The Smart City-Coupé is that funky telephone box on wheels, an earnest and responsible way to beat urban congestion and feel good about yourself at the same time. It’s a car that’s kind to the planet and easy to park as well. It’s just not very much fun.

So meet the Smart Roadster, a car spawned by its tiny City sibling that aims to knock your socks off, fun-wise. The Smart brand is owned by DaimlerChrysler, which recently launched the Roadster on the Algarve in Portugal. The message was “fun”, and while an earnest engineer showed us how to take the roof off, half a dozen young men parasailed in circles behind us. A company PR nodded at them proudly. “Those are our guys,” he said, pleased at the neatly crafted beach scene.

They needn’t have tried so hard — walk around this car just once and you’ll be dying to drive it. It’s just as funky as its City sibling but, crucially, it looks much more like a real and serious car. It has still got the cute, smiley face, but it also has massive flares over aggressively sized wheels, a very low-slung body and a slightly edgy character.

And while it is much longer, lower and wider than the City-Coupé, the roadster is actually smaller than the Lotus Elise. And a great deal smaller than competitors such as the Mazda MX-5, MG TF and Peugeot 206CC.

Even though it looks radically different, the Roadster has a similar mechanical layout to the City-Coupé, which means a turbocharged three-cylinder engine mounted between the rear wheels. That said, the tiny 698cc motor has been tuned to a more powerful 80bhp. That’s much less than its competitors, but the Roadster’s real party trick is a kerb weight of just 1,750lb, far less than any other contender.

And it is an absolute hoot to drive. The chassis structure is amazingly rigid, so you don’t get any of the shake, rattle and roll that plagues many drop tops. That rigidity also enables the suspension to deliver superb levels of grip and handling balance, as well as a quite decent ride over patchy surfaces. And the steering delivers all kinds of good feedback, giving you the confidence to take the next corner a little bit quicker. Just for the fun of it.

In fact, the only complaint here is the sequential automated six-speed gearbox. In automatic mode the shifts are unbearably slow, and in manual sequential mode the experience isn’t much better. That’s a shame, given such a characterful and willing little engine. In fact, in the right kind of mood you’d even call the exhaust note a Mini-me Porsche 911.

Open the door, drop down into the cabin — it really is like sitting on the floor — and you’ll appreciate the solid thunk as you close the door behind you. This car doesn’t feel flimsy, even if the materials inside aren’t up to Mercedes’ standards. And there are endearing wacky details, like the two eyeball instruments mounted on the dashtop which monitor turbo-boost pressure.

Two large blokes will find the Roadster a bit short of elbow room. But that’s an entirely survivable situation, and with small front and rear boot spaces you can actually get a couple of soft bags and a briefcase on board. The Roadster Coupé gains a glass hatch instead of the flat deck of the regular Roadster, which gives more luggage capacity.

The roof mechanism is quite nifty, too. You can specify a cloth roof that slides back like the lid of a rolltop desk; you just take the roof rails off and store them in the front boot. Or you can have more conventional removable targa panels. Both work quite well.

The Smart Roadster goes on sale in Europe in April, with right-hand-drive versions coming to Britain in September. They’ll be well equipped and will cost £13,495 for the Roadster and £14,495 for the Roadster Coupé.

In anticipation of huge demand, Smart dealers will be allocated 200 left-hand-drive Roadsters to go on sale from June — prices will start at £9,995 for a stripped-out version, rising to £13,495 for the top-spec car.

I reckon this car could be the Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite for a new generation. And if you don’t know what that is, ask your dad.

VITAL STATISTICS
Model Smart Roadster
Engine type Three-cylinder, 698cc, turbocharged
Power/Torque 80bhp @ 5250rpm/ 81 lb ft @ 2250-4500rpm
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Suspension (front) MacPherson struts, wishbones, anti-roll bars; (rear) De Dion suspension tube, wishbones, springs, dampers
Fuel/CO2 55.4mpg (combined)/ 122g/km
Acceleration 0 to 62mph: 10.9sec
Price £13,495
Verdict A lightweight, affordable roadster that's a blast to drive