Photo by Steven St. JohnTribune

Tribune

As seen through a promotional screen, a potential customer inspects the 2008 Smart Fortwo car at Garcia Infiniti. The tiny, two-seat European imports will be available for sale in the United States next year.

Photo by Steven St. JohnTribune

Tribune

Smart USA representative Jessica Marquez rolls up her sleeves during a break from taking customers on test-drives of the new Smart car at Garcia Infiniti.

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Ellie Edelstein fell in love in Italy. Diana Siebenthal caught the bug in France.

Kenneth Hart was on vacation in Germany when the cute little European caught his eye. It was years ago, and he's been thinking about it ever since.

On July 5, these three and hundreds of other enthusiasts finally got a chance to revive their vacation romances with . . . a car.

To be more exact, it's the Smart car, a modern two-seater that fits in half a parking place, goes 90 mph and sips gasoline in the best European style.

"It is not like any other small car out there. They are not just shrunken-down versions," Siebenthal said.

On July 5, Garcia Infiniti held test-drives of the Smart car, which will retail in the United States starting in 2008.

Like many of the people who showed up, Siebenthal has already put down a $99 deposit to be sure she'll get one of the first.

Siebenthal teaches honors English at Sandia High School but said she spends a lot of her summer in Santa Fe. The car will be great for driving on the narrow roads and for parking, she said.

Since early April, 20,000 U.S. residents have paid the $99 required to reserve a car, 200 of them New Mexicans, said David Schembri, president of Smart USA in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

The Smart car, made by a branch of the Mercedes Car Group, was first shown publicly during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Schembri said. The cars went on sale in most European countries in 1998. There are now more than 770,000 in 36 countries.

The deal bringing the Smart car to the United States was orchestrated three or four years ago, a Smart USA representative said.

The visit to Albuquerque this weekend is part of a nationwide tour of 55 cities, the company's first effort to reach out to American consumers. The company is poised to capitalize on $3-a-gallon gasoline prices by offering a tiny vehicle it says achieves 40-plus miles per gallon while still having the punch to hit 90 mph.

Dale Glines, trying out a car on July 5, said, "I like some of the sport features like the upshift on the steering wheel."

Most of the crowd gathered around the cars had seen them in Europe or Canada and wanted one of their own. However, they said emissions standards are different in the United States and foreign cars can't be easily imported into the country.

Hart said he actually purchased a green one about 10 years ago in Germany. "I got a real good deal on it," he said. "I wanted to bring it over and I didn't think they would let it come in, but I tried anyway. I couldn't even get it past Houston."

Hart said he wants the convertible model in blue and silver.

Color seems important to the Smart car enthusiasts. Many are upset the green color will not be offered in the United States.

However, according to promotional materials, the colored exterior panels are removable and can be replaced with different color combinations; in the future a car may have company logo by day and zebra print by night.

"I fell in love with the car in Italy, so I put my money down and I am ready to go," Edelstein said.

Tribune reporter Erik Siemers contributed to this story.