smart Coupé (C452) · smart fortwo

C452

The second-generation city car from smart.

Production
2003–2005
Built
25
Body
Coupé
Chassis
C452
smart Coupé (C452) (C452)

Mercedes-Benz and Smart shared more than a corporate parent — the C452 Smart Roadster Coupé was a pocket-sized two-seater built with Stuttgart engineering rigour and a sense of fun that the main brand rarely permitted itself.

Launched in 2003, the Smart Roadster Coupé on the C452 chassis paired a rear-mounted turbocharged three-cylinder engine with a removable T-bar roof panel, creating a miniature grand tourer that weighed under 800 kilograms. The tridion safety cell, rear-wheel drive, and compact dimensions made it a city car that could genuinely entertain on a winding road; the Roadster Coupé variant added a fixed rear window and storable roof sections for all-weather flexibility.

Built from 2003 to 2005 alongside the open R452 Smart Roadster, the C452 represented a brief, brilliant experiment in affordable Mercedes-adjacent sports-car design — a car whose charm and scarcity have made it a cult favorite among Smart enthusiasts.

C452 interior
Cabin details of the C452, as preserved in period photography.

Every model.

3 model designations across 2003–2005 — engines, chassis codes and production figures for the C452.

ModellModelljahreBaumusterMotorGetriebeGesamt
roadster-coupé2004–2006452.334160.922717.476oben enthalten
roadster-coupé2004–2006452.332160.921717.40825
roadster-coupé BRABUS2004–2006452.337160.923717.477oben enthalten

* Die veröffentlichte Produktionszahl umfasst alle Serien dieses Modells; die Quelle schlüsselt sie nicht weiter auf.

C452 side profile
Studio profile of the C452 — the proportions that defined this chassis.
C452 rear three-quarter view
Rear three-quarter view of the C452.