“I feel like Britney Spears driving down the street,” says Tony Brancaleoni of his smart fortwo cabriolet.

Much like his own papparazi, Brancaleoni--a support engineer from Woodbridge, VA-- has people tailing him, driving on the shoulders, and weaving through traffic to get a better look at him and his smart, often snapping photos with their cell phone camera.

His experience is not unique.

“You definitely feel like a rock star driving this car,” says Ken Kettenbeil spokesperson for smart. He’s also had more than his fair share of photos taken while driving the vehicle.

With its small size and undeniably cute design, smart fortwo is causing whiplash and emerging as a rare bright spot in an otherwise bleak automotive market.

More than 1800 people have already taken delivery of this space-saving vehicle since January.

In this short period of time, Kettenbeil routinely hearing from customers about being approached while they’re on the road and running errands in their smart fortwo. In fact, Smart is considering producing cards answering Frequently Asked Questions. Drivers could hand them out in the event they don’t have the time or inclination to answer bystander questions, says Kettenbeil.

While Kettenbeil won’t give out production or predicted sales numbers, Gary Leeman, brand specialist at Smart Center Alexandria reports that they’re completely sold out for the year.

On a recent Saturday, Leeman had to field 95 visitors in his showroom without any promotion or advertising. “That’s never happened before,” he says.

Many “first wave” buyers are enthusiasts of the small-car movement. Some have been to Europe and have seen how prevalent smart two-seaters are. Others are in need of a fuel-efficient car for commuting or a small vehicle for battling the parking crunch is dense urban areas.

For many, it’s become the ultimate ice breaker.

On a recent trip to the gas station, Brancaleoni spent only $13 filling up his tank, but spent 35 minutes talking to people about his smart fortwo that many assume is electric.

“I wish I were single,” says Brancaleoni of the beautiful women who approach him almost daily asking him about his car. “It’s a babe magnate.”

Chris Bartolomei has also had his share of double-takes while driving his smart.

Bartolomei, an environmental consultant in San Diego, recounts a time he parked in front of Jose’s—a popular eating spot in downtown La Jolla, Calif. After snagging a spot that a Mini could only dream of parking in, a huge cluster of people gathered around his smart fortwo checking out his unusual ride--including a few hot women.

“I could have talked and hung out with them, but I was on my way to meet a date,” he explains.

Most reactions have been positive, he says, but occasionally he runs into small-car backlash.

“A lot of people are insecure about it because it’s so diminutive,” he explains. “I’ve actually had one girl who wouldn’t go out with me because of the car.”

He had tickets to take a woman to Cirque du Soleil, but when she uttered the words, “You’d better bring your truck,” he opted to cancel his date. Instead hetook Shauna—a fellow smart fortwo enthusiast that he met on a smart car forum.

While he hasn’t yet made a love match, he chalks it up to his age and maturity rather than shortcomings of Gidget, his smart fortwo in Passion trim; if he were younger he’d be more forward and out on the prowl more.

However, he fully plans on dressing Gidget up to the nines and putting on his game face at the upcoming Clean Car Show—a gathering where he’s hoping to meet other like-minded women who will fall for him as much as they fall for Gidget.