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Mind-boggling 2012 Smart ForTwo off-roader listed on Cars & Bids

Smart recently marched into the crossover segment by releasing the #1, but the electric four-seater doesn't look like something you'd want to take off-road. If you're in the market for a go-anywhere Smart, there's a second-generation ForTwo that features an astonishingly long list of off-road-focused modifications (including an eight-inch suspension lift!) currently live on enthusiast auction site Cars & Bids with no reserve. California-based Gotham Garage reportedly built this ForTwo for a show called Car Masters: Rust to Riches that aired on Netflix, and it looks like nothing was deemed off-limits to give the cheeky city car the kind of off-road prowess you'd normally find in a Jeep Wrangler. Riding on 30-inch tires, the ForTwo features a suspension system that's taller and a lot wider than stock, an exoskeleton-type roll cage, a front skid plate, and a 4,000-pound winch, among many other modifications. There is space on the roll cage to mount a gas can and a spare wheel. The end result is a ForTwo that looks like nothing else on the road — and like nothing else off the road, too. Imagine the look on a Ford Bronco driver's face when you zip by in a Smart on the Rubicon Trail. Inside, the little two-seater is surprisingly stock: the only modification is a nine-inch touchscreen. It doesn't sound like the drivetrain was touched, meaning that power comes from a rear-mounted, 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine rated at 70 horsepower and 68 pound-feet of torque. It spins the rear wheels via a five-speed automatic transmission. As of writing, bidding stands at $8,333 with three days left to go; the auction ends on April 25 at 10:30 a.m. California time, which is 1:38 p.m in New York. And, because this is a no-reserve auction, the winning bidder will be the one that takes this one-of-a-kind ForTwo home. There is another ForTwo currently live on Cars & Bids, and this one is pegged on the other end of the Smart spectrum. It's a limited-edition Crossblade, which was a concept car-like evolution of the original ForTwo that was exclusively sold in Europe. It has no doors, no roof, and a wind deflector instead of a windshield, and the example being auctioned has been displayed in the Petersen Automotive Museum.  Related Video

Car2go shuts down in the UK

Until now, the trajectory of the Car2go carsharing service has been growth, growth, growth. But the expansion has hit a snag in jolly old England, where Daimler has announced it will shut down operations there. This means that the two Car2go UK locations, London and Birmingham, will no longer offer one-way, short-term car rentals as of tomorrow. Car2go is blaming "the UK's strong culture and tradition of private vehicle ownership" for the failure of the carsharing program in England. The company isn't giving up yet, and says it will "continue to observe the UK market for cultural changes towards the 'free-floating [carsharing] model'." UK Car2go members will still be able to use their moovel-accounts at Car2go projects in other European cities. The problem, a spokesman told Reuters, is that Car2go never registered over 10,000 users in the UK. Globally, there are over 750,000 Car2go users. Car2go started offering trips in the UK in the fall of 2012, when things were much more positive. The company said that it convinced the City of Birmingham to partner with it on a urban mobility pilot project thanks to Car2go's "unique features and many years of global experience in the sector of urban mobility." WITHDRAWAL FROM UK MARKET car2go, the pioneer of "free-floating" car sharing, will be withdrawing from the UK with effect from 30 May 2014. We've listened closely to customer feedback and taking the UK's strong culture and tradition of private vehicle ownership into account, we have decided to withdraw from the UK market place. car2go launched in Birmingham in 2013 and has been operating in three London boroughs since December 2012. The unique challenges we encountered were more significant than expected. As the world's largest free-floating carsharing provider, we will continue to observe the UK market for cultural changes towards the "free-floating model". car2go will continue to be a worldwide success story as we operate in a total of 25 cities around the World with more than 700,000 customers. With a moovel-account and a validated driving licence you will be still able to use car2go in all other 12 European car2go cities. === CLOSURE OF CAR2GO BIRMINGHAM AND WITHDRAWAL FROM UK MARKET car2go, the pioneer of "free-floating" car sharing, will be withdrawing from Birmingham with effect from 30 May 2014.

Florida Man parks Smart car in kitchen to save it from Hurricane Dorian

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It started as a lighthearted challenge between a Florida couple: Can their Smart car fit into their kitchen? The answer: Yes it can. Patrick Eldridge parked his car inside to protect it from the high winds of Hurricane Dorian — and just to prove that he can. Jessica Eldridge said her car was already parked in the garage. But to secure other things in the garage, her husband proposed to park the car in the house. “I said there was no way he could. He said he could,” Jessica said. “So he opened the double doors and had it in. I was amazed that it could fit. He had it in with no problems.” Dorian skirted FloridaÂ’s coast Wednesday, narrowly missing Jacksonville. On Thursday, Dorian was lashing the Carolinas as a Category 2 storm and was headed to the Outer Banks. Earlier in the week as a Category 5, it devastated the Bahamas, where rescue crews have only begun taking the full measure of the damage. With the car in the middle of the kitchen, Jessica Eldridge had to move around it to cook and serve dinner. “IÂ’m hoping he will pull it out pretty soon once the wind dies down,” she said. “There is room, and itÂ’s not in the way, but my dogs are confused by it.”