Front-wheel drive, smaller than a shoebox and seemingly about as safe as the barriers at the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla enclosure, these tiny city cars never looked destined for a motorsport legacy, until the Italians got their hands on them. Welcome, the SMART Fortwo Racing Cup mod for Assetto Corsa.
When most people think of the Smart Fortwo, they will picture a tiny city car squeezing into impossible parking spaces or quietly buzzing through busy urban streets like a slightly lost bee. Motorsport is usually the last thing that comes to mind when pondering this tiny tin can. But in Italy, the Smart became something entirely different.
The Real Championship
The smart EQ fortwo e-cup was the world's first touring car championship dedicated exclusively to an electric vehicle, launched as part of the ACI Sport Italian Alternative Energy Speed Championship. What began as an unconventional concept quickly developed into one of the most unique single-make racing series in Europe.
Some great racing in the final laps at one of Assetto Corsa's included venues, Vallelunga Circuit
Despite its compact size and humble image, the Smart Fortwo proved to be a surprisingly capable race car. Stripped down, fitted with racing components and transformed into a proper cup machine, the little city car delivered close, competitive racing and became a genuine stepping stone for emerging talent.
One of the most notable drivers to emerge from the series is Italian racing personality Alberto Naska. Since competing in the Smart championship, Naska has built an impressive motorsport résumé, racing in categories including EURONASCAR, Mitjet Italy, the Legends Racing Series, Italian Formula 4, Lotus Cup Italy and, most notably, the GT4 World Series alongside Lotus driver Stefano d'Aste.
Alberto Naska's winning livery is included in the mod, alongside several winning designs from the final years of the Italian Smart E-Cup Series. Naska documented his 2021 season on his YouTube channel, so if you want to see all the details on how this series worked, in Italian, then check out his 'Racing Is Life' project!
While inspired heavily by the real-world championship, the mod does not fully recreate the original Smart E-Cup experience. Several changes have been made for gameplay and driving dynamics, including replacing the electric powertrain with a traditional combustion engine and gearbox setup. Additionally, the Smart model used in the mod differs from the one raced in the official series.
Performance has also been adjusted, with lap times running approximately 4% faster than those of the real-life cars, according to mod creator @SimRacer069.
The project aims to capture the spirit of the championship rather than serve as a strict simulation of how the cars actually ran. Preserving the close racing, quirky personality, and surprisingly competitive nature that made the Smart E-Cup memorable in the first place is an important part of this mod. The mod is also set to appear in the ACSL Racing League
Fancy giving the mod a go yourself? The Smart Fourtwo package is free to download and keep here on OverTake! The mod is fantastic fun to drive and bears many similarities to the other mod we highlighted from this creator, the Fiesta Sprint Cup, in both its design and how it feels to drive in the sim.
What do you think about the Smart Fourtwo Racing Cup mod for Assetto Corsa? Are these little shoe boxes enticing enough for you? Let us know in the comments down below!
