maiken Rassmussen. Lap 3 and into the first turn, Jackson pulled out of Moore’s slipstream, braked as late as he dared and went into the lead once more while further back, the #4, #12, #456 and #3 cars were busy flying over the kerbs, seeking any opportunity to pass in a
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fascinating skirmish for 5th.
room was that another lap would have seen the two protagonists swapping positions.
Lap five and with it came the first mistake from the race leader. Defending his lead vigorously, Jackson braked a little late for Paddock, ran wide and Moore was quick to pounce and retake the lead – but not for long. Out of Druids, Jackson was now right on the leader’s gearbox and was impressively brave under braking once more into the left hand Graham Hill Bend as the two cars went through side by side. Into the left hander at Surtees, Jackson postponed his attack nd before pulling a and slotted back into 2 stunning pass under braking for Paddock Hill and re-claiming the lead. Over the line for the 7th time, it was now Jackson, Moore, Horrobin, Sarah Moore, Theodore, Rassmussen, James Palmer, Anderson and Cairo in 9th.
“Once Jake went off, I was confident that I could manage the gap to him and bring the car home,” a delighted Moore declared. “But I have to admit that his speed in the closing laps had me worried that I had perhaps driven a little too slowly especially as he was very good under braking. Nevertheless, it feels great to have won for the fifth time this year and I will head into race two with a determination to keep that record unbroken.”
The battle for 10th saw the #454 machine of Michael Marek, #11 car of Martyn Clatworthy and Rob Baker in the #202 car embroiled in an enthralling fight while back at the front, the race leaders now began lapping the slower drivers. Lap thirteen and with a 1.2s lead, Jackson was easing away and looked to have the race in control but into Paddock, the #9 car again missed its braking point, ran wide, and spun into the gravel. In an impressive display of car control, Jackson was able to re-group, return to the track and all without losing position – such was the gap to third the two leading pace setters had set before Jackson’s mistake. Now 9.6s adrift of Moore, Jackson now began the mother of all chases with the #9 car catching the leading #1 machine by over 2s per lap with only 5 minutes of the 20 minute race remaining. rd The battle for 3 was a hectic one with S Moore passing Knight into Graham Hill Bend after tailing her rival and seeking a way through for over 4 laps previously. Back at the front, Jackson was catching race leader Moore hand over fist and as they began their final lap, the gap was down to 1.011s and there remained the unthinkable possibility that the lead might change in the dying seconds of the race. Alas, it was too little too late for Jackson as Moore held on to take his impressive tally for the 2012 season to 5 wins from 5 starts. Despite setting the fastest lap of the race and subsequently reducing the gap to Moore to 0.730s, Jackson gave the winning Tockwith Motorsports driver his closest challenge this year and the consensus in the paddock and press
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“I am a little disappointed not to have won but I think I was closer to David than I have been previously and I certainly gave him a good run for his money.” The 1st Containers-sponsored Jackson said. “I was quicker than him under braking into Paddock but he was equally strong at other points on the circuit but I am content with 2nd but will be pushing to win in race two. ”Third went to the Spacewise #3 car of Sarah Moore with James Theodore taking an impressive 4th in the #12 machine, ahead of Horrobin, Anderson, David Decoster, Palmer, Rassmussen and the #2 car of Paul Bates in 10th. “I made such a terrible start,” Moore declared afterwards, “yet I really enjoyed my battle with James and hope to get myself closer to Jake and David next time out.” Eleventh and the final un-lapped car, Clatworthy drove a calculated race with Baker, Gregory Van Damme, Stefan Tanner, David Etienne and Charlotte Maes rounding out the classified finishers. Race 2: Fresh from his triumph in race one, Moore was determined to take another win as he led the 17 car field around on the formation lap. When the lights went out it was Moore’s sister Sarah in the Spacewise #6 car that got the attention of everyone – catapulting herself from
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7th on the grid to 3rd on the entry to Paddock Hill bend and settling in behind the #12 car of Theodore who was busy seeking a through road to the leading #1 car of Moore. Keen to amend his mediocre getaway from 3rd on the grid, Jackson was soon past the #6 car and into third and as they crossed the line for the first time, it was D Moore from Simon Horrobin, S Moore and Jackson. A small mistake resulted in the #12 car dropping a couple of places and as the field completed lap 2 it was S Moore and Jackson now battling over 2nd place after Horrobin ran slightly wide at Paddock Hill bend, lost momentum and with it, a couple of positions. Now the anticipated numerous battles began in earnest throughout the field with race leader pulling out a 3s lead while the chasing #6 and #9 cars argued over position. Fully aware that Jackson was quicker, Moore defended her 2nd place with canny defensive driving that resulted in the #9 being unable to pass until lap 9. Further down the field, Theodore, Horrobin, Anderson and the Belgian Maiken Rassmussen fought over 4th with pockets of cars jostling for honour down to 15th place. Lap 10 and with a lead of 2.5s, the scene was set for a repetition of the closing stages of the first race with Jackson’s #9 car, now ahead of the #6 machine after a do-or-die manoeuvre into Surtess, reigning in the gap to race leader Moore. With each passing lap the #6 car drifted further apart from the leading duo but all eyes were suddenly back on the race for 3rd place as Theodore was passed by Anderson, Rassmussen and Horrobin the next time by. Tyres screeching, engine wailing, puffs of tyre smoke under extreme heavy braking, Jackson was now using every inch of the road to close the gap. Beautifully drifting his 1st Container #9 car through Graham Hill Bend and then the leftright turns of Surtees and Clark, the former Formula Ford racer was driving like a man possessed. Up the hill and into Druids hairpin, Jackson slipped through the inside of Moore before the Tockwith Motorsports driver reclaimed the lead into Surtees, delighting the spectators in the process. This really was pure motor racing and like a disease, it was spreading through the field. th Behind the #6 car, the battle for 4 raged as Rassmussen chased the #3 of Anderson, seeking any opportunity to pass before taking the position at Surtees on lap 19.
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Back at the front, the gap was now down to 0.5s with two laps to go and as they entered Druids once more, Jackson dived down the inside and only just managed to avoid swiping the #1 car. Undeterred by the gallant efforts of his rival, Moore held firm, kept the outside line before taking a defensive angle into the left hander at Graham Hill bend. In maintaining his attacking line, Jackson was forced to lift off and this presented Moore with the chance to open up a 0.6s lead which he kept to the flag a lap later. “That was close,” a ruffled David More declared th after claiming his 6 successive win of the year. “Jake was really on it today and our battle in the closing stages was fantastic as we both were really on the limit. He was better under braking for some corners but I was confident I had him covered and although we did touch a little at Druids, it was good, clean racing.” “I thought I had him this time,” said Jackson. “Once I got ahead of Sarah it was a case of using all the road and being as late on the brakes as I dared be in order to catch David and when I saw him getting near to me with every lap I really believed it was my race to win. Our battle was firm but fair and although I tried my hardest, it just wasn’t to be this time. But I am definitely getting closer to him on performance and this gives me a real lift going into the next round of the series.”
Despite the fight for first bringing her rivals nearer, Sarah Moore was unable to challenge for 2nd and finished a fine 3rd and while the Sapcewise #6 driver was frustrated at being unable to challenge for the win, a podium place was fine reward in a race bursting with close racing. “I don’t tend to go too well here,” More explained. “It’s not one of my favourite circuits and so to be on the podium is like a win for myself but for me, this was the best race of the year so far. The racing was intense and I really enjoyed my battles although I’d rather be in the
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one for the lead!” th
Going into their final lap, the battle for 4 raged between Rassmussen and Anderson who had lost 4th place a lap earlier as the two drivers entered Surtees. Out of Clark Curve the Belgian held on to take a credible 4th just ahead of the impressive Anderson. Sixth went to Horrobin who finished 27s off the leaders, just ahead of Theodore, David DeCoster, Silvano Cairo and James Palmer in tenth.
4two and BRABUS forfour test day – 30th July 2012 smarts4you Racing Ltd, The smart Racing Club and Tockwith Motorsports will be taking thesmartclub’s forfour Britcar 24hr car and a 4two cup car to Silverstone for a mid season test on 30th July 2012. This is your opportunity to test the cars and sign up for a 24 hour race or the 4two cup for the rest of the season. For those of you who would love to experience the thrill of driving in the UK’s only 24 hour race, this is your chance. The day starts at 08:00hrs and we’ll be using the full Silverstone GP circuit throughout the day. The cost of the full test refreshments and light lunch is:
day
including
forfour: £400, fully refundable if you sign up for the Britcar 24 hour race All in all, it was a fantastic day’s entertainment for the spectators and drivers alike with overtaking a plenty, attacking and defensive driving of the highest order and many who had been in attendance and witnessed the 4two Cup for the first time, spoke of their admiration for the series. In three weeks, rounds 7 and 8 will be played out around the majestic amphitheatre that is Oulton Park in Cheshire.
fortwo: £200, fully refundable if you sign up for the remaining 4two cup series Please note that, in respect of the forfour, only race licence holders can apply as you require to have a National A race licence or above to enter Britcar A current road licence or race licence holders over 16 years of age are eligible for the fortwo. Note that only MSA licence holders can race in the 4two cup. To book or for more information call: Paul on: +44-7587-393-339 Julieann on: +44-7501- 868-288
Will David Moore stretch his unbeaten run of victories to 8? Not if the emerging Jake Jackson and equally impressive Sarah Moore have anything to do with it…
Race Reports © Max Davies Photography Al Young
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