A couple weeks ago, as I was walking around the Tokyo Special Import Car Show, I noticed that there was an unusually large crowd gathered around the booth a company called CRUIZE High Performance. I couldn't understand what could be so popular from a company that makes HID kits and other lighting accessories, but as I got a little closer, I saw what all the commotion was about.
Sitting in the middle of the CRUIZE booth, was a Smart Car outfitted with some aggressive fitting BBS LM wheels and some cool-looking aero parts. A look into the hatch revealed the real conversation piece of this car, a 1000cc engine from a Suzuki GSXR bike. This wasn't the first I've heard of a Gixxer-powered Smart, but the overall execution on this particular example made it look less like a homebuilt contraption and more like a genuine mini-supercar.
Despite the Smart Car's somewhat goofy looks, the exterior modifications actually make this car look pretty nice. I think this is about as cool as a Smart can look. Of course all the lighting on the car is done by CRUIZE.
I really liked how they retained the full interior on this car. The Recaro seats with matching floor mats are a nice touch as well.
This looks about as factory as a crazy engine swap like this can look.
Check out the massive (relative terms here) brakes sitting behind the wheels. No shortage of stopping power there.
One more shot of the whole package.
If you are wondering how this thing runs, you are in luck. CRUIZE has made a promo video showing both the build-up of the car, and some footage of the car sliding around (on a closed circuit of course). They were nice enough to give me a copy of the video on DVD, and they've also posted it on YouTube for all to see. Check it out right here.
CRUIZE High Performance
-Mike Garrett