Flappy Paddle Smart!

I know that the world is falling apart climatically, geo-politically, Brangelinically, but all is not lost.

"Why?" you say. "Because," I say, "the Smart car is making sales in the USA, and as if that wasn't nifty enough, you can get a Smart with a Flappy Paddle Gear Box!


If you've watched enough Top Gear (and I have) you know the flappy paddle is a feature on supercars, and that the Top Gear boys don't like them, although apparently the later generations of flappy paddle are much improved (see F60 vid below).


The flappy paddle is crossing over into cars for normal people. The Nissan Rogue has a flappy paddle. Mistubishi makes a consumer-market rally car with a flappy paddle (I can't remember which one) and maybe it's on the Eclipse too?

A Smart Cabriolet with a flappy paddle (and a roaring 1.0L, 71HP, 3-cylinder engine) is begging to be the around-town car of the decade.

The only thing I can imagine better is if Mazda would release the RX with a flappy paddle. Then you could say "flappy paddle" and "wankle rotary engine" in reference to one vehicle, and let's honestly admit the best thing about both features is getting to say their names.

And in case you're wondering what a flappy paddle is like, here is a very scholarly YooTube vid. Paddles shift up and down, computer controls clutch and throttle for adjustment. For the apex of flappy paddling see the Top Gear segment on the Ferrari F60 Enzo.

Check out the Smart at www.smartusa.com.