What's that old joke about the ultimate in mixed emotions?
"Your ex-wife going over a cliff in your new Porsche."
I remembered that joke when I walked through the garage today and saw these three cars parked together. I kept trying to tell myself how cool it was to see the R8 and GT-R in close proximity, but the Smart Fortwo kept trashing my "dream garage" fantasy.
Maybe it was actually a good thing. Having two such amazing vehicles right next to each other might cause some sort of "cool-car overload," creating a temporal anomaly, unraveling the time-space continuum and destroying the universe! Admittedly, that's a worst-case scenario; the destruction might be confined to our own galaxy.
Either way, the Smart does an effective job of equalizing the "cool car" energy that could otherwise risk our total annihilation.
Karl Brauer, Edmunds.com Editor in Chief
ekimfeenux says:
06:23 PM, 08/13/08
It definitely is a good thing the Smart is in the middle of those two. The R8 just has an attitude about it that pretty much dares you to try and look away when you can't while the GT-R screams 'yeah I'm this fast'. Thank God for the Smart reality check.
7driver says:
06:32 PM, 08/13/08
Hey, the R8's side-blade bears a resemblance to the smart fortwo's Tridion safety cell.
Shudder.
clarkma5 says:
06:54 PM, 08/13/08
When I first saw the picture, I assumed it was going to be a three-way comparo between the flappy paddle gearboxes in each car (hint hint could be entertaining)
mnorm1 says:
06:58 PM, 08/13/08
Two look smart, and deliver on their promises.
One is called a passion coupe, but it's a lie.
ahightower says:
07:07 PM, 08/13/08
LOL at 7driver!
Great post, Karl. It's like having a favorite dream starring Pam Anderson and Carmen Electra, and then Ugly Betty gets in between them. Thanks for ruining the atmosphere, fugly stupid piece of crap.
zjev says:
07:38 PM, 08/13/08
I agree, a three-way comparison would be entertaining. Complete with 1/4 mile, 60-0, etc. Ha! Yeah, forget gas mileage and the environment, driving should be fun
firstwagon says:
08:03 PM, 08/13/08
Just to provide a different point of view.... interesting comparision of three 2 seaters.
One for those who care about the world and two for those who only care about themselves and showing off how much money they have.
iancar says:
08:05 PM, 08/13/08
GT-R is the only car that you can bring to golf.
billt9 says:
08:36 PM, 08/13/08
Without more Smarts, gas may become too expensive for the average American to own a GT-R.
We need more world loving people to buy Smarts to keep America's freedom to own the GT-R.
Thank you, Smart owner.
Love the environment. Keep the hard working German and Frenchmen employed. Love the American GT-R owner by keeping gas prices down. Thank you.
platf1 says:
10:30 PM, 08/13/08
You want cool overload?!?
Get the WRX STi, and your newly-acquired Evo MR.
If you don't pass out by the four-wheel-drive brilliance of the world, you're not human.
And if you need a cooler (pun intended), get the Grand Caravan.
tinyelvis says:
06:41 AM, 08/14/08
The Smart seems to be sheepishly tucked in-between the two beasts as if it asked "may I park here?" while appropriately averting eye contact.
nolid5 says:
06:57 AM, 08/14/08
Hey, how come the last Smart driver didn't back into the spot for a quick getaway? Does anyone think the comparison would be more fair if it was backed in? :-P
cruiserhead1 says:
07:07 AM, 08/14/08
America's Next Top Model starring Ziyi Zhang, Heidi Klume and... an Oompa-Loompa
rtharak2 says:
07:13 AM, 08/14/08
I like the flappy paddle gearbox comparo idea. I'd say throw the new long term EVO in there too, but I think it'd be the hands down winner (in terms of shifting, not performance).
crowb says:
07:16 AM, 08/14/08
"Two look smart, and deliver on their promises.
One is called a passion coupe, but it's a lie."
Props to mnorm1 for that comment.
norsairius says:
09:20 AM, 08/14/08
"You want cool overload?!?
Get the WRX STi, and your newly-acquired Evo MR."
I agree.
You should put the R8, the GT-R, the STi and the Evo MR together for a photoshoot just for the sake of having a photoshoot. I'd actually love to have a picture like that for a wallpaper or even just for having the image.
A comparison test between the four would be cool too, or again as others have mentioned, a comparison test of the transmissions with the STi being there for the sake of having a traditional H-pattern manual as a 'control' perhaps.
norsairius says:
09:21 AM, 08/14/08
p.s.
The Smart looks like it's hiding its face out of shame in this picture (probably because of its inability to deliver on its name, the Passion Coupe, as someone else pointed out).
tantan73 says:
10:19 AM, 08/14/08
Smart=Suzuki Samurai
Except the Samurai is actually cooler.
Sad
mazdaspeed_jon says:
10:35 AM, 08/14/08
@norsairius
"You should put the R8, the GT-R, the STi and the Evo MR together for a photoshoot just for the sake of having a photoshoot. I'd actually love to have a picture like that for a wallpaper or even just for having the image.
A comparison test between the four would be cool too, or again as others have mentioned, a comparison test of the transmissions with the STi being there for the sake of having a traditional H-pattern manual as a 'control' perhaps."
That test was pretty much done with the GT-R vs. The World Comparison
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=126453
penboy says:
11:46 AM, 08/14/08
Well, since no one else mentioned it yet, awesome Back to the Future reference. I whole-heartedly approve. =)
I'd be duly impressed if anyone could get in and drive the Smart out of that spot without crying, so long as the R8 and GT-R are there, mocking it with their awesomeness.