Mind-boggling 2012 Smart ForTwo off-roader listed on Cars & Bids

Smart recently marched into the crossover segment by releasing the #1, but the electric four-seater doesn't look like something you'd want to take off-road. If you're in the market for a go-anywhere Smart, there's a second-generation ForTwo that features an astonishingly long list of off-road-focused modifications (including an eight-inch suspension lift!) currently live on enthusiast auction site Cars & Bids with no reserve.

California-based Gotham Garage reportedly built this ForTwo for a show called Car Masters: Rust to Riches that aired on Netflix, and it looks like nothing was deemed off-limits to give the cheeky city car the kind of off-road prowess you'd normally find in a Jeep Wrangler. Riding on 30-inch tires, the ForTwo features a suspension system that's taller and a lot wider than stock, an exoskeleton-type roll cage, a front skid plate, and a 4,000-pound winch, among many other modifications. There is space on the roll cage to mount a gas can and a spare wheel.

The end result is a ForTwo that looks like nothing else on the road — and like nothing else off the road, too. Imagine the look on a Ford Bronco driver's face when you zip by in a Smart on the Rubicon Trail. Inside, the little two-seater is surprisingly stock: the only modification is a nine-inch touchscreen. It doesn't sound like the drivetrain was touched, meaning that power comes from a rear-mounted, 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine rated at 70 horsepower and 68 pound-feet of torque. It spins the rear wheels via a five-speed automatic transmission.

As of writing, bidding stands at $8,333 with three days left to go; the auction ends on April 25 at 10:30 a.m. California time, which is 1:38 p.m in New York. And, because this is a no-reserve auction, the winning bidder will be the one that takes this one-of-a-kind ForTwo home.

There is another ForTwo currently live on Cars & Bids, and this one is pegged on the other end of the Smart spectrum. It's a limited-edition Crossblade, which was a concept car-like evolution of the original ForTwo that was exclusively sold in Europe. It has no doors, no roof, and a wind deflector instead of a windshield, and the example being auctioned has been displayed in the Petersen Automotive Museum. 

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By Ronan Glon