Smart Car plus GSXR equals “Smartuki,” a VERY Smart Car

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 6/8/2005

in Alternative thinking,Motorcycle Builders,Workshop & Tools

Let me introduce, Peter Bee. Peter is a sensible English fellow who took a liking to the Smart Car as soon as it was introduced, so he bought one. He found the car so much to his liking that he kept on buying them, great second car, nice for running errands, quick scoots around town, all very sensible. Problem is, Pete spends his days around MHP, makers of high performance exhaust systems. When you constantly see high performance vehicles of various sorts and drive a Smart, you soon get the urge to tweak it a bit and Peter did just that. He managed to get the engine up to around 100hp which isn't a bad jump from the 60hp in the stocker, but Pete wanted more.

After seeing nothing else in the option list he looked further afield and started thinking GSXR1000. He talked to the fellows over at Z Cars, you know them, R1 powered Mini's and the like, and they said "Sure, we can do that." So Peter dropped off a brand new Smart Car and the fun began. He also talked to Phil Seton of Seton Racing who took a look at a GSXR1000 engine and found room for improvement. The result? Peter's own personal pleasure button, a way to send his bliss-o-meter straight into the red zone.

Z Cars had to build a separate frame to house the engine along with a Cosworth differential and complete independent rear suspension. Phil Seton massaged the GSXR until it was putting out a reliable 180hp. Peter built up a full race MHP titanium exhaust system and then created a handmade wiring harness to integrate all of the Suzuki's engine controls along with the tach, the one that goes red around 13,000rpm. Spax made up a set of coil overs with full height and damping adjustments. Then, someone thought they might want to slow this beast down and they added full floating wavy rotors up front with 6 pot calipers and solid wavy rotors in the rear.

They call the finished car the Smartuki. It's the only one in existence and Z Cars is planning to offer it as an option. Does it run? 0-60 in 4.2 seconds, 1/4 mile in 12.4 seconds and tops out at 132mph. Definitely not your average Smart! Peter says running up to the traffic lights at 13,500rpm is always amusing since other drivers move over when they hear what sounds like a bike coming up fast. Autosport Magazine tested it against a Mistubishi Evo FQ-330. It didn't win but fared better than the Subaru that tried a week earlier.

A few other features:

One off LED lights in the rear
A nice set of minilights
All braided hoses throughout
Brake bias with lock out for lighting the rear wheels
Electronic shifter with full power shift ability
Nice grill from Smarts R Us
Full alarm with remote start and roof open and close

Peter is very grateful for all of the assistance from the many who helped put this project together with special thanks to:
Phil Seton of Seton Racing
Mark at MHP
Jason at AME for the alarm system
Smarts R Us for the various bits and pieces
and above all, Peter thanks his wife for understanding when she looks in the checkbook!

UPDATE! The new rebuilt Smartuki
UPDATE 2: The new Smartuki is for sale!

The Kneeslider: Motorcycle engine powered cars
The Kneeslider: Smartuki Kits Now Available!