4site Issue 30 - 2015 by thesmartclub

the columns supporting thesmartclubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website ISSUE 30 - 2015

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

4site - the columns that support thesmartclubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website

Welcome Welcome to the latest issue of ‘4site smart magazine, still the world’s only hard copy, regularly produced magazine for smart car owners and enthusiasts around the world.

In this quarter’s issue of ‘4site: Event Review Hambach & smartville 2015 Review smart UK Retailer Initiative - New for 2015 Event Preview Smart times 2015 - Budapest

Al Young Editor, Chairman & Managing Director thesmartclub ltd thesmartclub ltd. 1 Corbiehill Park Edinburgh EH4 5EQ UK Tel: +44 (0) 8452 990332

It’s not often I start the Editorial with an apology but, I am conscious of the slight delay in getting this Issue of ‘4site’ to you – this has been partially due to resource constraints within thesmartclub as a result of events, illness and family matters impacting many members of our team and my sincere apologies for this delay in bringing you the best of smart news and club activities. So, in this 15th Anniversary of thesmartclub, we also have the 15th Anniversary of smart times – the smart event that has to be the world’s largest gathering of smart cars. And this year the venue is the spectacular Budapest. We have a summary of information in this issue and you can find full details at www.smarttimes15.com or contact thesmartclub directly for additional information. We’ll even post out hard copies of the event information to Members who may not have access to the internet. In addition, for those of you into motorsport, we’re delighted to see the 4twocup back in full swing and we dedicate three pages of this issue to the latest results from that series. In the next issue of 4site, we’ll not only update you on the continuing results from that series, we’ll bring you all the latest news and views from all other smart related competitive events including our participation in the Geneva to Barcelona Endurance Rally taking place in September. Whilst a number of key events have yet to take place, we also had our 15th annual visit to the birthplace of smart fortwo and smart city coupe models (now that’s going back a bit!), namely smartville in Hambach, France. Again, we were honoured to also have a tour of the Magna premises and you can see a full write up of this excellent event in the following pages. Across the smart Retailer network, we continue to attract Retailers joining our smart UK Retailer initiative, offering FREE membership of thesmartclub with every new or ‘previously loved’ smart car purchased. And finally, our thanks and best wishes to Oliver Whittaker for his continued outstanding efforts, time and skills dedicated to pulling together the artwork and layout for 4site smart magazine!

Al Young Chairman & Managing Director thesmartclub ltd

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

News from smart Special edition smart fortwo cabrio with cult appeal - smart fortwo edition MOSCOT

4 5

6 7

smart fortwo with incredible sound

e-smart the market leader for the third time in a row

smart BRABUS tailor made for the new smart generation Anything is possible

Learning the future: Daimler introduces electric mobility in driving schools

Chinese premiere for the new smart generation at Auto Shanghai

16 smart forfour edition #1 in video to 16 the song “Ain’t Nobody (Loves Me Better)” US premiere for the new smart generation at the NYIAS - 2015: smart is upping the ante

a smarter way to get from a to b: the smart forrail

Numerous new features for smart fortwo and smart forfour

Winners of the “Red Dot Design Award 2015”: Mercedes-AMG GT and smart fortwo

Regular Local Meetings

thesmartclub Shop 18 Dealership news Smart Center Saarbrücken awarded as the winner

St Davids Centre

All Rise to smart South Wales

smart of Edinburgh

helpmysmart

4two Cup

Advertisers JCMotorhomes S2Smarts smart Insurance smart of Wolverhamption

26 2 31 16/17

Event Review

Hambach & smartville 2015 Review On 30th June, thesmartclub achieved yet another milestone when the 15th Annual visit to smartville, Hambach took place – the birthplace of the smart fortwo. As many of our regular readers will know, this event is always super popular and we are always amazed how quickly the Applications reach us when the process to apply for a place on this event goes live around February each year. This year, we suspect that with having had no visit to smartville in 2014, mass withdrawal symptoms had set in resulting in an amazing number of applications reaching us within minutes of launch and what was even more amazing was the names of those applying – many repeat visitors lucky enough to get their forms in quickly and some well known names from the past attending after a few years break. The net result was, at time, like stepping into a time machine and zooming back to the inaugural days of Hambach events all those years ago. Great to see that the enthusiasm was as good, if not stronger, as before and, of course, nobody looked a day older than they did 10 or 15 years ago…. Following an excellent buffet meal in Victor’s Hotel on the Sunday night in addition to the obligatory beer or two in the bar, the Sunday night came to a close (ok perhaps the early hours of Monday morning for a few people) ready for the ‘main event’, namely the visit to smartville the next day.

It was a somewhat cold and wet Sunday morning (at a somewhat antisocial 7am!) that saw the traditional gathering of smart cars arriving at the Dover ferry terminal. Despite the rain, it was pointed out that the assembled mass of cars represented virtually every model of smart car other than a crossblade (a special crossblade tour was being arranged in July) with the fortwos comprising the original 450 City Coupe, the 451 and even a new twin clutch automatic 453. Supplementing this merry throng was a number of 452 Roadsters and of course a couple of 454 BRABUS forfours.

A surprisingly smooth channel crossing to Calais and then a 5 hour drive to our overnight halt at Victors Hotel in Saarbrucken followed. The drive comprising a mix of the ‘usual’ twin checkpoints en route in addition to a number of interesting challenges, tests and formation overtaking moves all carried out on the route across France (in a perfectly legal and compliant manner of course). 4

As our regular participants will know, thesmartclub endeavours to make travel to, during and from any of our major events as easy as possible and, to aid this process, we compile a suitable Road Book that details every major road junction to and from a venue, with many associated pictures to make life easy. In the days prior to the event, we’d had notification that the main ring road around Saarbrucken was subject to Roadworks and this was a rolling program of work that sequentially shut down sections of the ring road between various junctions as the work progressed. Needless to say, the small section of ring road that was to be closed at the start of June was the very section we needed to use to travel to and from smartville! A quick reconnaissance mission on the Sunday evening (pre any beers) had shown that there was a suitable diversion in place and, with the aid of old fashioned paper and pen, a quick amendment to the Road Book was drawn up, photocopied and distributed on the Monday morning.

Happily, and with the aid of the paper sheet and two-way radios, all participants who left Victor’s Hotel in Saarbrucken late on Monday morning all arrived at smartville. This year we were treated to an excellent 3 course lunch and our thanks to Mark of Fudgesmart (www.fudgesmart.co.uk) for picking up the wine bill. Following lunch, we departed for the main smart complex where the groups split into two – one group participating in the tour of the smart factory whilst the other group toured the Magna factory. After about 90 minutes, the two groups met up, swapped tours and continued for the rest of the afternoon. 4site - the columns that support thesmartclub’s website

By late afternoon, every participant had toured both factory and assembly plants and we ready to depart back for Saarbrucken and dinner at Victors Hotel. The tour around the smart factory was something of a unique and ‘last opportunity’ for everyone as the plant was still producing the 451 and 453 fortwo models simultaneously. This twin production process also incorporates different logistics processes. The 451 had separate containers of unique components being delivered to the correct station at the correct time for the correct car whereas the 453 features the equivalent of a ‘wardrobe’ of correct parts being delivered to a station as the tridion shell moves around the production line. Much of that process for the new 453 (fortwo) has meant a significant increase in the number of robots being used both in smartville and Magna, seeing the increase from around 200 to a staggering 600 machines in Magna’s complex. Of course, we were delighted to be again privileged to have a dedicated tour around Magna’s premises, a facility that is simply not open to the public. Within this building is where the fortwo is truly born. The individual component sections of the tridion shell are welded together by a vast number of caged robots, all seamlessly moving in a synchronised dance of sparks as they collect, share and construct each element of the tridion shell. The increase in floor space used by these robots also meant utilising space that was once used for the production of the smart Roadster (2003 to 2006) shell and during our tour it was great to see that one of the original massive images of a smart Roadster was still in place at the end of a production hall within the assembly area. Once completed, these freshly born tridion shells are whisked by conveyor out the Magna complex straight into the smart production plant for their ‘marriage’ with the relevant engine, dashboards, interiors, wheels and panels before being driven out the plant ready for delivery to the relevant global Retailer. Thesmartclub will return to smartville in 2016 and I’m confident that this visit will again be just as popular as this year’s visit – in fact, as many of our Readers will know, this event is about far more than a visit to smartville. It’s a social gathering of like minded smart owners and enthusiasts where the journey to and from the event, the time in and around Saarbrucken and the smart experience itself all packages the best of what a smart community event is all about. Our thanks go to the team at smart Centre Saarbrucken for again opening their doors and services to us during our stay. It’s always great to see the team there and we are always made to feel so welcome. Without the cooperation and support of the teams at smart and Magna, we could not achieve this continually successful visit to smartville.

And finally, our thanks to Fiona for the administration logistics for this event, Barrie & Amanda for all their hard work compiling the Roadbooks, Information Packs and liaison with P&O and, of course, to all those participants on this 2015 Hambach smartville visit for making it so successful.

smart UK Retailer Initiative - New for 2015 We’re delighted to announce that smart of Wolverhampton, smart of Hull, smart of Lincoln, smart of Edinburgh and smart Brooklands are now participating in the above initiative. These Retailers join a growing number of Retailers where Customers purchasing a new or used smart car benefit from one year free Membership of thesmartclub. Contact thesmartclub for more information.

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

Event Preview

It doesn’t seem that long ago thousands of smart owners were gathering in Cascais, Portugal for smart times 2014 and now, it’s time to head to Budapest. This year, the main smart times event takes place 29th and 30th August and we’re expecting even more of the smart community to attend with people from over 30 countries arriving in central Budapest. Similar to previous years, the smart times event will operate around a central location and this year it’s in the hugely impressive Heldenplatz, a vast square right in the heart of Budapest. This will be the heart of the 2015 event with numerous activities, attractions and, of course, the massive stage for the smart times party. The event sees the opening show and welcoming of all the international clubs, an excursion to Lake Balton, smart test drives, exhibitors from around the world, beach volleyball, smart slot car racing, smart table football, the famous smart fan wall and the big build up to the announcement of the 2016 smart times venue! In addition, smart times 2015 is something of an anniversary – whilst thesmartclub celebrated its 15th annual visit to smartville this year, Budapest sees smart times celebrate its 15th Anniversary. Incredibly, it’s been 15 years since the very first smart time event that took place in beautiful Kaprun, Austria back in 2000. That event was superbly attended but smart times has grown SO much larger since then and has firmly established itself as the leading smart community event anywhere in the world. The 15th Anniversary smart times event will also be special as the famous ‘corso’ (a feature of every smart times event) will be run at night for the very first time! We look forward to seeing as many people as possible in Budapest and experiencing what’s shaping up to be the best smart times event yet

4site - the columns that support thesmartclub’s website

News from smart

Special edition smart fortwo cabrio with cult appeal smart fortwo edition MOSCOT

Milan/Geneva. smart and MOSCOT invite fans to “Keep moving – stay original!,” with the introduction of the new black and yellow “smart fortwo edition MOSCOT”. It will be produced in a limited run of 100 units. Also new are “The LEMTOSH smart” eyeglasses in coordinating colours, and “The MOSCOT smart Drive Package” featuring three clip-on sun lenses for perfect vision on the road in all weather conditions. The world premiere takes place in Milan/Italy on 28 February 2015 at the “MOSCOT 100-Year Anniversary Party,” at the “Officine Del Volo” against the backdrop of the MIDO eyewear fair. The “smart fortwo edition MOSCOT” will make its second major appearance at the Geneva Motor Show (5 to 15 March 2015). The exclusive two-seater cabrio with the BRABUS 75 kW turbo engine is available in Germany at prices starting from €29,524 (recommended retail price including 19% VAT). The first vehicles will be delivered to customers in early summer. To mark the 100th anniversary of MOSCOT and the impending finale of the current smart cabrio, smart, the Stuttgart-based car brand for urban mobility, and MOSCOT, the New York City eyewear institution, joined forces to produce the special “smart fortwo edition MOSCOT” featuring a striking black and yellow colour scheme in a limited run of 100 units. “The design teams from MOSCOT and smart joined forces to create two products that perfectly combine style and functionality,” said Dr. Annette Winkler, Head of smart. “The ‘smart fortwo edition MOSCOT’ and the ‘LEMTOSH smart’ eyeglasses look great. I’m also particularly delighted by the way they combine to showcase the urban lifestyle and our smart attitude to perfection.” The most striking exterior feature of the “smart fortwo edition MOSCOT” is the combination of deep, glossy black body panels, and a matte yellow tridion safety cell with a matte black accent stripe. The door mirrors sport the same distinctive colour scheme: glossy black with a yellow accent stripe. The BRABUS Monoblock VII alloy wheels are painted glossy black, and embellished with a yellow ring on the rim flange. Exterior appointments also include titanium-coloured headlamps, a BRABUS front spoiler lip, and the MOSCOT label in the mirror triangles. The black and yellow colour contrast also defines the “smart fortwo edition MOSCOT’s” interior: seats, knee pad, instrument cluster, door panelling, and door pockets come in black leather, with yellow leather inserts on the sides of the seats, and on the knee pad. Corresponding contrasting top stitching on the three-spoke leather sports steering wheel and other elements, as well as yellow rings on the shift lever knob and the ancillary dashboard instruments provide additional highlights. Also on board are exclusive “edition MOSCOT” floor mats with nubuck leather trim. The limited edition is based on the smart BRABUS and features the BRABUS sports suspension, which lowers the vehicle by 10 mm, the automated five-speed manual transmission with kick-down function, and sporty tuning, as part of the standard equipment. The tritop fabric soft top comes with an electric system for fully automatic operation, and has a rear window made of glass. The model at a glance: Engine/ output

Engine

Displacement

Purchase price

smart fortwo edition MOSCOT cabrio 1.0 l petrol (75 kW/102 hp)

3-cyl. in-line turbo engine

999 cc

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

29,524 euro1

“LEMTOSH smart” glasses: Great look and perfect vision A perennial fan favourite, “LEMTOSH”, from the MOSCOT Originals Collection, has been worn by the likes of Johnny Depp, Renee Zellweger, Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Radcliffe, and Jeff Goldblum. The Special Edition LEMTOSH smart cleverly layers MOSCOT’s Pantone 602 C Yellow in between Matte Black acetate for a Special Edition LEMTOSH that’s been 100 years in the making. Worn on the street, or behind the wheel, it provides a look that’s subtle and bold at the same time. The “MOSCOT smart Drive Package” The MOSCOT smart Drive Package is the apex of fun and function with three different Clip-on Lens combinations for optimum optics while driving: a Silver Clip with Vermillion Lenses for overcast conditions; a Yellow Clip with polarized G-15 Lenses for sunny conditions, and a Black Clip with high contrast Yellow Lenses for night conditions all housed in a soft and functional, tri-fold case. About MOSCOT MOSCOT is a New York City institution renowned worldwide for its iconic eyewear — The MOSCOT Originals, MOSCOT Spirit, and MOSCOT Sun Collections. MOSCOT infuses its unmistakably refined, downtown aesthetic with nearly 100 years of eyewear expertise and unparalleled craftsmanship to create its timeless eyewear. While now recognized as a global fashion brand, MOSCOT remains, at heart, a neighbourhood optical shop. The MOSCOT optical roots were first planted in America by Great Grandfather and family patriarch Hyman Moscot, who arrived from Eastern Europe via Ellis Island in 1899. Hyman began selling readymade eyeglasses from a pushcart on Orchard Street on Manhattan’s famed Lower East Side, and the rest, as they say, is history. Beloved fan favourites like The LEMTOSH, MILTZEN, and NEBB are adored by fans worldwide, and coveted by celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Jake Gyllenhall, Denzel Washington, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kirstin Dunst, Tim Robbins, Kiefer Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, and more.

News from smart

smart fortwo with incredible sound

Stuttgart. The smart forgigs study realised together with audio partner JBL is probably the world’s smallest concert hall on wheels. The highend sound system in this fortwo has a total maximum power output of 5720 watts. Every smart owner knows how great small can be. But the smart forgigs study reveals completely new qualities: together with audio partner JBL, the developers of the brand wanted to find out what kind of a sound experience is possible when the city coupé is equipped with the finest and most powerful audio components. The result is a mobile sound system that brings even more joie de vivre to the city with a mighty sound. And that’s not all: the smart forgigs can also serve as a mobile amplifier for live concerts by street musicians, for example. smart and music fans can experience the world’s smallest concert hall when it goes on a European tour this summer. A total of five amplifiers provide impressive sound pressure of up to 150 dB: three JBL GTO 804 EZ amps serve the tweeters and mid-range speakers whilst two JBL GTO 751 EZ amps power the subwoofers. They drive a total of four type JBL GTO 609 C loudspeaker sets, each with two tweeters and two mid-range speakers. In addition to these 16 loudspeakers there are two powerful subwoofers, each with a diameter of 30 cm. The music signals are provided by a digital signal processor (DSP) from the Italian specialist Mosconi. The sound processor can output via eight channels, and with Bluetooth streaming it can also process uncompressed files in formats such as Wave or Flac and, needless to say, lossless or mp3 files, for example. The signals are transferred from mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones by A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile). iOS, Android and Windows devices are supported. The result is crystal-clear high-end sound. 100 metres of cable and 10 square metres of insulating material The design of the visible components of the mobile sound system is perfectly integrated in the smart design idiom. For example, the ventilation openings in the dashboard served as the visual model for integrating of the loudspeakers. Three mid-range speakers have been integrated in each door and four tweeters have been accommodated in the dashboard. The subwoofers fill the smart’s luggage compartment; they are flanked by a pair of midrange speakers/tweeters on the left- and right-hand sides of the tailgate.

Ten square metres of alubutyl insulation material fully insulate the passenger cell and door panels, 100 metres of electric, loudspeaker and signal cable are hidden behind the panelling. And because music is twice as enjoyable when it can be seen as well, the smart forgigs also boasts interior and exterior ambient lighting. The DJ can use controllers to change colours as desired and for the audio processor. Impressive sound volume in production vehicles, too: JBL sound system The smart forgigs is a one-off and is not available for sale. But with the JBL sound system a unique sound experience is possible in all new generation smarts. The JBL sound system develops impressive sound volume and incorporates a 6-channel DSP amplifier (240 watts) in the fortwo and an 8channel DSP amplifier (320 watts) on board the forfour. A total of eight (fortwo) or twelve (forfour) high-performance loudspeakers provide for outstanding sound quality: one broadband centre loudspeaker, two tweeters in the mirror triangle, two lower mid-range speakers in the doors (on the forfour additionally in the rear doors), two broadband rear-fill loudspeakers and in the fortwo a removable woofer on the left-hand side of the luggage compartment. The woofer is simple to remove without needing tools, should more space be required in the luggage compartment.

4site - the columns that support thesmartclub’s website

News from smart

e-smart the market leader for the third time in a row

Stuttgart. Statistics are boring? Not for smart, because when it comes to new registrations of electric cars in Germany the same name takes first place every year: smart fortwo electric drive. This is a hat trick for the battery-electric two-seater – for the third time in a row it has beaten all competitors with all-electric drive (without range extender). In 2014 there were 1665 new registrations. And with more than 4700 new registrations since the first generation in 2007 according to figures from the German Federal Motor Vehicle Registration Agency, the e-smart is Germany’s most successful electric car by far. It is also very popular among Daimler AG employees who have covered more than 1.5 million zero-emission kilometres to date within the framework of the electric mobility project “charge@work”. 2012 saw the launch of the third-generation smart fortwo electric drive and since then it has been convincing customers in cities around the world. It is now available in 19 countries, with Norway as the most recent new market. But why is the e-smart so successful? One thing is clear: no other electric car is so well proven. And as an e-version the agile twoseater really shows off its typical strengths in an urban environment. 0 emissions – 100 percent driving fun Of course, electric cars are really green when they are powered by green electricity. Since 2012 Daimler has been setting an example with a pilot project: the company’s own wind turbine supplies renewably generated electricity. This investment ensures that all smart fortwo electric drives in the current generation drive on German roads with zero emissions. In addition to environmental compatibility, the e-smart scores points with driving pleasure as well. It sprints from 0 to 60 km/h in 4.8 seconds, with maximum output of 55 kW and torque of 130 Nm ensuring a powerful start at traffic lights. And its range of 145 kilometres will take it far beyond the city limits when needed. For example, the smart fortwo electric drive can cover the distance from Ulm to Stuttgart – where it can be charged quickly and easily for the return journey. Flexibly electric – the smart electric drive at car2go Stuttgart’s dense network of public charging stations is there for a good reason: after all, this is where Germany’s largest purely electric car sharing fleet is at home with 500 smart fortwo electric drives. At present there are approximately 13,000 car2go vehicles on the roads of 29 towns and cities in Europe and North America – 1300 thereof with batteryelectric drive. There are purely electric fleets in Stuttgart in Germany, Amsterdam in the Netherlands and San Diego in the USA. In these three cities car2go customers have already driven more than 18 million kilometres powered purely by electricity. One and a half million green kilometres with e-smarts from charge@work Zero-emission driving with charging at work – this concept has been very well received by Daimler employees. Since the charge@work project was launched in October 2013 they have used the cars privately to drive more than 1.5 million kilometres, or to put it another way: approximately 40 times around the world. In the charge@work programme, employees can flexibly rent one of 220 smart fortwo electric drives online for personal use, from a weekend to a weekly or monthly rental or even long-term for a maximum of one year. From the start of the project to January 2015 a good 1000 employees took advantage of the scheme and booked vehicles more than 2000 times. One reason for the success is the special concept: charge@work enables those who do not have a garage of their own for charging to benefit from electric mobility as well. Daimler offers parking spaces with a charging infrastructure for personal or business use; nine Daimler

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

sites are already “on the grid”: Stuttgart Möhringen and Untertürkheim, Böblingen, Sindelfingen, Esslingen-Mettingen, Wiesensteig, Gernsbach, Fellbach- Schmiden and Berlin-Ludwigsfelde. The vehicles have already been charged with a total of around 220,000 (218,542,47) kWh of electricity. This is equal to the electricity needed to make approximately fifteen million cups of coffee. And charging with charge@work is just as easy as making coffee: simply park the car, connect it and charge it with electricity while you work. Authentication with a charging card or text message is not necessary – the vehicle conveniently authorises itself without any user interaction at all. Those who choose the optional quick charging function with a 22 kW on-board charger can even charge their vehicle in less than an hour. With the standard on-board charger, charging takes approximately six hours – so the smart is fully charged by the end of the working day. charge@work as part of the “LivingLab BWe mobil” showcase programme Within the framework of charge@work Daimler AG is closely cooperating with the Fraunhofer IAO institute for work efficiency and organisation and the Institute for Human Factors and Technology Management (IAT) at the University of Stuttgart. The joint project focuses on the question of the demands that complex usage modalities make on energy management and the distributed intelligence of the charging stations. The large vehicle fleet and the different usage modalities enable a wide database to be generated on the basis of which the project partners identify potential for improvement and develop ideas for optimising the usage concept and the charging infrastructure. The charge@work project is one of around 40 projects in the “LivingLab BWe mobil” showcase programme to demonstrate the merits of electric mobility. It will run until the end of 2015 and is being funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety as part of the German government’s initiative to promote electric mobility. With the support of the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Stuttgart region, more than 100 partners from industry, science and public sectors are conducting practical research into electric mobility as part of the Baden-Württemberg “LivingLab BWe mobil” showcase programme. Daimler AG is involved in ten of these promotion projects. In 2012 the federal government selected four regions in Germany as an “Electromobility Showcase”. The German Bundestag passed a resolution specifying the promotion of research and development of alternative drives. The federal government is providing total subsidies of €180 million for the showcase programme. The large-scale regional demonstration and pilot projects put electric mobility to the test at the interface of energy, vehicle and traffic systems. Further information is available at: http://schaufenster-elektromobilitaet.org

News from smart

smart BRABUS tailor made for the new smart generation Anything is possible

4site - the columns that support thesmartclubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website

Stuttgart/Geneva. Individualisation is one of smart’s great strengths. And this is why smart BRABUS tailor made is so successful: launched five years ago, the individualisation programme has now become established throughout Europe and also in the USA and China. As of 2015, smart BRABUS tailor made is also available for the new smart generation. At the Geneva International Motor Show, two customised smart fortwos and one smart forfour will provide an idea of the virtually endless possibilities available. Highlights include special paintwork in “lizard green”, “spring break orange” and “darknight blue” and the sporty tailor made exterior design for the two smart fortwos. In addition, customised nappa leather on the seats, dashboard and steering wheel rim further upgrades the interior. “Anything is possible” is the motto of the smart BRABUS tailor made individualisation programme. With paint finishes in thousands of different colours, leather in 30 basic colours and the sporty tailor made exterior style package, creative customers can configure a smart in line with their own personal ideas. A number of attractive tailor made packages facilitates the search for that special style. The nappa leather appointments in the tailor made leather package are unique in the small car segment and comprise customised leather on the seats, dashboard and door centre panels with an individually chosen seam line. By contrast, in the interior colour package the trims around the instrument cluster, dashboard instrument and radio/navigation system and the rings of the air vents and accent trim parts on the dashboard are painted in a colour of the customer’s choice. The interior style package rounds off the exclusive design of the interior with a BRABUS shift lever knob, BRABUS hand-brake lever and BRABUS sports pedals.

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

News from smart

smart BRABUS tailor made for the new smart generation Anything is possible continued...

The tailor made exterior style package gives the exterior of the smart fortwo a sporty, individual look. Among other features it includes a BRABUS front spoiler, side skirts, a roof spoiler and a BRABUS rear diffuser for the optional BRABUS sports exhaust system. The exclusive BRABUS Monoblock VIII alloy wheels measuring 16”/16” round off the sporty exterior of the vehicles. smart-BRABUS GmbH is a joint venture between smart and BRABUS and stands for premium automotive enhancement. In the past twelve years more than 60,000 customers have opted for products that were developed or produced in cooperation with the engineers from BRABUS. The smart BRABUS tailor-made models are made-to-measure in the truest sense of the word. This means that they are individually customised with masterly craftsmanship using top quality materials tested by the manufacturer – with a full manufacturer’s guarantee. Individual colours and nappa leather for a discerning clientele At the Geneva International Motor Show, two customised smart fortwos and one smart forfour provide an idea of the virtually endless scope of individualisation options available from smart BRABUS tailor made.

4site - the columns that support thesmartclub’s website

Here is an overview of the equipment of the three vehicles on display: “spring break orange” fortwo

“lizard green” fortwo

“darknight blue” forfour

tailor made colour package: customised paint finish for bodypanels, grille, door mirror caps (colour)

High-gloss “spring break orange”

High-gloss “lizard green”

High-gloss “darknight blue”

Customised paint finish for tridion cell (colour)

High-gloss “spring break orange”

High-gloss “lizard green”

High-gloss “darknight blue”

BRABUS Monoblock VIII alloy wheels in format 16”/16”

●

Painted alloy wheels (colour)

“spring break orange”/highsheen

Anthracite/”lizard green”

High-sheen polished

tailor made exterior style package: BRABUS front spoiler, BRABUS side skirts, BRABUS rear diffuser for optional BRABUS sports exhaust system, BRABUS roof spoiler, BRABUS third brake light in smoked glass look

Components painted in highgloss “spring break orange”; rear diffuser in matt “gun metal”; roof spoiler in highgloss black

Components painted in highgloss “lizard green” & matt “gun metal”; roof spoiler in high-gloss black

tailor made leather package: customised nappa leather for seats, dashboard and door centre panels (colour of leather/stitching/seam line)

Snow/orange/diamond stitching

Black & lizard green/ contrasting seam/crossed stitching

Cognac/cognac/lounge stitching

Customised leather on steering wheel rim in nappa leather (colour of leather/ seam)

Snow/orange

Black/lizard green

Cognac/cognac

High-gloss “spring break orange”

High-gloss “lizard green”

High-gloss “darknight blue”

Interior style package: BRABUS shift lever knob in aluminium, BRABUS handbrake lever in aluminium, BRABUS sports pedals, BRABUS door sills in stainless steel

●

BRABUS velour floor mats

●

Exterior

Interior

Interior colour package: painted trims around instrument cluster, dashboard instrument and radio/ navigation system and rings of the air vents and accent trim parts on the dashboard (colour)

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

News from smart

Learning the future: Daimler introduces electric mobility in driving schools

Stuttgart. Drawing on the maxim “electric mobility is something you can learn”, Daimler AG and the ACADEMY Holding AG are launching a pilot project with five selected ACADEMY driving schools in the wider Stuttgart area, with the aim of making electric vehicles an integral part of driver training. Kick-off for the project will be on April 10 at the Mercedes-Benz sales and service outlet in Stuttgart, in the presence of the Mayor of Stuttgart, Fritz Kuhn. Driving instructors, educational experts and business representatives will discuss the issue of “Electric mobility in driving schools in the context of current driving licence regulations”.

From April, the driving schools will be offering learner drivers a simple and timely introduction to today’s world of locally emission-free mobility. The specially developed training concept is unparalleled in the way it tackles every aspect of electric mobility, focusing as it does on gaining familiarity and experience, as well as on the correct way to handle and work with alternative drive systems. The aim of the initiative is to integrate electric vehicles into the driver training process and so to generate enthusiasm for electric mobility, particularly among young people. The initiative is also designed to make the first experience of driving significantly easier for learners. Instead of spending their first driving lessons having to concentrate on the gear changes in a manual vehicle, they will begin with an electric vehicle – thanks to its automatic transmission there is no need to use the clutch or change gear, allowing learner drivers to focus on what’s important: the traffic. Once they have acquired a certain level of routine in their driving, they continue learning on a manual vehicle with a combustion engine. By taking this approach, learner drivers are able to qualify with a full Class B or BF17 passenger car driving licence and, in addition, receive the eDriverLicence. The theoretical elements relating to alternative drive systems and mobility concepts will be integrated as a double lesson into the theory training and will cover the principles of alternatively powered vehicles as well as information about mobility services. Issues such as charging time, range, acceleration characteristics, recuperation and the awareness of the silent electric vehicles for other road users’ will be addressed here. The eDriverLicence instruction element adds the topic of electric mobility as a complement to the basic driver training to achieve the class B and BF17 licence. Once they have passed their eDriverLicence driving test, young drivers over the age of 18 are immediately able to use the car2go service and drive electric. They can register straight away with car2go – and without incurring registration charges. On top of this, they receive a one-off gift of 100 free minutes. A further eDriverLicence offer for “old hands” allows anyone with a valid driving licence who is interested to take the eDriverLicence test – with professional instruction from the driving schools participating in the pilot project. The course includes two driving lessons and a double theory lesson. These course participants, too, can take advantage of a one-off gift of 100 free minutes with car2go, without a registration fee.

A total of ten electric vehicles equipped for tuition purposes have been provided by Daimler AG at a monthly rate to five selected ACADEMY driving schools in the wider Stuttgart area. Each driving school will get one smart fortwo electric drive and one Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive. As well as the vehicles themselves, each driving school participating in the pilot project has been equipped with a charging station (wallbox) to allow fast recharging. The ACADEMY Holding AG is an important industry partner in the driving school sector in Germany. The ACADEMY driving schools, representatives of a successful franchise system, form the largest group of independent driving schools in the Federal Republic. The broad scope of services offered by the ACADEMY group of companies includes the training and further professional development of driving instructors through to business consultancy and factoring services for driving schools. The project is headed up by the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy. The Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy makes new drivers fit for driving. Launched in 2009 as a pilot project in London, the driving school concept has so far been successfully established in various countries across three continents. Within this network of driving schools, the only one so far to be established by a motor manufacturer, highly qualified driving instructors are currently teaching learner drivers in Europe, North America and Asia.

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News from smart

Chinese premiere for the new smart generation at Auto Shanghai Stuttgart/Shanghai. The new smart fortwo will have its official premiere in China at the 16th Auto Shanghai (22 - 29 April 2015). Following the successful market launch in Europe with a surge in new registrations (+22.7 percent as at March), the city coupé will be available in China from August 2015. The launch of the smart forfour will follow in early 2016. “China is well on the way to becoming the largest market worldwide for smart. We have made high and very successful investments in the brand there”, says Annette Winkler, Head of smart. “The unrivalled agility of the compact smart fortwo and our unique digital car-related services will enable us to win completely new customer groups.” Just five years after the market launch, in 2014 China (including Hong Kong) had already become smart’s second-largest market (after Germany and ahead of Italy) with almost 18,000 vehicles sold. The brand is thus contributing to the remarkable success of Mercedes-Benz Cars (MBC) in China: in the first quarter of 2015 China was the largest single market for MBC.

Completely new technology package

The new generation of the smart fortwo features a fully revamped technology package that greatly improves comfort, safety, agility and infotainment whilst retaining the unique compactness and ultra-small turning circle. The new features include: • Safety: new tridion safety cell with markedly higher proportions of ultra-highstrength hot-formed steels and super-high-strength multiphase steel. Crosswind Assist (standard) is an additional safety feature. • Chassis: the new chassis has 100 mm more track width than its predecessor good for added driving stability without impairing agility. • Design: the appearance of the third-generation smart fortwo exudes a clear, purist character and has undergone further development along very progressive lines. With its typical attributes such as the profile with the ultra-short overhangs, its clear lines and surfaces and the likeable smart face it remains unmistakably smart: fresh, modern and self-confident.

• Drive: state-of-the-art three-cylinder engines, state-of-the-art transmission (twinamic dual clutch six-speed transmission is a standard feature in China). • Infotainment: the smart Audio-System is a standard feature in China. It incorporates a radio, digital playback options and comprehensive smartphone integration. Audio streaming allows music tracks stored on a smartphone to be played back via a Bluetooth® connection. Furthermore, in combination with the smart cross connect app, a mobile phone is turned into an intelligent co-driver, knowledgeable navigator and multimedia partner.

Here are some more topical facts: Did you know that... …the first smart fortwos made their way to China in 2009? Back then showrooms were established in twelve cities. In the meantime a total of more than 70,000 smarts have been sold in China. …smart now has more than 140 showrooms in more than 70 cities in China? And the smart fortwo has been voted Chinese “Car of the Year” in its segment every year since its market launch. …the new smart fortwo has the smallest turning circle of any car? Short overhangs, a high steering angle and a short vehicle length mean that the smart only needs a distance of 6.95 metres from kerb to kerb in order to perform a U-turn. …it took just three minutes for a limited special model of 388 units to sell out in China in the spring of 2014? Back then smart used WeChat (the Chinese WhatsApp) to inform around 600 million users about a special model. In China smart also uses other social channels such as Weibo (similar to Twitter) and Taobao (similar to ebay). …more than 50,000 fans came to the cult event “smart times 2014 China”? The event demonstrated the spectrum of the brand’s customers and fans – it unites people with an avant-garde lifestyle across all age categories, professions and income levels. “smart times 2014 China” also focused on avant-garde joie de vivre and innovation. Four large events in Guangzhou, Chengdu, Beijing and Shanghai embraced fashion, film, sport and music. …smart is now on the market in 46 countries all over the world? Over 1.6 million fortwos have been delivered worldwide since 1998.

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

…car2go is the largest car-sharing enterprise in the world? With more than a million users, the mobility service is the world’s largest car sharing service. Since the company’s launch, the white and blue fleet totalling more than 13,000 smart fortwos has chalked up over 32 million hire transactions and is on the road in eight countries and 30 cities. ...the Chinese city of Chongqing will be the first city in Asia where car2go will be offered? The contract with the Chongqing city administration was signed at the beginning of 2015 and operation is expected to commence at the end of the year. ...the smart fortwo electric drive has already been on sale in China for two years? In Germany the smart fortwo electric drive was the market leader among all newly registered all-electric passenger cars three times in succession from 2012 to 2014. And the “American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy” has just voted it the “most environment-friendly car in the USA” for the second time in succession. ...in 2014 the smart fortwo electric drive was the market leader among all newly registered all-electric passenger cars for the third time in succession in Germany? In Germany there were 1665 new registrations of the e-smart last year, with a total of more than 4700 new registrations since the first generation in 2007. It is also very popular among Daimler AG employees who have covered more than 1.5 million zero-emission kilometres to date within the framework of the electric mobility project “charge@work”.

News from smart

smart forfour edition #1 in video to the song “Ain’t Nobody (Loves Me Better)” Stuttgart. DJ and producer Felix Jaehn teams up with singer Jasmine Thompson and a smart forfour for a high-spirited rendition of his new song “Ain‘t Nobody (Loves Me Better)”. The German music producer and the British musician have breathed fresh life into Rufus and Chaka Khan’s classic from 1983. The single, released on Universal Music, dishes up catchy rhythms and infectiously danceable grooves, and has what it takes to be a summer hit. Just one week after the single was released on 3 April 2015, the song is among number 5 on the iTunes Charts. The video, which can be viewed since 10 April 2015 at http://youtu.be/5j1RCys4R0g, shows the two musicians in Barcelona. They each explore the lively and trendy city in their own way. With the smart forfour edition #1 the new smart model is shown in a music video for the first time. In the music video Felix Jaehn and Jasmine Thompson relate the story of a skater and a dancer as they spend a day in this fascinating Spanish city. Jasmine relaxes on the beach and explores the city centre with a friend while Felix roams the city in the smart forfour edition #1 and meets with a skater friend. The paths of the skater and the dancer cross again and again – for dancing at the famous Barcelona Ballet Institute or skating at the beach, for example. And so a subtle love story begins. In the evening the two meet at a party high over the rooftops of Barcelona, where Felix is deejaying. A varied mix of dancing, skating and driving scenes in a smart car lends the video pace and rhythm, creating imagery that transports the song’s emotions in a unique and rousing manner. Barcelona, the smart forfour, and the new song – the perfect trio for a great video and joie de vivre. The smart forfour edition #1 The smart forfour edition #1 is also something special. The first edition of the new four-seater features the tridion safety cell in lava orange and a graphite grey body. The sky is the limit with the panoramic roof, which conjures up a light and airy feeling on board. The black/orange interior also radiates pure joie de vivre. It is clear from the off that this car is ready to take the city and the surroundings by storm, offering space for four people. Further features include painted black 16inch alloy wheels. All special equipment options are available, too. In Germany the price is €14,990 (with manual transmission, incl. 19% VAT.). Further information about Felix Jaehn: https://www.facebook.com/FelixJaehnMusic

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FOR CITY SLICKERS.

THE NEW SMART GENERATION OFFERS. PERSONAL USER OFFERS smart fortwo passion 71 hp manual metallic* 36 monthly payments of £139 per month smart fortwo prime 71 hp manual

36 monthly payments of £149 per month

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PERSONAL USER OFFERS smart forfour passion 71 hp manual 36 monthly payments of £149 per month smart forfour prime 71 hp manual 36 monthly payments of £159 per month

Representative example for a smart fortwo passion 71 hp manual Metallic* 36 Monthly Payments of £139.00

On the Road Price £11,420.00

Customer Deposit £1,687.76

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Smart of Wolverhampton Penn Road, Wolverhampton WV2 4HD 01902 276 961

www.draytongroup.co.uk

Official government fuel consumption figures in mpg (litres per 100km) for the smart range: urban 55.4(5.1)-58.9(4.8), extra urban 72.4(3.9)-76.4(3.7), combined 65.7(4.3)-68.9(4.1). CO2 emissions 99-93 g/km. *Annual mileage for the smart fortwo passion 71 hp is 10,000 miles. Credit Acceptance Fee payable with first payment. Finance based on a 3 year PCP at 10,000 miles per annum. Finance isIssue subject to approval and vehicles must be credit approved and ordered between 01.01.2015 and 31.03.2015 and registered before 30.06.2015, subject to 30credit - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk 17 availability. Excess mileage charges apply. Amount of retailer deposit contribution dependent on model. Finance available from Mercedes-Benz Financial smart – A Daimler Brand. Services UK Ltd, MK7 8ND. Model images shown for demonstration purposes only. Finance subject to status. Guarantees and indemnities may be required.

Regular Local Meetings

Although thesmartclub is represented in multiple countries around the world, we are aware of a number of ‘local’ regular smart related meetings that take place in the UK. The meetings we currently have in our Events’ Diary are shown below and the map provides you a quick overview of ‘what’s on where’.

1 Baldock (North Herts & Central Beds) Smart Meet Meet 2nd Tuesday of every month from 7.30 pm. The George IV, Baldock, London Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6LZ 2 East Kent Smarties Meet 2nd Wednesday of each month from 7.30pm. Dukes Head, Main Road, Sellindge, Kent, TN25 6EG 3

3 NW Smarties Meet Meet 1st Thursday of each month 7.00 pm. Costa Coffee in the Food Court at the Trafford Centre, Manchester.

1 4

4 Sussex Smarts Sunday Breakfast

Breakfast meet every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month from 10.00 am.

The Chalet Cafe, Henfield Road, Cowfold, West Sussex. RH13 8DU (approximately 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.

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) 8452 990332 with details for inclusion in the next issue of our ‘4site’ magazine. For LATEST information and location details always check the ‘Diary’ link in our Online Forum (www.thesmartclub.com)

thesmartclub Shop

thesmartclub has launched a whole new range of branded clothing for Members and non-Members of thesmartclub. In previous years we had a limited range of products but now we are pleased to bring you clothing and clothing accessories across a wide range of products. Many of the products offer you colour choices plus, of course, a wide range of sizes across the clothing range. What makes the new range even more exciting is the option to personalise the majority of clothing items with up to 20 characters of your choice under the logo. So, for example, you may simply wish your name embroidered under our logo or include the name of your local meeting or event. It only costs £2.50 for this feature and represents great value and superb personalisation. The range of products now available ranges from a simple branded ‘ripper wallet’ through a full range of T-shirts, polo shirts, caps, fleeces, rugby shirts, lightweight outdoor jackets and full ‘heavy duty’ outdoor clothing. Members of thesmartclub also benefit from an automatic and superb 7.5% discount across our entire product range simply by selecting the Member Shop link on our homepage or, for our ‘offline Members’, by phoning thesmartclub and quoting your Membership number. 18

4site - the columns that support thesmartclub’s website

You and your smart

We really want to hear from you if you have a special story about your car whether it’s a special car by way of modification or simply a standard car that is special to you in some way.

NEW We understand that you may have a story to tell but the last thing you want to do is sit down in front of your computer and type up some text. So this year we’re making it even easier – as well as having the options to email or post us your story, you can now do it by phone! Just let us know a good number to call you on and we’ll have a chat with you – that will then form the basis of a printed story that you can preview and approve prior to publication.

No typing and you still get your story and pictures in 4site! 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. We’ll acknowledge all submissions received and advise you when/if your article is being included. Just let us know a good number to call you on and we’ll have a chat with you – that will then form the basis of a printed story that you can preview and approve prior to publication.

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 ‘News & Events’ menu option, then ‘4site Magazine’.

Your text can be created in an email, pasted into an email or sent to us in any file format.

You can type your text directly into the page we provide or paste text you have created elsewhere.

Emails should sent to: 4site@thesmartclub.com

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. Letters should be sent to:

Click ‘SUBMIT’ and you’re done!

‘4site’ magazine thesmartclub ltd Corbiehill Park Edinburgh EH4 5EQ UK

Or you can phone us on +44 (0) 8452 990332

‘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 2015 and global Daimler media © 2015 Daimler AG. All rights reserved. The submit button © Kiankhoon, email image © Tomislav Stajduhar, party people image Poznyakov, girl writing © Showface | Dreamstime.com. Design and layout 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. * Note that any pictures posted to us cannot be returned. Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

News from smart

US premiere for the new smart generation at the NYIAS 2015: smart is upping the ante

New York. The new smart fortwo will have its official US premiere at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS, 3. - 12. April 2015). Following the successful market launch in Europe with a sharp rise in registration figures (+ 40.5 as per February), the city coupé will also be available in the USA from the autumn. A key element of smart’s success is car2go, the most successful car sharing programme in the world. In North America car2go is available in 14 cities. “After getting off to a successful start in Europe, we are now looking forward to the market launch in the USA,” says smart boss Annette Winkler. “With the uniquely agile, compact smart fortwo, the DCT dual clutch transmission which is to feature as standard in the USA and our unique digital services covering all aspects of motoring, we are set to win over totally new categories of customer.”

Completely new technology package

The new generation of the smart fortwo features a fully revamped technology package that emphatically improves comfort, safety and agility without compromising the vehicle’s uniquely compact design. The new features include: • Safety: New tridion safety cell with markedly higher proportions of ultra-highstrength hot-formed steels and super-high-strength multiphase steel. The assistance systems include crosswind assist (standard), forward collision warning (option) and Lane Keeping Assist (option). • Drive: State-of-the-art three-cylinder turbo engine with an output - in the USA of 88 hp and 135 Nm of torque. • Transmission: Five-speed manual transmission or optional twinamic six-speed dual clutch transmission.

• Design: The appearance of the third-generation smart fortwo exudes a clear, purist character and has undergone further development along very progressive lines. With its typical attributes such as the profile with the ultrashort overhangs, its clear lines and surfaces and the likeable smart face it remains unmistakably smart: fresh, modern and self-confident. • Infotainment: Bluetooth features as standard on board every smart. A smartphone or tablet computer can simply be connected to the vehicle for access to music or apps (including the smart cross connect app).

• Chassis: The new chassis has 100 mm more track width than its predecessor good for added driving stability without impairing agility.

Here are some more topical facts: Did you know that... …the United States was the 37th country in which the smart fortwo went on sale? The first smart in the USA was delivered to a resident of Manhattan on 16 January 2008. Total sales have since topped 80,000. …the new smart fortwo has the smallest turning circle of any car? Short overhangs, a high steering angle and a short vehicle length mean that the smart only needs a distance of 6.95 metres from kerb to kerb in order to perform a U-turn. …China is now the second-largest market for smart after Germany? The first smart fortwos made their way to China in 2009. The smart brand now has 143 showrooms in 77 cities. Over 70,000 units have been sold to date. And the smart fortwo has been voted Chinese “Car of the Year” in its segment every year since its market launch. …car2go is the largest car-sharing enterprise in the world? In December 2014, smart’s affiliated company welcomed its one millionth user in Florence, Italy. This makes the mobility service the largest car-sharing service worldwide. Since the company’s launch, the white and blue fleet now totalling some 13,000 smart fortwos has chalked up over 32 million hire transactions and is on the road in eight countries and 29 cities. …car2go is available in 14 cities in North America and almost 6000 vehicles are available for car sharing? These are the cities with car2go: Austin (US state of Texas, 375 vehicles), Calgary (Canadian province of Alberta, 550), Columbus (Ohio, 300), Denver (Colorado, 450), South Bay L.A. (California, 115), Miami (Florida, 280), Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota-Wisconsin, 535), Montreal (Quebec, 340), Portland (Oregon, 590), San Diego (California, 400), Seattle (Washington, 500), Toronto (Ontario, 425), Vancouver (British Columbia, 750), Washington (District of Columbia, 500). The most recent launch was in Brooklyn N.Y.C. in October 2014, with 250 vehicles.

…smart is now on the market in 46 countries all over the world? Over 1.6 million fortwos have been delivered worldwide since 1998. …the smart sales and distribution network underwent substantial expansion in the final months prior to the launch of the new generation? The number of sales outlets has risen by 300 in the last four years, to a total of 1270, for example. China, the second-largest smart market, has witnessed particularly rapid growth: there are now more than 140 sales outlets in the Middle Kingdom, compared to just 16 in 2010. …the sales figures for the smart fortwo electric drive in the USA have risen from 10 percent (end of 2013) to 25 percent at present? In Germany the smart fortwo electric drive was the market leader among all newly registered all-electric passenger cars three times in succession from 2012 to 2014. The “American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy” has just voted it the “most environment-friendly car in the USA” for the second time in succession.

4site - the columns that support thesmartclub’s website

News from smart

a smarter way to get from a to b: the smart forrail

Note: Do not try this at home… The new smart forfour is a pretty effective point-to-point machine. It can drive from London to Aberdeen non-stop for as little as £39. Its four occupants will be comfy on the 540-mile journey too, even if they’re significantly taller than the car is wide. The smart forfour is tiny on the outside, yet clever engineering means its interior is vast and is packed with technology to help make the journey fun, relaxing and safe. It stands a good chance of being the ultimate commuting machine, were it not for one obvious rival. The forfour is reliant on roads, meaning the humble train has an obvious advantage in that it can get from point-to-point through a more direct route. When it comes to outright speed and ruthless efficiency, it’s one-nil to the train. Not all is lost, though. A light-hearted, one-off experiment by smart may have redressed the balance – the aim being to see if the two could be combined. Nicknamed the smart ‘forrail’, it might appear like a lightly modified smart forfour but it’s, in fact, a fully certified, mini-train. The smart’s tridion safety cell allows it immense strength, which underpins the forrail. No matter how simple Roger Moore made it look in his Mercedes-Benz 250 SE, removing the tyres and placing it on tracks isn’t really possible in real life – the car would fall off almost immediately. Six months of engineering work and sophisticated CAD modelling later, the smart forrail is equipped with unique, solid steel wheels each measuring 22-inches in diameter and weighing 80 kg, allowing it the traction it needs on rails. Designed by Interfleet, a specialised British train engineering business based in Derby, the team – who usually work on 16-litre, 70-tonne diesel locomotives, had to employ a new approach to the challenge presented by a 999 cc, one-tonne smart. The agile steering, which in road use allows the smart forfour to handle as if it’s on rails, was disconnected by engineers, to allow it to handle being driven on rails. To avoid any steering movement, aluminium supports were welded between the axles meaning the wheels are locked in position.

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

Under close supervision, the smart forrail tentatively took to the tracks at the weekend on the privately operated Bluebell Railway – providing a few, bemused commuters the chance to avoid the congested roads without having to leave the comfort of the compact four-seater. The 10-mile stretch of railway, cutting a direct route through Sussex, represented a significant challenge for the smart forrail, and yet the smallest train on the tracks took the trip in its stride, and the regular enthusiasts (present for a model railway exhibition) somewhat by surprise. Despite challenging engineering obstacles, the experiment steadfastly refused to come off the rails. The best of both worlds were combined – albeit briefly – to create arguably the most efficient, and fun, commuting machine in the world. Shortly after, the forrail reverted back to its forfour, road-going alter ego – content with being spectacularly efficient, fun and ideal for commuting. On tarmac. ENDS Note to editors: The forrail project met and exceeded the safety standards expected of it by the operators of the Bluebell Railway. It was supervised by trained staff from the railway at all time, with a licensed train driver in the car throughout. Each of its runs took place at low speed. The conversion from a car to a train took six months, and involved smart and Interfleet specialist engineers to design and create the wheels for the car. After the experiment was completed, the car was returned to its road-going form. smart and Mercedes-Benz do not encourage any individual to carry out similar modifications. It’s incredibly difficult. In line with expectations, the smart forrail did indeed handle as if on rails.

News from smart

Numerous new features for smart fortwo and smart forfour Stuttgart. A host of fresh colours and new practical features will shortly be available for the smart fortwo and smart forfour. Systematic smartphone integration is also being introduced by means of MirrorLink®. The sales release date is 3 July. The first vehicles will be delivered in September. Systematic smartphone integration from smart: The new model year sees the introduction of MirrorLink® as part of the smart Media-System. This enables compatible smartphones to be integrated into the vehicle and smartphone content to be presented on the display of the smart fortwo and smart forfour. MirrorLink® currently supports the apps MIROAMER® (internet radio and music entertainment), Audioteka® (talking books) and COYOTE® (community-based real-time traffic information). Further apps are to follow. MirrorLink® is a standard developed by a consortium of vehicle and IT companies which is based on a standardised interface for transmitting display content and commands. Devices and apps are certified.

New comfort details, modified product line-up Urban joy is about much more than fun driving in the city, aided by compact dimensions, small turning circles and highly responsive rear-mounted engines: a host of equipment items which prove highly useful in daily driving have always formed part of the unique smart take on life. The new model year sees smart enhancing the level of functionality once again. Here is an overview of the most important new and modified items of equipment for the smart fortwo and smart forfour: • Black wheel arch linings and a lowered chassis are the • For the smart forfour the rear side windows and the rear key features of the new Urban Style package. Building on window are available in heat-insulating dark-tinted glass as the respective lines, it underscores the car’s dynamism on a new option. This protects the rear passengers from prying both a technical and a visual level. Lowering the vehicle by eyes and direct sunlight. At the same time, the dark tint ten millimetres results in a lower centre of gravity, for even accentuates the vehicle’s sportiness. better roadholding. Black wheel arch linings with smart lettering emphasize the wide track and lend the smart an • Other new items available for this model are a tablet even sportier appearance. Another characteristic feature is holder for the Rear Seat Entertainment System and a the exhaust system with chrome-plated tailpipe trim. The corresponding pre-installation. The latter consists of a slot interior details include the 3-spoke multifunction steering integrated in the driver and front-passenger seat backrests. wheel in leather and the sports pedals in brushed stainless The pre-installation features as standard on board the steel. The Urban Style package is available in conjunction prime and proxy lines and is available as an option for the with the passion and prime equipment lines; the black passion. The tablet holder is designed for the iPad Air. wheel arch linings are also available separately as optional The fitted device is both ergonomic and safe, and can be items for the proxy. removed from the backrests of the front seats at any time. • The smart Audio-System is now also available separately.

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Sporting rich exterior colours, the smart fortwo and smart forfour radiate urban joy from afar. The modification year sees the introduction of new colours which broaden the scope of possible combinations for bodypanels and tridion safety cell. New colours available for the bodypanels on the smart fortwo are red and black-to-yellow (metallic). The tridion safety cell is now optionally also available in jupiter red, lava orange (metallic) and graphite grey (matt). The new radiator trim in black-toyellow (metallic) is an ideal match for the bodypanels in black-to-yellow. New colours for the smart forfour: tridion safety cell in cadmium red, graphite grey (metallic) or lava orange (metallic); radiator trim in black-to-yellow (metallic) and graphite grey (metallic). There is also a choice of new colour combinations for the interior of the smart fortwo and smart forfour. The prime equipment line is now available exclusively in a stylish tone-in-tone finish in black-grey. The passion equipment line is now additionally available in black-grey.

News from smart

Winners of the “Red Dot Design Award 2015”: Mercedes-AMG GT and smart fortwo Stuttgart/Essen. Two models from Mercedes-Benz Cars have been awarded this prestigious design prize: the Mercedes-AMG GT has won the “Red Dot: Best of the Best” for outstanding design quality and groundbreaking styling, while the smart fortwo takes the “Red Dot” for high design quality. Both models have already won the similarly internationally renowned “iF product design award 2015”. All in all, 1994 manufacturers and designers from 56 countries entered a grand total of 4928 products in this year’s prestigious “Red Dot” design competition, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The aim of the 38-member jury is to acknowledge the finest achievements in international product design. The award ceremony will take place on 29 June 2015 at the Aalto Theatre in the German city of Essen. • With the new Mercedes-AMG GT, the sports car and performance brand of Mercedes-Benz joins a high-calibre line-up in what is a new segment for the company. The Mercedes-AMG GT has everything you would expect from an authentic sports car – from distinctive styling with breathtaking proportions, powerfully shaped surfaces and flowing lines, through to thoroughbred motorsport technology and optimum weight distribution. • The revolution enters the next round – the smart fortwo has undergone improvements in virtually all areas and is markedly more comfortable. The appearance of the third-generation smart fortwo exudes a clear, purist character and has undergone further development along very progressive lines. With its typical attributes such as the profile with the ultra-short overhangs, its clear lines and surfaces and the likeable smart face it remains unmistakably smart: fresh, modern and selfconfident.

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

Dealership News

Smart Center Saarbrücken awarded as the winner For its outstanding customer care and service quality, the smart Center Saarbrücken has received an award, based on nationwide surveys and customer surveys. The Saarbrücken-based dealership ranked 1st place in customer satisfaction study among all smart centers in Germany. The ceremony took place in Sindelfingen, Daimler Center of Excellence. On behalf of all employees Katrin Heinig and Uwe Conrad took the deed of the Daimler management board in reception. “This award means a lot to us because it reflects the judgment of our customers,” said Katrin Heinig, Center Head of Sales. “Our customers’ satisfaction is for us the most important benchmark, and we are involved daily with enthusiasm, passion and care for them.” Manager Uwe Conrad adds: “We are very proud, for us this result is not only an acknowledgment of our work, but also an incentive to inspire our customers in the future.

smart Center Saarbrücken als Sieger ausgezeichnet

Für seine herausragende Kundenbetreuungs- und Servicequalität hat das smart Center Saarbrücken eine Auszeichnung erhalten, die auf bundesweiten Untersuchungen und Kundenbefragungen beruht. Das Saarbrücker Autohaus belegte bei der Kundenzufriedenheitsstudie den 1. Platz unter allen smart Centern Deutschlands. Die Ehrung fand im Daimler Center of Excellence in Sindelfingen statt. Stellvertretend für alle Mitarbeiter haben Katrin Heinig und Uwe Conrad die Urkunde von der Daimler Geschäftsführung in Empfang genommen. „Diese Auszeichnung bedeutet uns sehr viel, weil sie das Urteil unserer Kunden widerspiegelt“, so Katrin Heinig, Centerleiterin Vertrieb. „Die Zufriedenheit unserer Kunden ist für uns der wichtigste Maßstab, und wir engagieren uns täglich mit Begeisterung und Leidenschaft dafür, sie optimal zu betreuen.“ Manager Uwe Conrad fügt hinzu: “Wir sind sehr stolz. Für uns ist dieses Ergebnis nicht nur eine Bestätigung unserer Arbeit, sondern zugleich Ansporn, auch in Zukunft unsere Kunden zu begeistern.

Earlier this year, a new service for UK based smart car owners launched helping such owners to find a smart service or repair centre in a location to suit them. The ‘Help my smart’ online service allows users to select a geographic location, address, town, postcode of even part of a desired Retailer or Independent 3rd party company name. With full Google map functionality, once the desired area has been selected, markers identify smart Retailers and/or 3rd party companies who may be able to assist. A ‘pin’ on the map identifies the specific location of each such company and, when clicked, will offer full contact details and a direct link to that Retailer or 3rd party web site. As the service uses Google Maps, one can zoom to street level and use Google Street View to locate the premises. Retailers and 3rd Party companies (Independents) are further categorised indicating whether a company is a ‘Featured Retailer’ or ‘Featured Independent’. Such ‘Featured’ companies have further details, offers and promotions available via thesmartclub’s web site and/or ‘4site’ smart Magazine.

The service is providing incredibly popular with over 400 unique visitors per day visiting the service and this is increasing exponentially each month. You can find out more at www.helpmysmart.com or, if you are unable to access the web, you can contact thesmartclub directly on +44 (0) 8452 990332.

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Dealership News

St Davids Centre

Visitors to two popular UK shopping centres have been able to treat themselves to a smart new look in more ways than one. smart South Wales opened a mini-showroom in the heart of St David’s Dewi Sant in Cardiff, whilst on the other side of the Severn Bridge, Mercedes-Benz and smart of Bristol unveiled a similar retail venture in Cabot Circus. It is the first time that either location has given such a presence to a motor retailer.

The ‘pop-up shop’ facility in the Welsh capital will operate until 19th July and will complement the group’s two retail outlets at Cardiff Gate Business Park and Swansea, where sales and test drive bookings will be directed. “It is fantastic to be able to have a prime city centre presence particularly with smart’s suitability for around town driving,” said Andy Sinclair, Director, MercedesBenz and smart South Wales. “We’ve secured a phenomenal location and, with the help of the manufacturer, have created a professional and premium-branded store that really does look impressive and I’m sure will generate interest together with increased awareness of the smart brand.”

In Bristol, the new smart fortwo and forfour were showcased alongside cars from the Mercedes-Benz range in a dual brand unit which was open until early July and was supported by other local, prestige retailers, BoConcept and Bang & Olufsen of Bristol. Adding extra interest for visitors to the store was the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS car that Lewis Hamilton drove to victory during the 2014 Formula One™ season. Mike Smith, Mercedes-Benz and smart of Bristol’s Head of Business, was delighted with visitor reaction. “Our presence at Cabot Circus was an exciting retail development for our business, which allowed us to connect with people who we might not otherwise have had an opportunity to interact with in a relaxed shopping environment in the heart of Bristol city centre,” he said. Article credit - Scott Fenn, Impact PR

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

Dealership News

All Rise to smart South Wales

Blue’s Duncan James is looking forward to going on the road in more ways than one after landing an exciting new ‘gig’ with smart South Wales. Duncan has been made ‘smart brand friend’ for the retailer, which has sites in Cardiff and Swansea, with his new role coinciding with the launch of the new smart range and the band’s 16-date UK tour. As part of the relationship, Duncan has been supplied with a new smart forfour – in blue of course - which he collected ahead of the show at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. The four-door smart is sure to be a smash hit with the singer as it delivers the perfect balance of performance, practicality and panache and includes four seats too – just the job if he needs to give a lift to fellow band members Antony Costa, Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe. “When it comes to fun and funky motoring, I think smart is number one and the latest models will take the brand’s iconic status to a whole new level,” said Duncan. “With its four seats, the forfour is perfect for me – in fact my only problem will be keeping the keys away from the rest of the guys,” he continued. “As we embark on our first solo tour for a couple of years and the forfour makes its return, I hope people will be equally delighted to see us all back on the road.” Duncan will promote and support smart South Wales at both local and national level. He presented some tickets for Blue’s Cardiff concert that were given away to customers when the relationship was announced on Twitter. Nick Payne, General Manager at Mercedes-Benz & smart of Cardiff, added: “Duncan is a well-known guy and it’s great to be hooking up with him especially as he really knows his cars and is so enthusiastic about smart. “We’re looking forward to him singing the virtues about the new models and, of course, smart South Wales.” Article credit - Scott Fenn, Impact PR

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Dealership News

smart of Edinburgh

The smart team at smart of Edinburgh, under Market area Director Graham Affleck, continue to be one of the most creative and proactive UK Retailers with a desire to bring the smart brand to life for new and existing Customers within the Retailer site and at point of sale and ‘post sale’. As many of our readers and online visitors will be aware, thesmartclub has had a long relationship with smart of Edinburgh and we are proud to again have the support of that smart team in the forthcoming Geneva to Barcelona Rally.

The Retailer site at Newbridge on the outskirts of Edinburgh features a dedicated smart area allowing the team to develop their creative flair whilst supporting the full impact of the smart brand – the area now also features a full electronic ‘billboard’ promotional online panel with smart promotional collateral fed remotely by the smart UK team at Milton Keynes. David Frost was a key part of this team and over the past years and has played a key parting ensuring the ongoing Customer attraction and engagement at smart of Edinburgh. Although David has recently moved on into the world of FX trading (!) the team is now further boosted by the addition of Diane Jack and Andrew Neville. Diane joined the smart Sales team earlier this year as Sales Controller, bringing with her, a wealth of experience in the automotive Retail sector. Building on her successes at Vauxhall and VW, Diane confesses to being 100% smart who loves the brand, lifestyle and opportunities this role brings. With the successful launch of the new fortwo and forfour models, Diane continues to generate that ‘buzz’ the first impression the car gives when a new smart Customer sits inside the car and the brand ‘comes to life’. Of course, there’s additional buzz around the existing smart Customer base given the ‘just launched’ double clutch automatic models! Diane is joined by Andrew Neville, the newest addition to this highly proactive sales team. Andrew started off with an interview for a sales executive job into the business at 17 whilst still attending school and was then offered join as a trainee sales exec leading to a formal appointment a few months later at age 18. Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

He’s now been in role for just over one year ‘loves every minute of it’ and, with the new 453 range, feels this is a perfect product still marvelling that the cars are always a head-turner no matter what kind of area or city he’s travelling through. His favourite part of the 453s is the volume of safety that goes into these micro-segment cars. From the original tridion cell to the newly designed dynamic double-tongue seatbelt, it’s one of the smallest yet safest cars in the world. We’ll continue to keep you updated on the latest developments at smart of Edinburgh and, of course, you can follow the progress of our smart Roadster Rally car in the Geneva to Barcelona Rally via the smart Racing Club web site at www.thesmartracingclub.com in September 2015. 27

4two Cup

Silverstone National: April 4th/5th 2015 (Rounds 1 and 2 of the 4Two Cup)

6 months to the day since the end of the regular 2014 season, and the 4Two Cup was all set to kick off the year in style at the famous circuit of Silverstone in Northampton, using their 1.639 mile “National” layout. There has been a great deal of activity since the series closed its door on 2014, with fresh cars being built and others being fettled with the new season in mind. A track day/pre-season test was held at Silverstone a couple of weeks prior, with the days activities filmed for an upcoming programme on Channel 4. The event allowed drivers to blow off the cobwebs and catch up with friends ahead of the season and everyone was left with their appetites whetted for the racing to get underway. Entrants: 02 – Alistair Woodhead – Smart 451 – Class 1 - Smarts4youRacing 03 – James Palmer – Smart 451 – Class 1 - Smarts4youRacing/JCMotorhomes 07 – David Nash – Smart 451 – Class 1 – Smart 7 Racing 09 – Marc Kemp - Smart 451 – Class 1 - Smarts4youRacing/Pure D-zign 11 – Martyn Clatworthy – Smart 451 – Class 1 – Ski St Martin 26 – Alan Palmer – Smart 451 – Class 1 - Smarts4youRacing/Trader Containers 44 – Dennis Grace – Smart Roadster – Class 3 – Smartcarspecialist/Gas badger garage

Pole: David Nash 2nd: Alan Palmer 3rd: Marc Kemp Race 1: With race time upon us, all drivers made their way to the assembly area to take up their positions. Joining the track at the entry to “Luffield”, Nash led the field around to the grid in preparation for the race. With this being the opening round of the season, it was great to see many of the series regulars as well as a new driver in the shape of Alistair Woodhead who has made the move from Formula Ford to join the series. Making a return for a guest drive was Marc Kemp, who raced with us previously at Rockingham back in 2011. Qualifying: With a late morning slot for qualifying, the drivers arrived in the assembly area before heading out on track. With both the air temperature and track temperature still hovering in the single digits, generating heat in the tyres would be a priority in order to extract the best grip from the tyres and in turn their quickest lap times.

With one short green flag lap, getting heat into the tyres would be the key to a good start. Following the lap the drivers re-took their positions and waited for the off. With the 5 second board shown and the red lights on, everyone began the count down as the rev’s began to rise along with the off beat sound of the 3 cylinder turbocharged power unit. Race time! Leading from pole, Nash retained his position into Copse, as Clatworthy brought the number 11 car quickly through the pack from his 4th place qualifying position.

After a couple of laps to familiarise themselves with the circuit, the drivers got down to the task in hand and began work on setting their quickest times. With the top 4 cars covered by only a second, it could be anyone’s guess as to who would emerge victorious. With the car’s pace improving as the session ticked down, it was series stalwart David Nash who secured the pole slot for race 1 a fraction over half a second from Alan Palmer. Marc Kemp settled back into the saddle and took 3rd place in his Smart 4Two rental drive. Series owner James Palmer was piloting the JC Motorhomes livered Smart, and in spite of some technical issues with the turbo overboosting, still crossed the line for 5th on the grid. With the rest of the grid completing the session, everyone returned safely to the paddock.

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With one of the Hondaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (who we are sharing the grid with) failed to get underway due to a slipping clutch, the following drivers had to take avoiding action and passed on either side. With the issues from qualifying resolved, Palmer (James) began to make up places and was soon in a battle with his namesake (Alan) before taking 3rd place. Kemp suffered with over boost issues, which put his car into limp mode and dropped him down the order. A monumental race long battle played out between Nash and Clatworthy as both cars tried to occupy the same piece of tarmac, lap after lap! The racing (whilst breathtakingly close) remained incident free, with both drivers respecting each other and aware of where the other was at all times. Following a change for the lead on lap 2, Nash filled the mirrors of Clatworthy at every available opportunity, but in spite of his best efforts it was Clatworthy who retained the lead as the pair crossed the finishing line. 1st Martyn Clatworthy 2nd David Nash 3rd James Palmer

At the chequered flag, Palmer (Alan) and Clatworthy had managed to edge out on James in the JC Motorhomes Smart to take 2nd and 3rd respectively. 1st David Nash 2nd Alan Palmer 3rd Martyn Clatworthy Fastest lap: Martyn Clatworthy 1.17.608 lap 11 of 12 Summary: Although the conditions were less than ideal, thankfully we had the benefit of having two dry races and some fantastic close fought action out on track. A huge show of thanks goes out to everyone that attended, no matter what their capacity. From drivers, sponsors, to crew to spectators alike, each and every one of you helps make this series what it is today. The 4Two Cup now heads to the Rockingham Speedway on the 16th/17th May and we hope to see you there. Words: Jonathan Fletcher Pictures: Lindsey Fletcher & Jonathan Fletcher

Fastest lap: Martyn Clatworthy 1.17.365 lap 2 of 12 (New Lap Record) Race 2: Race two took place straight after the lunch break, which itself had been cut short due to a number of incidents in the morning sessions. All drivers headed to the assembly area and then out onto the track for their warm up lap. On pole following his race 1 victory, Clatworthy in the number 11 Smart led the pack on its charge to Copse, but it was Nash who turned the tables on the previous race winner to take the lead before the first lap was complete. With Nash able to break the toe from the chasing pack, he was able to control the pace and maintain the lead all the way to the chequered flag. With Nash out ahead, it was a race long 3 way battle for the remaining two podium positions. Both Palmers and Clatworthy proceeded to race door handle to door handle for the majority of the 15 minute race, sometimes three abreast through the corners and executing some nail biting overtaking moves (much to the excitement of the crowd in the BRDC grandstand).

Issue 30 - 2015 - www.thesmartclub.co.uk

4two Cup

Rockingham: May 16th/17th 2015 (Rounds 3 and 4 of BRSCC 4Two Cup)

International Super Sports car - Long Following a great first event at Silverstone in early April, the series moved to Rockingham for the next instalment of the 2015 4Two Cup. Running on the slightly longer “ISSC – Long” track layout, drivers would encounter the twisting infield section as well as the high speed banking. Entrants: 03 – James Palmer – Smart 451 – Class 1 - Smarts4youRacing/JCMotorhomes 07 – David Nash – Smart 451 – Class 1 – Smart 7 Racing 09 – Greg Owens - Smart 451 – Class 1 - Smarts4youRacing/Pure D-zign 11 – Martyn Clatworthy – Smart 451 – Class 1 – Ski St Martin 26 – Alan Palmer – Smart 451 – Class 1 - Smarts4youRacing/Trader Containers 28 – Alistair Woodhead – Smart 451 – Class 1 - Smarts4youRacing 44 – Dennis Grace – Smart Roadster – Class 3 – Smartcarspecialist/Gas badger garage 50 – Richard Green Smart Roadster – Class 3 - Smarts4youRacing With a couple of the drivers taking part in the test session on Friday, the “Smart Village” was set up in the outer paddock. All of the cars were put on display and everything was soon in place for a good couple of days racing and socialising. Qualifying: With a fairly relaxed timetable of events for the weekend, everyone prepared for the day ahead, carrying out their usual routine checks and ensuring their cars passed through scrutineering. As the time for qualifying drew near, the drivers donned their race gear, fired up their engines and headed under the circuit to the inner paddock for the statutory noise check. All cars lined up for assembly and waited for the previous session to finish, before being waved out onto the track. With the top 3 cars covered by a little over half a second at the end of the session, both cars and drivers showed how closely matched they were around the 2 mile circuit. With the lap times continuing to fall as the session unfolded, it was the familiar site of Martyn Clatworthy’s “Ski St Martin” liveried Smart who took the pole slot for race 1 ahead of Alan Palmer. Unfortunately Richard Green in the 2nd of the Smart Roadsters was to end his session in the gravel trap at the end of the “School Straight” following a huge lock up under braking. With the rest of the grid completing the session, everyone returned to the safety of the paddock.

Race 2: With a mid morning start for race 2, everyone finalised their preparation ahead of hitting the track. On pole following his race 1 victory, Clatworthy in the number 11 Smart led the pack around the oval, only this time the lead was to remain in his grasp and would not be relinquished during the entirety of the race with a lights to flag victory with Nash never far behind in 2nd place. Owens continued the fight in race two where he had left off in race 1, and was soon hounding Alan Palmer for 3rd place. 3 laps in and persistence paid off as the “Smarts4youRacing/ Pure D-zign” entry managed to make the move and take 3rd. Going one better, James Palmer proceeded to pass Woodhead and was up to 5th at the time of the safety car. (Required to allow the retrieval of one of the Honda’s to take place). After the restart, the race to the flag resumed and the “Smarts4youRacing/Trader Containers” racer of Alan Palmer began to stake a claim on 3rd place occupied by Owens and by the time the pair crossed the finishing line it was Palmer’s name on the last podium step by a fraction of a second! Nail biting stuff! It was a reversal of results for the two Roadsters second time around, with Richard Green finishing ahead of Dennis Grace.

Pole: Martyn Clatworthy 2nd: Alan Palmer 3rd: David Nash

1st Martyn Clatworthy 2nd David Nash 3rd Alan Palmer

Race 1: With race time upon us, all drivers made their way to the assembly area to take up their allotted positions in preparation for the race. Following the formation lap, all cars lined up in readiness for the 15 minute race, and the excitement built as the countdown begun. With the lights out, it was race time and everyone headed off for turn one. Pole man Clatworthy found himself back in 2nd place, as Nash got the jump on Martyn and Alan to take the lead as the pack hit the infield section of the track. In a replay of the previous event at Silverstone, a race long battle ensued between Nash and Clatworthy as both cars lapped Rockingham barely a whisker apart for the full 15 minutes! A late overtake by Clatworthy resulted in regaining his position at the head of the field to take the win. Climbing through from the back of the grid, rookie Alistair Woodhead found his rhythm and made up 3 places, however he was unable to close up on the top 4. Having made up a place on his qualifying position, Novice Greg Owens in his debut race ended up challenging Alan Palmer for the remaining podium place, but time was to be the deciding factor in that battle and the chequered flag prevented any further progression up the order. Suffering from a mysterious lack of power and the reluctance to rev beyond 4k, James Palmer in the “JC Motorhomes” liveried Smart dropped a couple of places throughout the race, but was able to fend off the two Roadsters of Dennis and Richard.

Fastest lap: Martyn Clatworthy 1.56.393 lap 7 of 9 Summary: Two fantastic races, with some really close battles throughout the pack. A huge thanks goes out to everyone that turned out at Rockingham, be they driver, crew or spectator as you all help make this series a success. The 4Two Cup now heads to Zandvoort in Holland, for a weekend of racing on the 20th/21st June. Always a great experience, we hope to see as many of you there as possible to join in the fun with our European counterparts. Words: Jonathan Fletcher Pictures: Lindsey Fletcher & Jonathan Fletcher

1st Martyn Clatworthy 2nd David Nash 3rd Alan Palmer Fastest lap: Martyn Clatworthy 1.56.521 lap 3 of 8

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Protect the car you love. Thousands of our smart car owners each year trust our motor insurance policy to look after their smart. Motor Insurance by smart has been rated 5-Star by a UK independent financial research company Defaqto and offers superb features such as: • Guaranteed GenuineParts and repairs carried out by a smart Approved Repair Centre • 24/7 UK accident recovery In addition to the above, if you insure a second car with us you’ll receive a 10% multi-vehicle discount on your premium.

Join in. Call now for a quote on 0345 600 3429 Or visit us at thesmart.co.uk/ins OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT FUEL CONSUMPTION FIGURES IN MPG (LITRES PER 100KM) FOR THE SMART FORTWO & FORFOUR RANGE: URBAN 55.4 (5.1)-58.9 (4.8), EXTRA URBAN 72.4 (3.9)-76.4 (3.7), COMBINED 65.7 (4.3)-68.9 (4.1), CO2 EMISSIONS 99-93 G/KM. Motor Insurance by smart is arranged by Daimler Insurance Services UK Limited and underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited. Registered in Scotland, No. 2116. Registered Office: Pitheavlis, Perth PH2 0NH. Daimler Insurance Services are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Aviva Insurance Limited are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

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smart – A Daimler Brand.

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Magazine design & production by Oliver Whittaker ÂŠ 2015 32

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