Photo: Lorinser
We might have diverging opinions on this one, but I think tuning a smart fortwo is the ultimate proof of the inability to understand how this world works.
You don't buy a smart fortwo because you want people to rev their engines at you at traffic lights, right? No, you don't. Then what in the world happens in some owners' minds after a while that makes them even consider tuning their fortwos?
Nothing, we'd guess. But the bad kind of nothing. Emptiness. Blank. A ridiculous desire to make their fortwo stand out of the crowd, even though there's no real fortwo crowd, and the smallest of the small smarts easily stands out from the rest of the cars.
I will admit the new smart fortwo is not as cute as the old one, having a pretty mean demeanor about it. But it's not nearly enough to justify getting on the phone and calling a tuner.
And yet, there are body kits available for it. One such offering comes from German tuners Lorinser who have devised an evil scheme to make the weeny smart look as fierce as a wet kitty.
That's precisely the problem: it's not that you can't make the smart fortwo look more aggressive, it's just that it doesn't suit it. You look at it and all you can think of is a three-year-old boy dressed up as a pirate for Halloween that can't even say "aarrrrrrghhh" the right way.
However, my job here is to tell you about the Lorinser kit, so here it is: it's not just a body kit, but also a suspension lowering program as well as a minor power boost.
The exterior modifications are pretty straightforward, with the usual bigger bumpers, larger air vents and more prominent side skirts. Lorinser also gave the smart fortwo a set of matte black wheels with six spokes and a clean, simple design. They're a nice touch and work well with the white paint job.
As far as the power increase goes, don't expect anything too drastic. We're talking about a power module and a new sports exhaust system, but no clear numbers have been given.
Now, if they would have replaced the engine altogether and gave the smart somewhere in the region of 200 hp, that would have made for a fun tuning program. A small kart-like car with rear-wheel drive and plenty of power - what's not to like. If they had done that, they could have made the exterior pink and with a red nose on the grille as far as I'm concerned.
Nothing, we'd guess. But the bad kind of nothing. Emptiness. Blank. A ridiculous desire to make their fortwo stand out of the crowd, even though there's no real fortwo crowd, and the smallest of the small smarts easily stands out from the rest of the cars.
I will admit the new smart fortwo is not as cute as the old one, having a pretty mean demeanor about it. But it's not nearly enough to justify getting on the phone and calling a tuner.
And yet, there are body kits available for it. One such offering comes from German tuners Lorinser who have devised an evil scheme to make the weeny smart look as fierce as a wet kitty.
That's precisely the problem: it's not that you can't make the smart fortwo look more aggressive, it's just that it doesn't suit it. You look at it and all you can think of is a three-year-old boy dressed up as a pirate for Halloween that can't even say "aarrrrrrghhh" the right way.
However, my job here is to tell you about the Lorinser kit, so here it is: it's not just a body kit, but also a suspension lowering program as well as a minor power boost.
The exterior modifications are pretty straightforward, with the usual bigger bumpers, larger air vents and more prominent side skirts. Lorinser also gave the smart fortwo a set of matte black wheels with six spokes and a clean, simple design. They're a nice touch and work well with the white paint job.
As far as the power increase goes, don't expect anything too drastic. We're talking about a power module and a new sports exhaust system, but no clear numbers have been given.
Now, if they would have replaced the engine altogether and gave the smart somewhere in the region of 200 hp, that would have made for a fun tuning program. A small kart-like car with rear-wheel drive and plenty of power - what's not to like. If they had done that, they could have made the exterior pink and with a red nose on the grille as far as I'm concerned.
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