On Eve of Smart Times Global Confab, "Smart Tipping" an Ominous Trend in Europe

Facilitating the acts of vandalism is the layout of the under-2,000-pound car, which has its engine in the back and is very lightweight in front as a result. As the Dutch paper notes, many people park the Smart by backing into tight spaces, and lots of tight spaces in Amsterdam are near bodies of water.

European media are drawing comparisons between the sport of "cow tipping" and the destructive acts on the Smart cars.

Meanwhile, the world's partisans of the tiny cars are preparing to gather at the Smart Times '09 meeting in the Alpine town of Zell am See, Austria, on the weekend of August 21-23. Test-drives, a Brabus-tuned Smart "race drive," a concours d'elegance, a party at the Burg Kaprun castle and a grand procession are all part of the fun.

Inside Line says: As one wag posting on the Smart Car of America forum page couldn't resist noting about the Amsterdam incidents: "That's what happens when you have a free flow of pot and no Doritos!" — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent