smart Coupé (C450) · smart fortwo

C450

Tiny footprint, big Mercedes-Benz engineering.

Production
1998–2004
Body
Coupé
Chassis
C450
smart Coupé (C450) (C450)

Long before the electric smart, the C450 fortwo proved that a two-meter footprint could carry a three-pointed star — the original smart Coupé that brought Mercedes-Benz and Swatch's city-car joint venture to market.

Launched in 1998, the first-generation smart fortwo on C450 used a rear-mounted three-cylinder engine, tridion safety cell, and interchangeable body panels in a package barely longer than a parking space. Petrol and diesel variants served European cities where conventional cars could not fit; the design was deliberately playful, but the engineering was dead serious about crash protection and urban agility.

Production ran from 1998 to 2004 before the C452 second-generation car arrived. The C450 established smart as a Mercedes-Benz-adjacent brand and proved that premium engineering could survive radical downsizing.

C450 interior
Cabin details of the C450, as preserved in period photography.

Every model.

14 model designations across 1998–2004 — engines, chassis codes and production figures for the C450.

ModelloModel yearTelaioMotoreCambioTotale
coupé business cdi2000–2004450.306660.940717.409
coupé cdi2000–2004450.300660.940717.409
coupé passion cdi2000–2004450.303660.940717.409
coupé pulse cdi2000–2004450.302660.940717.409
coupé pure cdi2000–2004450.301660.940717.409
city-coupé2001–2004450.335160.910717.407
city-coupé2003–2004450.332160.920717.408
city-coupé2003–2004450.330160.920717.408
city-coupé BRABUS2001–2004450.333160.920717.476
city-coupé BRABUS2003–2004450.314160.910717.407
coupé business pure1999–2004450.336160.910717.407
coupé pulse1999–2004450.342160.910717.407
coupé pure1999–2004450.331160.910717.407
coupé pure +1999–2004450.341160.910717.407
C450 side profile
Studio profile of the C450 — the proportions that defined this chassis.
C450 rear three-quarter view
Rear three-quarter view of the C450.

Engines.

The M160 as fitted to the C450.

M160

Inline-3
  • 160.9100.6 L · 599 cc

    45 PS

    33 kW · 44 hp a 5,250 giri/min

    70 N·m

    52 lb·ft a 3,000 giri/min

  • 160.9200.7 L · 698 cc

    50 PS

    37 kW · 50 hp a 5,250 giri/min

    80 N·m

    59 lb·ft a 1,800 giri/min