Smart Forrail is the Strangest Viral Marketing Campaign Ever

Smart might have gone off the rails.

In the very competitive automotive world, creating buzz and getting attention isn’t easy — there is a sea of cars out there and clever marketing campaigns coming out every day. But the latest creation from Smart might be one of the weirdest yet, as the automaker has taken one of its compact Forfour models and turned it into a train… sort of. Called the Smart Forrail, Smart UK appears to want to prove that its models handle like they’re on rails, but we’re not entirely sure this campaign proves that point.

Sporting 22-inch solid steel wheels, the Forrail forgoes traditional tires and instead has been built to “drive” on standard-gauge railroad tracks. The company put it on a privately owned railway in the U.K. where it was able to move on its own power. The automaker shared that the one-off creation was built by Interfleet, a train constructor in Derby, England, and took a journey on Bluebell Railway in Sussex.

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Along with the custom steel wheels, Interfleet modified the Forrail to have its steering gear disconnected and had extra supports welded in order to lock the front wheels in position.

Again, we’re not entirely sure what the purpose of creating the Smart Forrail was for, but the company claims that it’s “arguably the most efficient, and fun, commuting machine in the world.”

Maybe there’s a reason why Smart has managed to sell only 2,850 vehicles in the U.S. during the first five months of 2015.

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