One-Off Smart ForTwo Puts Porsche 911 Safaris To Shame

Safari builds are objectively cool. They’re all about eschewing the stereotype that low-slung sports cars are road-hugging machines you can’t even take to the grocery store, much less anywhere without pavement. Porsche 911 Safari cars are a great example. Why worry about scuffing up your air-cooled 911’s nose when you can simply lift it and take it camping for a weekend?

The problem with those, however, is that they’re rather expensive. At least to start with, the Smart ForTwo wasn’t. Back in 2012, it had an MSRP of $12,000 or so. You probably couldn’t buy an air-cooled Porsche engine for that, much less the whole car. Sure, it’s missing the performance figures of the 911, but this thing looks so wild, who really cares?

Given the wild look of the Smart, the mods list is rather extensive. Of course, there’s the green wrap with skull graphics. Highlights also include a custom external roll cage, complete with winch, skid plate, and roof rack, as well as rear overfenders, huge (for a Smart) tires, and a lift. Those BFGoodrich Baja tires measure 30 inches and are mounted to 15-inch steelies and suspended by adjustable coilovers.

To account for the new wheel travel and go-anywhere nature, the front fender was cut, along with the bumper. This Smart off-roader also has some screen provenance behind it. The car was originally built by Gotham Garage for the Netflix series Car Masters: Rust to Riches. There is, however, some evidence of a screen-only build, like the hollow tubes on the exoskeleton and bits of the car’s original red paint showing in some places.

Inside, things were mostly kept stock, save for an aftermarket radio. Thanks to the external cage, the interior is still pretty roomy, at least for a Smart. Also kept stock is the 5-speed automatic gearbox, mated to a tiny 1.0-Liter 3-cylinder making a claimed 70 hp and 68 lb-ft.

We’re hoping the new owner decides to prove this ForTwo off-road, but if not, it’s still a show-stopper. Pull up next to any Safari 911, and that 911 is suddenly totally invisible to any passersby. To say the least, this thing is a Cars & Coffee king. As of now, the high bid on the auction is only $8,000. We’d be shocked if it went higher than $20,000 by the time the auction ends on April 25.