Smart Develops Monster Truck ForTwo

[BlueCrush]

But Is It Smart? Now that the smart range has been whittled down from a three-car product portfolio to just a single model, you might expect the economy brand's engineers and marketing men to focus on the fortwo. From the beginning, smart put most of its energy into the little city car; in fact, the mere mention of its name instantly sparks the mental image of the ultra-urban dweller. But, after countless side-projects from high-performance Brabus-tuned cars to diesel-electric hybrids, it was only a matter of time before something truly radical, and truly silly would happen. This is the smart forfun2 (pronounced for-fun-squared), and it's a relatively self-explanatory vehicle. The successor to the original forfun, which was a subcompact forfour hatchback that had magically been converted into a monster truck, it only takes one look at this wild and wacky one-off vehicle to know what it's all about. The recipe is pretty simple; take one smart fortwo, and elevate it to a height of 3.7 metres (145 inches), build a tubular steel safety cage, underpin it with a monster-truck chassis and the appropriate sized wheels. It's not just any monster truck chassis, mind you; the one that the forfun2's designers chose to employ was within the Mercedes-Benz product range. Though Benz does make a great number of very capable off-roading vehicles, such as the ML, GL, and G-Class, the only vehicle that was capable of being up to the monster task was the Unimog 406 series. Adapting the Unimog's oversized and heavy-duty chassis to fit the size constraints of the miniscule smart was no easy task; the project started this January, and was only completed very recently. While most monster trucks feature a mid-engined, 500-cubic inch, supercharged, methanol-burning V8 engine, the forfun2 has a substantially different powerplant. The engine is the OM 352, a 5.7-litre six-cylinder diesel that has been borrowed from the Unimog. Power output from this large engine (hey, it's pretty large for a smart), is actually surprisingly low at just 84 horsepower. It might not sound like a lot, but that's more than twice the output of the standard 41 horsepower smart fortwo cdi diesel. Torque, on the other hand, is outrageously high at 191 lb-ft. When the forfun2 isn't touring arenas and crushing cars with its gigantic 140 cm (55 inch) tall tires on 26-inch wheels, it'll probably be out foraging in the great outdoors. Smart's decision to use diesel and base the vehicle off of a proper off-roading truck means that this comical looking machine is very competent off-road. The forfun2 has 65 cm (25 inches) of ground clearance, which is heavily guarded for under-body and underside protection. The forfun2 also features an adjustable air suspension system that helps improve grip, traction and stability when they're needed. Unlike many of the new concept vehicles recently shown in this news section, which have been introduced in Paris, the forfun2 will make its debut this November at the Athens Motor Show. The reason for this is that it was developed in collaboration with Stefan Attart, champion 4X4 racer, who just happens to be Greek. No word on whether it will tour the North American monster truck rally circuit anytime soon, but no doubt it would be a fitting way to introduce the brand to those who might never consider a smart car otherwise.

[NascarXprt]

Me want!!!! NOW!!! that looks really kick @$$! and it has a diesel inline 6 not bad!

[GrayFox]

lol, that's awesome. but how do you only get 84hp out of an inline 6? Let's all chip in and buy cole one for chirstmas

[Mavrik]

Oh I so want one for up here in Alaska. I'd fit in with all the other trucks.

[BlueCrush]

Quote, originally posted by ANO_Vibe »lol, that's awesome. but how do you only get 84hp out of an inline 6? Yeah, but it has 191ft.lbs of torque.

[Katscan]

One thing I would be worried about is it being top heavy and tipping over easily. I mean look how short that wheelbase is.But, on the flip side its a wickedly cool looking little toy monster truck!

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »Yeah, but it has 191ft.lbs of torque. Whoo buddy, and that's the stuff that moves ya! You don't need no horsepower if you have a crapload of torque. That thang is just crazy! It would fit in well with the big huge redneck monster trucks here but I'd get the crap kicked out of me for being a sissy and not having a ford/dodge/chevy monster truck.

[NascarXprt]

yea i run into the same problem down here CP.

[Toasted7]

I have always wanted to do that to my Vibe...