There are those for whom the ideal sports car will always have its engine amidships, whether it be a Lamborghini Miura or a Ferrari 296 GTB, a Fiat X1/9 or a Porsche Boxster S. Such sensual gratification, they will say, such responses, and oh, all that increased traction: what fun!
But be wary and remember that there are circumstances in which such a layout can, dynamically, catch out the inexperienced. It can also make it harder to see out of, increasing the likelihood of hitting something else, whether at high speed or low. If you’re entertaining a mid-engined car, then, better to keep it small and cheap and easily repairable, lest your enthusiasm outranks your ability.
Step forward the Smart Roadster, a car so small you could easily use it on a Monopoly board. At just 3.4m long and weighing less than 800kg, it’s pushed along reasonably comfortably by a weeny, mid-mounted 80bhp 698cc turbocharged triple. Its bolt-on body panels are plastic and its styling, with its extravagantly flared wheel arches, is just far enough on the right side of pug-ugly to be immensely likeable. Indeed, the years have been kind. It still looks distinctly eye-catching today.
It’s still beloved by a coterie of enthusiasts and for good reason. It may have only a modest power output, and it may have a dimwitted, automated manual, six-speed gearbox, complete in some with (optional-from-new) paddle shifters, but its fun factor is sky-high.
In fact, the experience of driving the thing actually overrides the obvious shortcomings inherent in the car’s underpinnings: its steering is too slow and its handling can be a little wayward, after all, but if it’s good enough for Gordon Murray, it’s good enough for us. (The creator of the McLaren F1 chose to use one as his daily driver for many years.)
