Failure to raise sufficient funds has lead Team Feber to announce that its smart fortwo won’t be taking part in the iconic 8,000 kilometre Dakar Rally from January 5.
The project, which has already swallowed €80,000 in development costs, needed another €17,000 to compete in the event, but the extra sponsorship failed to materialise. The lightweight Smart Buggy 4×4, which tips the scales at just 750 kg, is actually based on the Polaris XP 900 and propelled by a 900cc two-cylinder engine, developing a fiesty 90 hp.
“We have no choice, we love to dream … we like movies with happy endings, and when it does not cost us digest, even as now, the movie was pretty, very pretty ….” said the despondent driver, Jose Luis Alvarez Alarcón.
[Source: Dakar smart]