Highlights
- One of only 2,000 produced
- Exceptionally low mileage
- Service history provided
The Appeal
The Crossblade is one of the most unusual production cars we’ve ever seen! With its bare-bones lightweight body, the press releases proudly dubbed it as ‘minimising to the max’. The Geneva auto show may have been slightly perturbed by it all, but there was no doubting it had an audience. The result of it all was a vehicle that resembled a fairground dodgem more than a car, with the fun, open-air handling to match.
Away went the roof, the windshield and the doors, and the Smart’s iconic plastic panels were thinned and reshaped, including the fenders and wheel arches. It was a truly minimalistic vehicle, built for the road with the absolute minimum specification. A brave experiment that was quickly rewarded.
People clamoured to get hold of the Crossblade, and 2,000 were set into production. That means you’re more likely to see a Bugatti Veyron than one of these on the road, and for those eager collectors seeking something truly unique, you’d be hard-pressed to find a concept car wilder than this one.
The History and Paperwork
- Imported to the UK in 2015
- Only one owner since import
- Service history post-import provided
- MOT valid until May 2023
- All invoices for work since 2015 provided
The Interior
- Highly unique interior built for durability
- Entirely original with no modifications
- All equipment in good working order
The Crossblade’s interior is a heavily unusual one, built for water resistance and durability throughout. Red and black vinyl seats, a plastic dashboard and a rather futuristic finish are the order of the day, led by the innovation the car’s design demanded.
Designed to be easily hosed down, the vehicle is complete with drains and features HVACs mounted underneath the dashboard, preventing them from filling with water. Every instrument is built with waterproofing in mind, with the storage in the rear including a complementary tarp for covering the car when parked!
Overall, the interior is in exceptional condition, with no major signs of wear and tear and the surfaces needing only a quick wipe-down. The vehicle’s low mileage means that it almost presents as brand new. It’s perhaps as close to factory-fresh as one of these vehicles can be.
The Exterior
- Exceptionally low mileage makes for a near-pristine exterior
- Only minor stone chips and scuffing to plastic bumper and fenders
- Paintwork in good, clean condition otherwise with excellent presentation
- Fitted with Spikeline alloy wheels
- Subject to paint correction in June 2022
The outside of the vehicle is in similarly excellent condition. Due to the heavily stripped-back feel, there’s very little car to truly get damaged. You’ll spot some light scuffing and chipping on the plastic wheel arches and bumper, but nothing much else to betray that the car has even left the factory.
The paintwork is still gleaming, the plastic moulded components are still clean, and the perspex screen is well-kept with no signs of damage.
Overall, it’s a superb example that’s as fitting of a motor museum as it is a curiosity for a collector.
The Mechanics
- Powered by the familiar 600cc Mercedes-Benz M160 Suprex Triple
- Served in 2019 and 2022
- Fitted with new clutch module, actuator and release bearing in 2020
- We’re informed of no major mechanical flaws or wear
The Smart Crossblade is far from being a mechanical curiosity. It’s perhaps the only part of the car to not be stripped back, meaning that any Smart car owner will be in very familiar territory. The vendor has given us a good, thorough service history, with all invoices provided.
We’re informed of no major mechanical flaws, and no issues with the engine bay - something commensurate with its exceptionally low mileage.
Summary
It’s admittedly not the most practical car in the world - but the Smart Crossblade is a real pioneer of a car. There are hundreds of models in the past that had incredible concepts put on display, only to never hit production. This one bucked the trend, and resulted in one of the most unique vehicles of the past twenty years.
Whether you’re taking this car in as a curiosity for your collection, or for a few weekends of runabout in the sun, you’ll find the Crossblade truly unique, and truly exciting. You won’t regret purchasing this highly unusual motor, and you’ll likely not see one like this for a long, long time!
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