133 Smarts pack San Francisco's Lombard Street!
It appears that early American buyers of the Smart ForTwo are trying to make the diminutive Two-Seater into a true cult car and today's event in San Francisco is the latest example of that. Anyone who has ever scene a movie or TV show set in San Francisco has probably caught a glimpse of Lombard street. A particular one block section of the street that goes down a very steep hill is famed for its tight sequence of hair-pin turns. A group of Smart owners gathered for a meetup and photo shoot on Lombard on Sunday and managed to pack 133 of the city cars into that one block section. One of the owners involved shared some of his own pics of the event with us. See them here. Thanks to David for the tip!
[Source: SmugMug]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tankd0g 1:32AM (8/18/2008)
Lucky they didn't try to go up it :)
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john riley 5:51AM (8/18/2008)
The curvy part is one way - down. They got to the top somehow. The usual approach from the west is steep. The only moderate approach would be from the south. If people are buying these in SF, they must be dealing with the hills.
why not the LS2LS7? 2:14AM (8/18/2008)
The last place I'd take a car with a transmission that seems to cut power for 1.5 seconds on every shift is to San Francisco.
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john riley 5:52AM (8/18/2008)
Hasn't that shifting issue been fixed with the latest version?
curt 5:23PM (8/18/2008)
Shifting problems on the smart has been greatly exaggerated by slow learners and parrots. It shifts quite well, you just need to learn how to use it, or be smart enough to learn how it works.
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NCyder 9:00AM (8/18/2008)
An endorsement by people from San Francisco is just about the last thing I would look for when shopping for a vehicle. (Not that an endorsement from a group from any other city would be better ....)
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DAVID 2:52PM (8/18/2008)
I'm not sure why everyone thinks that just b/c it's a small car it has trouble with hills! I've been driving this car for 8 months and haven't had a single problem with any steep SF hills. Yes I was at the lombard drive and YES we took the steep part of lombard UP to get to the curvy part of lombard going down. I think my favorite part was when a sebring had trouble making it up and nearly drifted back down the hill (tires spinning) as all of us smarties just looked and laughed! tell me, does your car have a hill holder? MINE DOES!
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jphedin 2:46PM (8/19/2008)
Another weekly stunt to keep this transportation device in the public eye. Obviously whengoing down Lombard St at about .5 mph one is not aware of the rough ride, the mediocre handling or herky-jerky nature of the transmission. Just think... if you shut off the Mitsubishi motor you would get even better mileage than 35 and the Mercedes electronic nanny might not work , I have driven the first gen "smart" in San Francisco-the most difficult thing was getting the turbo motor boost up while starting on a hill while keeping the brake on so thatthe transportation device wouldn't roll back. I wonder how the mileage would be if one has to climb a few hills. The smart sales slogan...smart-better than taking the bus!
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mjg1231 10:53AM (8/21/2008)
How about an endorsement from San Jose then? Too close to SF? I've taken mine up Redwood Gulch (17.5%) off Stevens Cyn. No problem whatsoever even statring out from a dead start. But I grew up on an old CVCC and Corolla 4 speed manual clutch so the Smart is easy to drive. Not for everyone though as you can see. Those who think driving a Lexus is the only way to go might not like it.
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kiltbear64 2:21PM (8/24/2008)
Have it in SF. Never a problem getting around the city. No problem with shifting. No problems with hills. If you've ever shifted your own manual before (I did for over 20 years), you'll appreciate how smart the automated manual shift is and so much better than an automatic on hills (Automatics don't keep you in gear going down hear, the smart trannie is smart of enough to behave as if it is engine breaking for you.) If you have only ever driven an automatic, you are right, you might not like it.
Now the big cross winds on a long highway trip... THAT can get tiring. You can't relax on a long trip with winds, which is what you always have zipping up and down the peninsula.
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