(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--g8rx_1YY--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/cbzvfyx7rrmw8f47lfbe.png)
http://jalopnik.com/this-planned-electric-three-wheeler-looks-fantastic-and-1818561069
If they produce it, find a NA importer, and price it under ~$15,000, I definitely want one. :wub:
A 30hp 2 cyl 4 stroke would be perfection though. :tounge:
Nice looking car. Not so much retro as an authentic looking early 60s vehicle.
That's laughably incomplete :lol: Kevin's designs are closer to manufacturing than those are.
If we're talking about pie-in-the-sky 3 wheelers, I'd rather have a VW GX3.
Quote from: MrH on September 20, 2017, 08:00:29 AM
That's laughably incomplete :lol: Kevin's designs are closer to manufacturing than those are.
If we're talking about pie-in-the-sky 3 wheelers, I'd rather have a VW GX3.
Yeah it's very early in development, but per the article there's a pretty big team behind it. The appeal is in the simplicity.
Quote from: MrH on September 20, 2017, 08:00:29 AM
That's laughably incomplete :lol: Kevin's designs are closer to manufacturing than those are.
If we're talking about pie-in-the-sky 3 wheelers, I'd rather have a VW GX3.
Boo for the backhanded compliment
-----------------
As cute as this is (I like it), the model is OK - I could prolly make something similar and more feasible in about a week. The thin roof is really the part that stands out as being "too fake"
:lol: It wasn't meant to be a backhanded compliment. Yeah, the pencil thin roof just immediately stuck out as something that shows they haven't thought about this beyond aesthetics at all. Your designs have a lot more consideration.
Kevin's designs take into account a proper car's crash requirements. 3 wheelers aren't constrained by tough crash/safety standards. It's not something you want to drive on the highway, but perfectly fine in urban areas or rural roads.
I kinda like this one...
(https://s26.postimg.org/fvrwx5uyx/uevvjnpibzfnxugitjgv.png)
The mid-sixties look.
How could this possibly work in the modern world? :lol:
(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--tuIkvgtO--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/zue6se7kg1mjafehwdci.png)
No air bag? Analog gauges? No dash pad? Can they even make stainless steel or real chrome trim anymore? No place to plug in your phone? NO CUP HOLDER!!?? :lol:
Quote from: shp4man on September 20, 2017, 09:10:59 AM
How could this possibly work in the modern world? :lol:
(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--tuIkvgtO--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/zue6se7kg1mjafehwdci.png)
No air bag? Analog gauges? No dash pad? Can they even make stainless steel or real chrome trim anymore? No place to plug in your phone? NO CUP HOLDER!!?? :lol:
And crank windows. People wouldn't stand for that anymore.
Quote from: shp4man on September 20, 2017, 09:10:59 AM
How could this possibly work in the modern world? :lol:
(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--tuIkvgtO--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/zue6se7kg1mjafehwdci.png)
No air bag? Analog gauges? No dash pad? Can they even make stainless steel or real chrome trim anymore? No place to plug in your phone? NO CUP HOLDER!!?? :lol:
3 wheels = not a car. Safety regulations do not apply.
Quote from: MX793 on September 20, 2017, 09:26:28 AM
3 wheels = not a car. Safety regulations do not apply.
Thank goodness someone else gets it. :lol:
They look awesome but I'm not sure there's a market. Guess we'll see. If the price was low enough I might consider it. Maybe. Probably not...
Quote from: MX793 on September 20, 2017, 09:26:28 AM
3 wheels = not a car. Safety regulations do not apply.
Ya. Was just trying to be funny, but would the average cell phone addicted American car buyer want that safety/other stuff?
Quote from: shp4man on September 20, 2017, 12:20:06 PM
Ya. Was just trying to be funny, but would the average cell phone addicted American car buyer want that safety/other stuff?
Nothing about this is for the average American car buyer. You want safety/other stuff, there's actual cars for that.
The thing about going full retro like this is: you're just a poseur.
If you're going to give up the modern safety and convenience of a modern car for style, you may as well buy an actual classic.
Whats driving a trike even like anyway? I get this thing will be low in power, but it looks like it is also incredibly narrow. Wouldn't it tip over at even the most basic of spirited driving?
Quote from: Xer0 on September 20, 2017, 01:07:24 PM
Whats driving a trike even like anyway? I get this thing will be low in power, but it looks like it is also incredibly narrow. Wouldn't it tip over at even the most basic of spirited driving?
The Renault Robin was infamous for this; but reverse trikes are apparently pretty stable. Granted, most are lower than this appears to be.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on September 20, 2017, 01:12:12 PM
The Renault Robin was infamous for this; but reverse trikes are apparently pretty stable. Granted, most are lower than this appears to be.
I had to look up the Robin and a flipped one was within the first 9 Google Image hits :lol:
Can Am trikes are pretty stable. Ugly as hell, though.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on September 20, 2017, 01:12:12 PM
The Renault Robin was infamous for this; but reverse trikes are apparently pretty stable. Granted, most are lower than this appears to be.
Reliant, not Renault.
Quote from: Xer0 on September 20, 2017, 01:07:24 PM
Whats driving a trike even like anyway? I get this thing will be low in power, but it looks like it is also incredibly narrow. Wouldn't it tip over at even the most basic of spirited driving?
A trike with one wheel in front is inherently a rollover hazard in corners because every time you turn a corner your contact patches on the front and outer rear tires establish a roll axis. Your front tire has to provide a counter-force against the car's inertia, but if the centre of gravity is large/high enough the car rolls over to the outside of the turn.
A trike with one wheel in the back generally won't have that problem with the added wheel in front. On the other hand all things being equal it will probably be more susceptible to break oversteer.
Quote from: shp4man on September 20, 2017, 01:25:53 PM
Can Am trikes are pretty stable. Ugly as hell, though.
The Can Ams also have undefeatable stability control and their power steering weights up so they are really hard to turn sharply at speed.
There's no steering column in that rendering.
Also the thin roof is worrysome, not just for safety but it comes together in a weird way that I don't think would be manufacturable.
The 2nd body shape is better anyways. Reminds me of a trike version of a DB4 crossed with a Henry J.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on September 20, 2017, 12:37:32 PM
The thing about going full retro like this is: you're just a poseur.
If you're going to give up the modern safety and convenience of a modern car for style, you may as well buy an actual classic.
Weak and passé argument that holds zero merit with me. I like what I like.
Consumer Reports will test this, roll it over, and not recommend it. :lol:
Quote from: 93JC on September 20, 2017, 01:27:48 PM
Reliant, not Renault.
A trike with one wheel in front is inherently a rollover hazard in corners because every time you turn a corner your contact patches on the front and outer rear tires establish a roll axis. Your front tire has to provide a counter-force against the car's inertia, but if the centre of gravity is large/high enough the car rolls over to the outside of the turn.
A trike with one wheel in the back generally won't have that problem with the added wheel in front. On the other hand all things being equal it will probably be more susceptible to break oversteer.
Could swear I typed Reliant. Autocorrect maybe?
Yeah, that's the ticket. I was autocorrected...
Quote from: Rockraven on September 20, 2017, 01:37:03 PM
Weak and passé argument that holds zero merit with me. I like what I like.
I kinda like it too.
But take that base price; whatever it ends up being (and $40,000 is a lot more likely than $15,000- look at the Morgan Trikes), and compare it to what sort of classic you could get for that price.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on September 20, 2017, 02:25:21 PM
I kinda like it too.
But take that base price; whatever it ends up being (and $40,000 is a lot more likely than $15,000- look at the Morgan Trikes), and compare it to what sort of classic you could get for that price.
But a real classic would not be an eco-friendly EV.
Quote from: MX793 on September 20, 2017, 02:28:04 PM
But a real classic would not be an eco-friendly EV.
Even better!
Quote from: Soup DeVille on September 20, 2017, 02:22:12 PM
Could swear I typed Reliant. Autocorrect maybe?
Yeah, that's the ticket. I was autocorrected...
I believe you, Sir Beephe, I really do. My phone often autocorrects 'the' to 'there', 'were' to 'where' (and vice versa), 'thing' to 'thong' and 'remember' to a litany of other words, and it's infuriating.
Quote from: MX793 on September 20, 2017, 02:28:04 PM
But a real classic would not be an eco-friendly EV.
It could be.
http://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=40
If you want a cheap little car like these, you could look into Cycle Karts
http://jalopnik.com/5213293/cyclekarting-extreme-vintage-go-karting
Quote from: CaminoRacer on September 20, 2017, 07:01:06 PM
If you want a cheap little car like these, you could look into Cycle Karts
http://jalopnik.com/5213293/cyclekarting-extreme-vintage-go-karting
Now, that's what I would call being an enthusiast.
There's a video of someone rolling a SlingShot on an autoX course. That killed the idea of ever owning a trike for me.
Quote from: MrH on September 21, 2017, 08:15:47 AM
There's a video of someone rolling a SlingShot on an autoX course. That killed the idea of ever owning a trike for me.
FWIW, I've personally seen an older Civic (early 90s) on sticky tires go dangerously high on 2 wheels at an autocross.
Quote from: MrH on September 21, 2017, 08:15:47 AM
There's a video of someone rolling a SlingShot on an autoX course. That killed the idea of ever owning a trike for me.
Not autocross, but looks like some sort of IIHS testing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXCq-EuHXHE
Quote from: MX793 on September 21, 2017, 08:30:52 AM
FWIW, I've personally seen an older Civic (early 90s) on sticky tires go dangerously high on 2 wheels at an autocross.
Same. Must be the chassis design.
Quote from: SVT_Power on September 21, 2017, 08:32:06 AM
Not autocross, but looks like some sort of IIHS testing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXCq-EuHXHE
Yeah, that's it. The center of gravity is like an inch off the ground and it still rolled. That's scary to me.
POS
I really wish we could legislate some crash testing standard exemptions and allow people to take the risks of buying a stripped down simple car. These 3 wheel loophole cars would be much better with 4 wheels.
Quote from: MrH on September 21, 2017, 12:13:37 PM
Yeah, that's it. The center of gravity is like an inch off the ground and it still rolled. That's scary to me.
He had it locked hard left when he rolled too; not like some of the tests where they roll them on purpose and do everything wrong.
Quote from: r0tor on September 21, 2017, 12:22:26 PM
I really wish we could legislate some crash testing standard exemptions and allow people to take the risks of buying a stripped down simple car. These 3 wheel loophole cars would be much better with 4 wheels.
There is recent legislation that allows boutique manufacturers to sell <500 cars a year without crash testing
Quote from: MrH on September 21, 2017, 12:13:37 PM
Yeah, that's it. The center of gravity is like an inch off the ground and it still rolled. That's scary to me.
Makes sense. It started sliding and wanted to shift the weight to the rear corner, which doesn't exist. Tapping the brakes may have helped?
Quote from: Laconian on September 21, 2017, 12:20:46 PM
POS
I looked at a Slingshot at the local Polaris dealer awhile back. My ride-on lawnmower has better fit and finish.
Quote from: CaminoRacer on September 21, 2017, 12:34:43 PM
There is recent legislation that allows boutique manufacturers to sell <500 cars a year without crash testing
I believe they still have to have the necessary safety equipment (like airbags), though.
Quote from: MX793 on September 21, 2017, 12:52:54 PM
I believe they still have to have the necessary safety equipment (like airbags), though.
Seatbelts yes, but airbags? I doubt that because it goes against the purpose of the small scale manufacturer legislation. I can't see a small boutique car company having to develop an airbag system for their cars.
Anyways, why are we talking about autocrossing? Does the little 3-wheeler in the OP look like a fucking autocross machine? :banghead:
Quote from: Rockraven on September 21, 2017, 12:57:25 PM
Seatbelts yes, but airbags? I doubt that because it goes against the purpose of the small scale manufacturer legislation. I can't see a small boutique car company having to develop an airbag system for their cars.
Had to look it up and you're right, all safety standards are waived. However, the vehicles must be replicas of classic cars, which wouldn't have modern safety gear or meet crash standards if authentic anyway. So Cobra or 32 Ford hot rod replicas are kosher, but vehicles like the Atom, Mono, or Xbow aren't covered.
Hmm, I thought Hennessey was using that rule to make a new car that isn't a replica.
Quote from: MX793 on September 21, 2017, 01:06:45 PM
Had to look it up and you're right, all safety standards are waived. However, the vehicles must be replicas of classic cars, which wouldn't have modern safety gear or meet crash standards if authentic anyway. So Cobra or 32 Ford hot rod replicas are kosher, but vehicles like the Atom, Mono, or Xbow aren't covered.
You can get Atoms and Monos street legal though. I haven't seen a Xbow here though. Not sure if they install the powertrain here and consider it a kit car or what, but I do know both of those are on the street.
Quote from: CaminoRacer on September 21, 2017, 01:39:19 PM
Hmm, I thought Hennessey was using that rule to make a new car that isn't a replica.
Yes, that's true.
Quote from: MX793 on September 21, 2017, 01:06:45 PM
Had to look it up and you're right, all safety standards are waived. However, the vehicles must be replicas of classic cars, which wouldn't have modern safety gear or meet crash standards if authentic anyway. So Cobra or 32 Ford hot rod replicas are kosher, but vehicles like the Atom, Mono, or Xbow aren't covered.
Got a link? I think you only read part of the regulation. Pretty sure original low production boutique cars are covered separately.
Quote from: CaminoRacer on September 21, 2017, 01:39:19 PM
Hmm, I thought Hennessey was using that rule to make a new car that isn't a replica.
Are they selling it as a production car or a kit?
https://www.rcnmag.com/news/low-volume-legislation-encapsulation
Explains the legislation pretty well, and it looks like MX is right. Companies like Hennessey, Ariel, etc must have their own way around this, probably something like they sold the incomplete car as allowed by the regs, and then "became" an installer for the powertrain as selected by the purchaser (?).
The 500 unit limit also pretty much throws out anything priced cheaply... Which sort of its the point of a stripped down automobile (for me anyway)
Hey yeah this is great. I'd love to drive a car which is a rolling Iron Maiden because I don't value my life or limbs or that of my loved ones. I mean, that texting 16 year old behind me driving that 6,000 lb SUV would never hit me in this stop and go traffic, right? I like to drive something so basic I feel like I'm one with the road. And if I get pancaked I'll really be one with the asphalt so it's cool. :wtf:
I get it. I get it. It's not for me though.
Quote from: SVT_Power on September 21, 2017, 08:32:06 AM
Not autocross, but looks like some sort of IIHS testing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXCq-EuHXHE
Well, that looks terrifying.
Quote from: veeman on September 21, 2017, 08:06:47 PM
Hey yeah this is great. I'd love to drive a car which is a rolling Iron Maiden because I don't value my life or limbs or that of my loved ones. I mean, that texting 16 year old behind me driving that 6,000 lb SUV would never hit me in this stop and go traffic, right? I like to drive something so basic I feel like I'm one with the road. And if I get pancaked I'll really be one with the asphalt so it's cool. :wtf:
I get it. I get it. It's not for me though.
It's hard to justify though that I can go out and buy a motorcycle or 3 wheel thing and drive on roads knowingly and willingly taking the risk of having no crash protection... But I can't buy something with 4 wheels and knowingly take that same risk on the same roads.
Sure you can. Buy a '32 Ford.
Quote from: r0tor on September 22, 2017, 10:33:42 AM
It's hard to justify though that I can go out and buy a motorcycle or 3 wheel thing and drive on roads knowingly and willingly taking the risk of having no crash protection... But I can't buy something with 4 wheels and knowingly take that same risk on the same roads.
Yes. A motorcycle is at least more maneuverable and it is obvious that there is no crash protection. If the govt allows 4 wheel vehicles with no crash protection, there's nothing to stop the mass market from buying $5,000 new cars and having yearly road fatalities double. Most cars in many 3rd world countries are rolling Iron Maidens. That's not a good thing. These 3 wheel vehicles are very niche and very very low volume. A new 4 wheel vehicle for $5000 with a new car warranty might be very appealing to a lot of people who struggle to pay rent, put food on the table, and take care of their kids. A Tata Nano in India costs $2500. It's good for that market because it's safer than having a family of 4 travel by Vespa which is what a lot of people do.
Quote from: veeman on September 22, 2017, 11:19:45 AM
Yes. A motorcycle is at least more maneuverable and it is obvious that there is no crash protection. If the govt allows 4 wheel vehicles with no crash protection, there's nothing to stop the mass market from buying $5,000 new cars and having yearly road fatalities double. Most cars in many 3rd world countries are rolling Iron Maidens. That's not a good thing. These 3 wheel vehicles are very niche and very very low volume. A new 4 wheel vehicle for $5000 with a new car warranty might be very appealing to a lot of people who struggle to pay rent, put food on the table, and take care of their kids. A Tata Nano in India costs $2500. It's good for that market because it's safer than having a family of 4 travel by Vespa which is what a lot of people do.
A $5000 new car would still probably be safer than an equivalent 15 year old car for the same price...
Popular 3 wheeler in India, I guess.
(https://sc01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1l_uKKXXXXXatXpXXq6xXFXXXZ/225565044/HTB1l_uKKXXXXXatXpXXq6xXFXXXZ.jpg)
I'd rock one of those for sure.
Quote from: Cookie Monster on September 22, 2017, 11:46:45 AM
A $5000 new car would still probably be safer than an equivalent 15 year old car for the same price...
No it wouldn't. There is no way a $5000 new car is going to come with air bags and anti-lock brakes which were standard equipment on all 15 year old cars.
Quote from: shp4man on September 22, 2017, 11:55:01 AM
Popular 3 wheeler in India, I guess.
(https://sc01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1l_uKKXXXXXatXpXXq6xXFXXXZ/225565044/HTB1l_uKKXXXXXatXpXXq6xXFXXXZ.jpg)
Might not pass a sniff test.
Those are basically like 250cc two-stroker bikes with a house built on them. They're ridiculously awful (and sort of fun, if you're twisted a bit).
Yeah, but do they autocross?
Quote from: Soup DeVille on September 22, 2017, 03:55:01 PM
Those are basically like 250cc two-stroker bikes with a house built on them. They're ridiculously awful (and sort of fun, if you're twisted a bit).
They were the most fun thing during our trip to India last year. The best part was during the roundabouts when there were about two hundred vehicles of all shapes and sizes, cars, buses, bicycles, scooters and motorbikes included, charging in from all directions and manouvering to line themselves up for their exit point. Each roundabout seemed 3 or 4 lanes deep.
The most memorable ride was with this old Sikh driver, he looked about 80, who never seemed to move his head. Just kept looking to the front and nudging everybody else out of the way. It was thrilling.
Quote from: Rockraven on September 22, 2017, 04:03:05 PM
Yeah, but do they autocross?
Indian traffic is autocross.