The Smart Roadster Final Edition is the holy grail of Smart Roadster collecting — a limited-run, factory-special variant produced in the dying months of the 452’s short but spectacular production life. Built between 2003 and 2006, the Smart Roadster was always a niche machine, but the Final Edition took rarity to an entirely different level. With production numbers that make a standard Brabus look common, these cars are now genuine modern classics. Whether you’re hunting one down, already own one, or simply want to understand what makes it so special, this guide covers everything: the history, the specification, the differences that matter, and how to buy wisely in today’s market.
A Brief History: Why the Smart Roadster Was Discontinued
To understand why the Smart Roadster Final Edition matters, you need to understand the circumstances that created it. Smart — then a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Swatch founder Nicolas Hayek’s vision of urban mobility — had already defied expectations with the ForTwo. The Roadster was something altogether more daring: a mid-rear engined, open-top sports car with a 698cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine and a kerb weight of just 790kg. It was never meant to be a high-volume seller.
By 2005, however, it was clear that the Roadster’s sales trajectory could not justify continued investment. The model was quietly discontinued in late 2005, with the final cars assembled in Hambach, France, trickling out into dealerships in early 2006. Total production across all variants reached approximately 43,000 units, of which just 7,251 were right-hand-drive UK examples. Against that already modest backdrop, the Final Edition was produced in genuinely tiny numbers — estimates vary by market, but most sources agree fewer than 1,000 Final Edition examples were built across all regions combined.
Smart used the Final Edition as both a farewell gesture and a marketing opportunity, equipping the cars with uprated specifications and distinctive cosmetics to ensure that the last Roadsters left the factory with a flourish.
What Defines a Smart Roadster Final Edition?
Not every late-production Smart Roadster is a Final Edition, and this distinction matters enormously when buying. The Final Edition was a specifically badged, specially configured variant — not simply any car produced in the final months of manufacture. Here is what to look for:
Exterior Identification
Final Edition cars typically featured unique body colours not available on standard models, including deep metallic hues paired with contrasting black or silver trim. Most examples left the factory with a silver or black hardtop as standard rather than the soft-top alone, giving them a more purposeful, coupe-like stance. Badging on the rear and sometimes the sill plates explicitly identifies them as Final Edition models. Check that the colour code on the vehicle identification plate matches known Final Edition colour options — mismatched codes are a red flag suggesting a non-original respray.
Interior Specification
Inside, Final Edition cars were typically equipped to a higher standard than base-specification Roadsters. Expect leather seating surfaces, upgraded instrumentation, and in many cases the Brabus-spec steering wheel with its distinctive three-spoke design. The instrument cluster — a known point of failure on all 452s, with LCD segments fading over time — was identical mechanically to other variants, so do inspect it carefully regardless of the car’s special status. Air conditioning was standard fitment on most Final Edition examples, as were alloy wheels in a finish specific to the model.
Mechanical Specification
Here is the crucial technical question: which engine variant did Final Edition cars use? The answer varies slightly by market, but the overwhelming majority of Final Edition Roadsters were built on the 60kW standard platform — the best all-round variant of the 452. This means the 698cc Mitsubishi-derived turbocharged three-cylinder running 1.09 bar of boost, producing approximately 82 horsepower. A smaller number of Final Edition cars in certain markets, particularly Germany, were specified with the 66kW SB2 Brabus calibration, pushing boost to 1.33 bar. The much-maligned 45kW Lite variant — notable for its absence of an oil cooler — was not used in the Final Edition programme.
All Final Edition cars retained the Softouch automated sequential gearbox, Smart’s paddle-shift system that divides opinion sharply. Its slow, jerky character between ratios is a feature of the platform rather than a fault, and every prospective buyer should understand this before purchase.
The ECU in Final Edition cars is the same Bosch MEG 1.1 unit found across the 452 range. Understanding this unit is important for any owner — you can read a thorough breakdown of its architecture and firmware in our article on the Smart Roadster MEG 1.1 ECU and everything it controls. Final Edition cars left the factory with market-specific firmware, and the optimal version — 1037371568 — may or may not be present depending on the car’s service history and whether the ECU has ever been replaced or reprogrammed.
How Rare Is the Smart Roadster Final Edition, Really?
Numbers tell the story most clearly. The entire Smart Roadster 452 production run amounted to roughly 43,000 cars over three years. Of those, the UK received 7,251 right-hand-drive examples. Within the UK allocation, Final Edition cars numbered in the very low hundreds — industry estimates suggest fewer than 300 UK-specification Final Editions were ever registered. In continental Europe, where left-hand-drive volumes were higher, the numbers are slightly larger but still represent a tiny fraction of total production.
Compare this to other limited-run classics of the same era. The original Lotus Elise S1, produced from 1996 to 2001, totalled around 3,800 examples — modest by mainstream standards, but vastly more common than the Smart Roadster Final Edition. The MG F Trophy 160 SE, a contemporary British sports car special edition, numbered 200 units. The Final Edition Smart Roadster sits comfortably in that rarefied company.
Crucially, attrition has reduced numbers further since 2006. Smart Roadsters are known to suffer from water ingress — a persistent problem with the soft-top and hardtop sealing systems — which, if ignored, causes significant structural and electrical damage. Cars that were not properly maintained, or that spent years in damp climates without appropriate care, have been lost. The surviving pool of Final Edition examples is almost certainly smaller than original registration figures suggest.
Buying a Smart Roadster Final Edition: What to Check
Buying any Smart Roadster requires diligence. Buying a Final Edition requires that diligence amplified, because the premium these cars command makes due diligence financially essential as well as mechanically prudent.
Documentation and Provenance
A genuine Final Edition should have original documentation confirming its specification from new — dealer order forms, original registration documents, or at minimum a full service history that references the car as a Final Edition from its earliest recorded entries. Smart’s factory build records can sometimes be accessed through enthusiast groups to verify a specific VIN’s original specification. Do not rely on the seller’s word alone, and be especially cautious of cars that have been resprayed or had interior components replaced, which can mask a non-Final Edition car being presented as one.
Common Mechanical Issues
All Smart Roadsters share the same core vulnerabilities regardless of variant. Water leaks are the most serious — inspect the footwells, beneath the carpet, and around the soft-top or hardtop sealing rails for any evidence of moisture ingress, staining, or corrosion. The steering rack is a known weak point, with slack or notchy steering suggesting imminent replacement. SAM (Signal Acquisition Module) faults, which manifest as intermittent electrical gremlins, are coded B1xxx and are common on older cars.
The instrument cluster deserves specific attention on Final Edition cars, as these vehicles are now approaching 20 years old and LCD segment failure is widespread. A partial or fully blank cluster display is a significant inconvenience and should be reflected in the purchase price. The Softouch gearbox actuator and mechatronic unit are also worth scrutinising — sluggish or refused shifts beyond normal Softouch character suggest wear or calibration issues.
Pricing in the Current Market
In 2025, the Smart Roadster market has matured considerably. Standard high-mileage examples trade in the 7,000–9,000 EUR range, good-condition cars reach 9,000–12,000 EUR, and low-mileage or Brabus-specification examples command 12,000–15,000 EUR or more. A properly documented, genuinely low-mileage Smart Roadster Final Edition in excellent condition sits at the very top of this range and may exceed it — exceptional examples have achieved figures north of 18,000 EUR at specialist auctions. Be appropriately sceptical of Final Edition cars offered at standard Roadster prices; either the provenance is questionable or there are problems the seller is not foregrounding.
Living With a Smart Roadster Final Edition
Ownership of a Final Edition is, mechanically speaking, ownership of a Smart Roadster — which is both its charm and its challenge. Parts availability has improved in recent years, with the specialist aftermarket filling gaps left by Smart’s own diminishing support. The 698cc engine, derived from Mitsubishi architecture, is fundamentally robust when properly serviced, and the turbocharger itself has a good reputation for longevity provided oil change intervals are respected.
The Softouch gearbox remains the most polarising element of daily life with any 452. Drivers who approach it on its own terms — anticipating shifts, lifting slightly on acceleration, and never expecting it to behave like a modern dual-clutch — invariably get along with it. Those who fight it rarely do.
For Final Edition owners who wish to extract more from their car’s MEG 1.1 ECU without compromising its collectible status, it is worth understanding that ECU remapping can be reversed and the original map preserved — meaning performance upgrades need not be permanent if future concours presentation or resale at original specification is a priority.
The Smart Roadster Final Edition as a Future Classic
The case for the Smart Roadster Final Edition as a genuine future classic is compelling and increasingly accepted by the broader collector community. It represents the final expression of one of the most unconventional sports cars of the early 2000s: a mid-rear engined, turbocharged, featherweight roadster that outhandled cars costing three times its price. The Final Edition adds factory-sanctioned rarity, elevated specification, and the emotional weight of being literally the last of the line.
As emissions regulations make lightweight petrol sports cars increasingly difficult to produce — and as the broader classic car market continues to recognise the early 2000s as a period worth celebrating — the Final Edition’s trajectory seems clear. Values have risen steadily since 2018 and show no sign of plateauing. The challenge for buyers is simply finding one: genuinely documented, properly maintained examples are scarce, and the pool shrinks each year.
For those fortunate enough to own one already, the priority is preservation: maintaining originality where possible, addressing water ingress proactively, keeping documentation complete, and resisting the temptation to modify components in ways that cannot be reversed. The Smart Roadster Final Edition is not merely a car to drive — it is a historically significant object that happened to be engineered to deliver genuine driving pleasure.
Conclusion
The Smart Roadster Final Edition occupies a unique position: rarer than almost any contemporary sports car of comparable character, increasingly recognised as a future classic, and still — when in good condition — an exceptional driving experience. Whether you are buying, owning, or simply admiring from a distance, understanding what makes these cars special is the first step to appreciating them properly. If you are seriously considering a purchase, invest time in verifying provenance, inspecting for water damage, and understanding the ECU and gearbox before committing. Done right, a Final Edition is one of the most rewarding classic car acquisitions available today.
