2003 SMART ForTwo Cabrio Brabus Photos, engines & full specs

Back in 2003, the German automaker SMART created Brabus versions for its pocket-sized ForTwo model, either with a removable roof or not.

Mercedes-Benz was left alone with the SMART brand after the Swiss watchmaker Swatch pulled back. Their disagreement was about the engine. While the Germans asked for an internal combustion one, their partners said that an electric version would be more suitable. To add insult to injury, Mercedes-Benz not only that it made the SMART with gasoline but also added a pumped-up version. For that, it worked closely with Brabus, which was mostly known for upgrading high-performance Mercedes-Benz cars. This time, it switched its focus to SMART.

As expected, the car's exterior was altered so it could look meaner. The front fascia featured a restyled bumper and a pair of tiny fog lights installed next to a grille. The car needed wider wheel fenders to cover the new wheels. Brabus designed a new set of alloys for the car that resembled the AMG ones from the C-Class. For more pleasant drives, the roof could have been retracted behind the cabin, above the tiny trunk. In addition, the upper side of the safety arch was replaced with a back strut, thus keeping the car safe. In the back, the tuner offered a twin exhaust system with the pipes coming out in the center, under the bumper, with chromed tips.

Inside, Brabus insisted on fitting the car with a few details that made the vehicle more appealing. Its sport-bucket seats with higher bolstering than the regular ForTwo ones. In addition, the car sported a few carbon-fiber trims around the instrument cluster, on the door panels, and on the center stack, depending on the options.

SMART installed the engine under the trunk, and Brabus had to deal with that and upgrade it. In the end, the Brabus engineers managed to squeeze a few more ponies from the tiny three-cylinder engine.