Something a little out of the ordinary, but definitely fun with a capital F, is this Smart Roadster Brabus covertible.
Registered in September 2004 and finished in gleaming black, this particular pocket rocket has covered a mere 53, 000 miles from new in the hands of just two owners.
Powered by a 700cc turbo petrol engine in the back, which has been breathed on by the Brabus racing team, this car is far quicker than it has any right to be. And it's also Clean Air Zone and ULEZ compliant!
Despite its diminutive size, and ultra low stance, it's actually pretty roomy inside - once you are properly inside it. I'm 6' 3" tall, not exactly skinny and have a bad back, and my way of getting in is to get my bum on the seat, duck my head inside and then swing my legs in. Getting out again is even less elegant, with legs out first, bum onto the sill and then heave myself up. But it's possible and it works for me....
So, what's it like to drive? In a word, hysterical.
The gearbox has both fully automatic mode and manual shift, either through the gear lever or the column-mounted paddle shifts. Even in full auto mode the thing takes off like a scalded cat and the revs rise with a blood curdling shriek to the red line before it snatches another gear. The handling is sharp - possibly a bit too sharp, because you sometimes over-compensate or over-correct yourself and end up working to keep it in a straight line. But having said that, that's half the fun...
This is a properly engaging driver's car, and no mistake.
The car is MOT'd until February 2025 and so is ready to drive away.
The backside-on-the-floor driving position, the speed and the noise!
