Soon we could all be driving one of these!

[gastorgrab]

http://www.hightechscience.org/ComutaCar.pdf


http://www.hightechscience.org/electric_car.htm

This car, originally made in 1974, is now equipped with a high resolution color video system, computerized alarm system, several high powered strobes, electronically controlled underbody neon & LED lighting, dual red laser light units and a high powered computer controlled green laser, remotely operated self contained smoke & fogging system, computerized multi-color LED graphic electronic sign, interior color changing neon system and a high powered digital self-contained music and wireless public address system with AM / FM / CD / MP3 playback.

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[jippiejajee]

[träskmannen]

The computerized alarm system can come in handy when the garbage collectors pick the car up by accident.

The alleged car looks a bit like this horrible thing:

smart-car.jpg (21.17 KB) Viewed 1521 times

[Capmaster]

It looks like a wedge of cheese ....with windows





It looks like a big toe that's been hit with a hammer

[enstg8er]

police should ticket any driver in one for "bad judgment" ....

[träskmannen]

police should ticket any driver in one for "bad judgment" ....

That is one product Mercedes should have stayed away from. There was a roadster version of the SMART which was reputed to be great fun to drive (awarded Fun Car of the year by no less than Top Gear IIRC) and it actually looked OK too. Almost like a real car but smaller.

[gastorgrab]

It looks like a wedge of cheese ....with windows

So it's ugly AND it crashes a lot?
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[Capmaster]

It looks like a wedge of cheese ....with windows

So it's ugly AND it crashes a lot?
.

You'll get no argument from me

[Doramius]

They can go approx. 50 miles at speeds up to 40 MPH.

They were made from 1974-76 by the Vanguard car company in Sebring, FL.

They use 8 Trojan six volt lead-acid batteries that recharge in 6 hours from a regular 110 volt house outlet.

Four batteries are stored under the driver/passenger seat, four are located behind the front bumper.

It costs about a penny a mile to operate the car or thirty to forty cents to completely recharge after a days use.

It's heavy duty General Electric (GE) electric motor operates at 48 volts and can produce up to 6 HP.

It has drum brakes on all 4 wheels and weighs approx. 1350 lbs. with all the batteries, (850 lbs w/o batteries).

It has steel belted radial tires which are size 4.80 X 12

There were only approx. 2000 of these cars built.

The price of these cars when new was approx. $3500.00

Kill it!! Kill it!! Kill it!! It is the vile spawn of SA-TAN!!!!! KILL IT!!

[jippiejajee]

the smart roadstar didn't look too bad...

mmc_smart_roadster_xx.jpg (34.89 KB) Viewed 254 times

[Doramius]

Is that a midget behind the wheel?

[träskmannen]

I would love to have a drive in one of those.

[Doramius]

you can find them in the toy aisle at Walmart or Target. They come with either Ken or Barbie.

[gastorgrab]

Soon the Dutch will be able to wear them as shoes.



The Dutch Are the World's Tallest People
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... d=rss.news

Most of us are taller than our parents, who probably are taller than their parents. But in the Netherlands, the generational progression has reached new heights.

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[Doramius]

Are they using metric inches to measure?

[gastorgrab]

Yes. It's a new compromise worked out during the Copenhagen Climate Change forum.

As of Jan 01, 2010, both a meter and a yard are equal to 100 inches...... ..or was it the other way around?
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[Doramius]

I've met plenty of dutch. Jippie and his family rank among them. While I don't consider any of them short....I think Jippie was the tallest out of all dutch I've met.

Jippie, you're just about 2M, right? I'm just above...barely.

[jippiejajee]

I've met plenty of dutch. Jippie and his family rank among them. While I don't consider any of them short....I think Jippie was the tallest out of all dutch I've met.

Jippie, you're just about 2M, right? I'm just above...barely.

Unfortunately I can not qualify to become basket ball player, my length is around 1.85 m, my son is between 1.90 and 1.95 m

But I f I look to my son's friends most of them are above 1.90 m.
In the Netherlands they door in new houses must be at least 2.20 m I believe. I has been increased not to long ago.
If you see older houses there the doors are just 2.00 m and that has just become too small for the next generation.

and I recognize the problem when traveling by plane, the distance between the chairs in economy class is not set for our size, but for people being in average 1.70 m

[Capmaster]

Unfortunately I can not qualify to become basket ball player, my length is around 1.85 m, my son is between 1.90 and 1.95 m

You'd all be very unhappy on the flight we took from New York City to Frankfurt. The Lufthansa 747 we were on had the lowest seat pitch in coach that I've ever seen. They were so close you couldn't stand at your seat because the seat back of the one in front of you was right there in your face.

We had to get an obstetrician to remove us from our seats after the long flight

[Doramius]

We had to get an obstetrician to remove us from our seats after the long flight

Isn't that a 'breach' of personal space?

[Capmaster]

We had to get an obstetrician to remove us from our seats after the long flight

Isn't that a 'breach' of personal space?

Most definitely. The person in front of me's head was about 3 inches from my upper lip. Luckily for him I didn't suffer from projectile airsickness I did worry a bit that he might have head lice

The good thing was that all the other planes we were on for that trip had nice, spacious legroom and comfortable seats. They were also all Lufthansa flights. So maybe that was just one bad apple .....

[Squirreldip]

Looks like something that would be used to stop an 18-wheeler from rolling backwards...



We actually see a fair number of these (more in Calgary than in Kamloops - just a tad more hills in Kamloops). Do they sell in the US?

[Capmaster]

None here in New Mexico, outside of the golf courses, that is

At work we had a whole slew of different vehicles for inside and outside the tech area. The speed limit inside was 15 MPH so you'd see a lot of small electric and gas golf carts. I preferred to use them as they're pretty efficient. One time I made the mistake of using one of the EZ-Go electric carts outside the tech area to make a run over to the robotic range when Justin was there on Take Our Sons To Work Day one year. The speed limit was 40, and it was a very scary experience

[Squirreldip]

I doubt if I could ever own one but their specs are actually decent for a "City Only" vehicle:

http://www.thesmart.ca/index.cfm?id=6845

This is my current "Commuter":


20' long... The Smart is just under 9'...

[träskmannen]

I once rode along in a Smart. It was a strange experience. I had to move the first aid kit or I couldn't move the passenger chair far enough to get space for my knees. Once that was done it was quite OK but it felt strange to be able to knock on the rear window and the windscreen at the same time.

[Capmaster]

I once rode along in a Smart. It was a strange experience. I had to move the first aid kit or I couldn't move the passenger chair far enough to get space for my knees. Once that was done it was quite OK but it felt strange to be able to knock on the rear window and the windscreen at the same time.

Did a doctor slap you when you exited the vehicle?

I have images of Jim Carrey in the mother rhino scene in Ace Ventura Pet Detective

[Doramius]

There's a dealership right next to where I work that sells Smart Cars. They really do look like glorified golf carts. I'm seeing a lot of large RV's tow them and the Cooper Mini. There was a place on The Strip that had recently opened up befoe we moved, and was renting Smart Cars. I've also tried getting in one. You better not be claustrophobic. They are small. They are not meant for tall people. Honestly, any car you could potentially receive as a prize in your cereal box, I wouldn't drive around town.

[Capmaster]

I'm all in favor of fuel economy and cars that make efficient use of space. With gas prices being what they are it's only common sense to drive a car that won't be as big a monthly expense as your house.

If everyone made the switch to cars similar in size to the smart car, all at the same time, there would be no problem. We'd all be equal, and happy. The problem is that it doesn't happen all at once. If you go out and buy a smart car your neighbor still has his Hummer or Navigator. And with the way people drive here in New Mexico, and some other states, you are basically giving up the protection a larger vehicle offers while others still drive their land yachts. It's suicidal.

Heck, even Squirreldip's commuter vehicle could drive OVER a smart car and think it was a small speed bump

[träskmannen]

If everyone made the switch to cars similar in size to the smart car, all at the same time, there would be no problem. We'd all be equal, and happy.

I see a slight problem - I would need at least six of those shoe-boxes if I am to go away for a weekend with the family.

[Squirreldip]

Cap has hit on a good point... It may be a bit different on the other side of the pond but in North America we still have huge percentage of large vehicles (not to mention these tiny things share the road with transport trucks). According to reports I've seen, they claim to be quite safe... I wonder if they work like a puffer-fish when they sense danger...

As for speed bump... With over 300 horses and over 600 foot-pounds torque I don't think they'd offer much resistance.

I've always wanted to test drive one of the Smarts - I'm guessing they've got a pretty shitty ride considering how short the wheelbase is... It's be interesting to see how (or if) they fixed that issue.