2002 Smart Fortwo Upgrades

So Sean imported a set of four Brabus Monoblocks, which measured 16x5.5" in the front and 17x8" in the rear. Harbor Motorsport refinished the wheels in gloss black with orange pinstripes. This would match the six-piston brake calipers Harbor refinished as well. The calipers clamp onto a set of 305mm rotors in the front from Netherlands-tuner S-Mann. While the paintbrushes were out, Sean had Harbor color the hats gloss black to match the wheels. The rotor bolts flaunt a matching orange pinstripe.

Engine performance wasn't an easy task for the old Smart. Rated at 57hp stock, Sean felt like a little boy driving a golf kart. So he imported a BIG Performance turbo setup from the UK, which included the exhaust manifold, injectors, diverter valve and turbo. Coupled with a Brabus exhaust, plus an S-Mann oil cooler and Brabus air-to-water chargecooler for better cooling, the Smart is in the ballpark of 110hp. Hyevon Motorsports was responsible for the installation.

Completing the Smart's performance was a set of KW Variant 2 coilovers, which had to be personally imported from Europe.

Just as we believed Sean was done telling us about his car, we were surprised to find the interior was even more insane. It has an aggressive pair of Recaro Pro Racer seats and a custom bar built by Unique Fabrications securing Sparco harnesses. The upholstery was also done in alcantara, included the dash, door panels, headliner, pillars and trunk. Certain parts of the upholstery, such as the door panels, used a unique French-stitching design in orange to add contrast and class. In the rear, a custom frame was incorporated to showcase the motor, while a Smart logo was embroidered on its right.

Not yet finished with the interior, Sean sourced rare Brabus parts including a shift knob, e-brake handle, carbon gauge rings and steering wheel. The new wheel added the functionality of paddle shifters. Finally, a Scangauge X gauge displayed the engine vitals such as oil temp, boost, air/fuel and more.

The original Smart came with two 2.5" speakers in the front dash. But for Sean's listening pleasure, he swapped them with a custom soundboard housing two 5.5" Polk speakers controlled by a Pioneer head unit.

Last on Sean's list was the lighting, for which he had to disassemble the head- and foglights to retrofit projector housings with HID bulbs.

Sean's efforts have proven worthy for the car community and he's joined the nationally known Auto Concept Elite. "I wanted to be the first person to go all-out on a Smart car and set the bar high." With plans to do rear big brakes and a carbon widebody front, he's certainly shown the tuner community that big things can come in small packages.