Automobile Retailers

When it comes to a car with brains, nothing’s more brilliant than the smart car. Based out of Germany and produced in France, the smart car (small “s” intentional) is developed by Daimler AG and was first introduced through Mercedes-Benz about a decade ago.

The smart car is spelled in lower case because the word “smart” is meant to be an acronym for “Swatch Mercedes ART.” Swatch is the Swiss watch company who deviated a little bit from making perfect-sync watches to developing a small, parking-friendly automobile.

In 1994, Swatch collaborated with Daimler AG to bring their project, then named the Swatchmobile, into production at a custom-built factory named “Smartville” in Hambach, France. Since 1994, the parent company, Mercedes-Benz, has sold over 1 million smart cars in Europe. In 2008, Mercedes-Benz finally brought the smart car to America.

The idea behind the smart car was to produce a vehicle that would be easy to park and slip into small spaces. At average dimensions of around 98.4 inches in length, it is possible to park two or three smart cars in a normally-sized parking space. Upon release in America, the car expanded in length to around 108 inches. It is approximately 62 inches wide and 61 inches tall.

Whether or not the smart car is ready for North American markets remains to be seen in the long term, but the small car is proving increasingly popular in cities and areas in which there tends to be a considerable amount of trouble market. This Mercedes-Benz development has also proven to give the company a good amount of press stateside, as questions and concerns about the car’s safety have given way to curiosity about what the smart car can do and how it can change the face of how Americans drive, park, and operate their automobiles.

As far as those safety concerns, the smart car uses the tridion safety cell to achieve a four-star crash rating in the United States. The use of reinforced steel also keeps occupants protected in the event of an accident. The smart car redistributes crash energy, too, making the doors completely operational in the event of an accident.

Smart enough?

Those seeing the headline might be thinking “Finally, Scion is going to be exposed for the money-grabbing corporation it is and all of the praise for its fuel economy and classy design will be dismissed!”

Sorry to disappoint, but Scion Exposed™ is the automobile manufacturer’s tour for Scion owners across the United States. The tour is in its fourth year running and has been a roaring success among owners of this smart, efficient vehicle.

Capturing in on the youth market’s desire to have a good time, party, and share experiences, Scion has developed Scion Exposed™ as the ultimate party for the fuel-efficient ride. Hundreds of Scion owners from a variety of states are expected to converge on Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway in Tennessee on May 16-17 as a part of the first stop on this year’s tour.

Characteristically held in locations in the South-eastern and Midwestern United States, Scion Exposed™ provides Scion owners an exclusive chance to get together and meet other avid owners while enjoying an assortment of great food and entertainment all compliments of Scion.

This year’s event is held in conjunction with the Thompson Metal 150 UARA Late Model Race and O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

All Scion owners are welcome to attend to the event as long as they arrive in their Scion vehicles, naturally. The product line-up includes the xB, xD, tC and even the retired xA. Interested owners should register on the event web site. For participants looking to spend the night, Scion Village camping is offered to the first 100 registered campers.

The two-day schedule of events for Scion owners includes complimentary tickets to the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, DJ performances in a designated camping area, exclusive Scion laps around the speedway, regional car show judging, and lots of food and giveaways.

If you’re an Ebay junkie like me, you’ve noticed some good things on there. You can get a grilled cheese sandwich that looks like Elvis Presley, a potato chip that looks like Jimmy Carter or even a cookie that looks like Gandhi. But this blog is about something that might be even better than those three things combined.

How does an authentic Pontiac Trans Am signed by the one and only Burt Reynolds?

This buy has to top the list of automobile collectibles for movie enthusiasts or for those who know what makes a good car. The Trans Am looks like drove straight out of a 1970s cop television show. If you’re a fan of the 70s, you might even recognize it as the same make and model that starred in the classic Smokey and the Bandit film series. I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.

Once you get inside the Trans Am, you can’t miss the authentic signature on the black dashboard signed with a gold pen. It’s the autograph of Burt Reynolds! He didn’t only sign it, though. Burt Reynolds, star of the original The Longest Yard and Deliverance, also drove the vehicle around Georgia while working on some films.

The last time I checked, the price was around $50,000 and there were still a few days to go before the auction ended. You won’t find anything like this at your local Pontiac dealer, but you can still find a great car at a great price.