Breaking! smart fortwo BRABUS model will make its debut in the United States beginning in February 2009

Update 3: Click here for pricing and features!

Update 2: I just had a phone call with Ken Kettenbeil, smart USA's communication Director. The only thing that Ken was willing to confirm at this point is that there will be a BRABUS version of the fortwo offered to U.S. consumers and that it WILL NOT have the 98HP turbo motor. Why the dearth of information? smart wants to officially announce the car at the LA Auto Show and if they spilled all the details now, there wouldn't be much to talk about come November.

Update: The U.S. BRABUS version may or may not have performance upgrades. There is some speculation that the U.S. BRABUS model will be an appearance package with perhaps some suspension tweaks. The fortwo BRABUS model available elsewhere does have a turbo motor with 98HP. This is all rampant speculation at this point, so we'll just have to wait until official word is passed down from smart USA.

Below is the text from an e-mail sent to smart reservation holders. I have confirmation from two individuals that this is a legitimate e-mail, however I don't have official word as of yet. Stay tuned for more details! (photo of Euro BRABUS shown)

smart USA has an exciting announcement to make! The very popular and sporty smart fortwo BRABUS model will make its debut in the United States beginning in February 2009, and you will have the opportunity to be one of the first customers to own this exciting vehicle.

All current reservation holders who have not yet been invited to configure their vehicles will have the opportunity to request to convert their current reservation to a smart fortwo BRABUS model beginning Thursday evening at 5pm PST, October, 23, 2008. This special offer will only be available for a limited time, and only a limited quantity of BRABUS models will be available, so be sure to check your email on Thursday, October 23, 2008, for model information, pricing and reservation instructions.