An old and rare Smart model is being sold for the price of a new BMW 5 (10 photos)
A rare modification of Smart ForTwo, a semblance of an ultra-compact speedster called Crossblade, has been put up for sale in the states. The car was released back in 2003 and is not in the best condition. However, the rarity of this modification led to a high price for Smart at $58,500 - about the same price in the United States for the basic equipment of the new BMW 5 Series. 
The Smart Crossblade is essentially a concept that has gone into production. It is based on the Fortwo roadster, but is distinguished by the almost complete absence of a windshield, which was replaced by a small visor. Instead of a roof, there is a roll bar above the headrests, and instead of doors there are symbolic folding beams. Thus, you can operate an exotic microcar only in dry, warm weather.
The Crossblade was equipped with the Fortwo's standard 600cc engine, but the speedster used a version of the engine modified by Brabus. The tuners increased the engine output by 10 horsepower - up to 70 hp. Despite its super-compact size, the Crossblade took about 17 seconds to accelerate to 100 km/h.
A total of 2,000 copies of these Smarts were collected, and the 1,722nd was put up for sale. The “sports car” has traveled about 14.5 thousand kilometers since 2003, which has noticeably affected its condition. From the outside, the Crossblade looks like new, but the coating has already begun to peel off in some places, and rust has appeared on the bottom. 
