What Could Have Been: Abandoned smart formore Concept

Cancelled model programs are the stuff of legend in motoring circles. But often the 'abandoned projects' are nothing more than hearsay passed through the rumour mill.

It is only occasionally that hard evidence rears its head.

What you see here is that evidence in action. There once was a time when smart, the brand synonymous with tiny two-seater city cars, wanted to be known as an all-encompassing lifestyle brand. The formore SUV was smart's strategy for breaking into the lucrative SUV market.

Scheduled to debut at the 2005 Frankfurt Auto Show the formore, despite its similarities to the forfour, was to be built on the C-Class 4Matic platform. Motive power would’ve been supplied by Mercedes four and six cylinder engines.

However, the bean-counters at Mercedes decided that the smart brand would be better off focusing on its initial aim of building small cars to suit small spaces, leaving the forfour and formore without a home.

These photos show the unloved formore concept sitting in a Mercedes-Benz warehouse in Germany. While the matte black and satin silver concept rolls on low-profile tyres and features a techno-gasmic interior, the obscured car beside it shows what appears to be a ready-to-roll production version.

Believe it or not, there are lots of serious smart aficionados. Those with growing families are probably now shedding a silent tear for the rugged and spacious smart that never was.

But the formore's spirit will live on. The concept was apparently a hairs-breadth away from production when the plug was pulled, and after the dust had settled Mercedes-Benz stepped in and developed it into the GLK softroader - a car that Daimler Australia is actively campaigning to bring to Aussie showrooms.

So there you have it folks. The formore ain't really dead, it's just had it's brain transplanted into a new body.