The last Smart fortwo in history was delivered in Milan – .
What a pity. The smartina is retiring and will no longer be produced for the Italian market. A huge disappointment for the many fans of the most “useful”, trendy and fun two-seater in the history of the automobile. Maybe a little expensive but, as we know, beautiful and quality things have their price. A disappointment so big that it deserves an event/tribute that feels a lot like a farewell. Mercedes-Benz Italiain fact, organized a presentation in Milan a few weeks ago to celebrate the Delivery of the last Smart Fortwo produced for the Italian market. She, the lucky owner, is called Gaia Pisani and is a young lawyer from Brianza who works in Milan, always behind the wheel of a smart, first an “old” smartina and since 2018 a 100% electric version, the latter “perfect for the 60 km a day that I have to do – says Gaia Pisani – especially because I can park it on both blue and yellow lines”.
One of the most original cars of the last 25/30 years (and not only for its 2.70 m length), which It has revolutionized the idea of urban mobility, conquering the hearts of over 650,000 Italians (the Italian one was the first market for smart), it is therefore retired early. Here, the smartina has always been a champion, an intelligent car, beautiful to look at, useful and practical to drive. And that is why it is destined to become a collector’s item and those who still own one (and in Italy there are many) will keep it forever. However, it is not said that we will never see it again. The Fortwo could in fact return, battery-powered only and with the ultra-compact dimensions that made its fortune: a project on the platform already exists, and partners are still being sought with whom to share the costs of producing the car in series.
Many will wonder why this “early retirement” and the answer is: it is all “the fault” of electrification. In 2019, in unsuspecting times, smart was the first car manufacturer to announce that it would never again produce endothermic cars but only electric cars. In 2020, here is the EQ, the first electric Fortwo of the modern era (in 2012 the first electric smart was launched with a 145 km range), sold until a few weeks ago. Then when the smart was “bought” (even if many speak of a partnership) by Geely, it was the Chinese giant that pushed in this direction. Enough with the Fortwo and the EQ, and here comes the smart #1 and the smart #3built in China, have become two SUVs, therefore decidedly distant from the original smart Fortwo, and not only in terms of size.
From status symbol to front runner of innovative projects, such as the first free-flow car sharing, smart has always gone beyond the simple definition of automobile, seeking a leading role in the social and cultural life of our cities, to the point of being considered by some sociologists as a ‘nice and functional piece of street furniture’. And then, it doesn’t earn a place of honor in the private collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York for nothing. “A few years ago, the launch of the latest endothermic generation of fortwo was accompanied by a slogan that embodies a good part of the very essence of smart: everything remains different – he declared Maurizio Zaccaria, Sales Director Mercedes-Benz Cars Italia – In all these years, in fact, smart has always managed to reinvent itself, without ever losing its identity”.
