Smart: the best concepts and special editions

By James Clark Motoring Issues 18 July 2014 11:24 As Smart lifts the lid on the new ForTwo and ForFour this week, CAR magazine looks back on wonderful, wacky and downright woeful Smart special editions and concepts that have been created since the diminutive City Coupe first arrived on the scene in 1998. The Crossblade was a 2002 special edition based on the cabrio version of the city car. Its Brabus-tuned motor put out 70bhp and the car weighed just 740kg.

Nissan Juke Nismo RS arrives with added ‘Butch’: Los Angeles Auto Show

Nissan Juke Nismo RS arrives with added ‘Butch’ Compact SUVs and Crossovers are going the way the hatchback went; from sensible family transport to pseudo sports car. And Nissan are upping the ante once again with an even more aggressive version of the Juke Nismo – the Nissan Juke Nismo RS. The Juke Nismo RS gets a little extra power – up from 197bhp in the Nismo to 2012 bhp in the Nismo RS – which should be enough to get to 62mph in mid-7 seconds, and a choice of manual or CVT ‘box (but if you want 4WD you’ll have to have the mot very appealing CVT).

Algae-powered street lights eat CO2

Algae powered street lighting (great Photoshop) A French biochemist – Pierre Calleja – has developed a street lighting system using micro algae that absorbs CO2. The need to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere is contentious - to say the least – but as long as governments use CO2 as a stick to beat motorists and empty their bank accounts it’s sensible to look at ways of ‘balancing’ the CO2 emissions of cars. French biochemist Pierre Calleja thinks he’s come up with a solution that would neutralise CO2 emissions from cars by cancelling it out with his micro-algae lighting.