Ghetto Smart

This is actually in the heart of the financial district in San Francisco — hardly a ghetto. An alley off 2nd street just south of Market always has plenty of parking on weekends because it takes about 3 quarters a minute to keep the meter happy. This doesn't really look like genuine spontaneous grafitti but some sort of commisioned art — it's pretty carefully applied and really vibrant. It reflects powerfully in the car's flanks.

View from a City Car

The Smart car generally garners rave reviews as a "City Car", a designation that usually refers to its compact dimensions that allow ease of handling and parking. But what about the view upwards? Cities are defined by their density – which require going vertical. A convertible is the only way to really enjoy a city like San Francisco where much of the view is above your windshield. Here's a view through the open top of one of my favorite buildings downtown: the Neo-Gothic PacBell Building – an architectural masterpiece completed in 1925.

Electric Smart

People often assume my Smart car is electrically powered. I'm routinely asked how far it goes on a charge, sometimes even while I'm filling up at a gas station! But there are real electric Smarts in various stages of development, using several different technologies. A current pilot project in London involving two Smarts has been put into municipal duty - as police cars. It reportedly has a top speed of 60 and a range of 70 miles - not the stuff of high-speed chases. Here's one captured by the the irrepressible Frode Hegland of HyperWords fame. 

Curiously it's modeled on the previous generation model – the 450 – which I actually think looks sleeker (relatively) and has a better resolved design than the current, USA-legal Smart car.

Bolinas

The reluctant town of Bolinas sits just north of Stinson Beach, and couldn't be more different. It's infamous for its feisty, isolationist-minded residents who continue to resist having any kind of signage identifying the town from the main road - you have to know to hang a left on an unmarked, wooded turnoff. What you'll find is a rundown, backward community that tries hard to avoid their town turning into a yuppie tourist haunt. They have charmingly succeeded. A pleasant diversion, a collection of dilapidated Victorian wooden buildings, and a great beach.

Sunset in Alameda

We had a picnic watching the sunset by the bay on an unusually calm day. A little point of land off Alameda island rather grandly named Ballena Bay Waterfront Breakwater has stunning views across to San Francisco. Surprisingly warm for February - we had the car's top down well into the evening. Drove around the old decomissioned base to the spot where the Navy has a few of their vessels stored. The light was remarkable and the water was like glass - great reflections.

Summer in January

We usually have a respite from rainy weather in the first month of the year, but even for Northern California it's been an unusually warm, dry January. We decided to take a spin up the San francisco Peninsula, driving North from Santa Cruz on Highway 1 up to the town of Pacifica. I've always loved this road, a smooth open route that winds up the coast through mostly agricultural land extending to the cliffs that fall into the sea.




We stopped at a few spots along the way, marveling the larger than normal waves, and then pulled over at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse. A picturesque local landmark that was built back in the early 70s — the 1870s! There's a great spot where you can drive across a lumpy, muddy field right out to the edge of the cliffs and admire the wonderful view. The weather was downright balmy — it rarely gets this warm in the summer time - the place is cloaked in a heavy fog most of the time.



When we got up to Pacifica — a rather unremarkable town bordering San Francisco — we had enjoyed the ride so much we decided to drive the same way back south again, taking in a spectacular setting sun all the way down. A great day of Smart driving.

Evil Smart

One of the more distinctive design features that helps differentiates the current model Smart car from the previous version are its stylized headlights - much more aggressive looking, and dare I say, a little angry. Especially appropriate for Halloween!

Post War Smart

Introduced in in 1953, the diminutive Isetta captured the automotive hearts of post-war Italians. A few years later it was licensed by BMW and extensively reworked and engineered into the model you see here - the Isetta Moto Coupe DeLuxe. It had a slightly bigger engine than the original - still only 300cc - and sliding side windows rather than the original's glass bubble. The rear wheels had a much narrower track than the front making it look like a three wheeler from some angles. It's a foot shorter than a Smart with the really unique feature of having you enter and exit through the front. The whole front face hinges open to one side like a giant refrigerator door - even the steering wheel pivots aside to allow you to get inside by stepping over the front bumper. It was quite sucessful and was pressed into commercial service with a tiny pickup truck variant. I shot this fine example at the Pebble beach Concours d'elegance in Monterey last week.

Stubborn Gear Lever

Something a little strange has been happening over the last couple of days. The central gear lever started getting a little sticky, a tad tougher to shift. Most of the driving is done with the paddle shifters but at the end of the day, shifting into park takes a forceful shove with both hands. Finally this morning, after I pulled into work, I couldn't budge the lever at all. Turned the engine off but of course couldn't pull the key out because the car wasn't in park. So I left it there and called the dealership. 

Apparently it's a common problem with Smart cars at this stage - a little past the 5000 mile mark - and could be repaired quite easily. Something about loosening the gear lever surround and rotating the base a quarter turn. I decided to let the dealer handle it - I coaxed the Smart into reverse gear by rocking the whole car a little and then drove off to the Steven's Creek Smart Center - they had it done while we grabbed some lunch nearby. Now it's back to shifting as slick as ever.

Lost in Oregon

DRAFT IN PROGRESS
I decided to take a little detour when driving back to California on the Redwood Highway — 199. From the town of Cave Junction I thought it would be fun to strike out on my own and take a more scenic route to the Oregon Caves that were due East a few miles. It was a I didn't think anything of it when the the road turned to gravel and - National Forest Development Road 4703
Signs shot out
oblique-angled slip roads that I hadn't noticed before.
Two more wrong turns and I was begining to think I would never get out of this maze of raodways,
turned around for the third time. Hear tbeating think about the the ill fated CNET's James Kim who had gotten lost in these mousntinas driving with his family the year before . Of couse that was in the middle of the night in a snowstorm and heaqr I was at high noon in 790 degree weather.
Remebered I had fueled up at the only gas styation in town that morning and called information, Luckily they had a town truck and were able to come within 20 mins. Had to get a new tire but very thankful I got out of there without too much trouble.

Not a Go-Kart!

In spite of what the picture above may say, the Smart is far from being a basic go-kart, as some detractors have have unkindly claimed. Americans are generally unfamiliar with small, efficient cars of any sort - they are so rare in this land of trucks. Many assume that because of its diminutive size, it must pretty basic in its accommodation. Quite the opposite - especially in my top-spec "Passion Cabriolet" model (can we get any girlier with the naming guys?!). Electronic multipoint fuel injection, front and side airbags, power-assisted steering and antilock brakes, computerized electronic stability control, six-CD multi-speaker stereo, along with the now ubiquitous electric windows, remote locking and forged aluminium wheels. And a top speed of 90 mph to boot!

The picture above was taken on Montgomery Street in San Francisco in front of the Kartell showroom - ultra modern furniture from Italy. Love that oversized Helvetica.