Most European smart fortwo fans have probably heard of the numerous bike engine conversions done all over the old continent, with the “smartuki” engine kits being the most prevalent.
Essentially, the smartuki projects consist of swapping the smart fortwo's three cylinder engine with a high-revving Suzuki GSX-R 1000 or even Hayabusa engine and a Quaife transmission, thus transforming the tiny city coupe into a Ferrari F360 rival in the quarter mile.
Paul Barnes, from Illinois, also wanted to make a Ferrari-rival from his smart fortwo but he decided to go a different route in engine-swapping. Instead of a motorcycle engine with stratospheric revs he went for a carbureted four-cylinder from a Toyota Tercel on top of which he fitted a Suprex supercharger that pumps no less than 28 pounds of boost through an intercooler.
The result is an impressive 207 hp on a chassis dyno, which apparently makes the lilliputian car reach the quarter mile from a standing start in high 12's. Considering it looks almost stock from the outside, this is pretty much one of the coolest sleeper car we've ever seen.
Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project. Full profile
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