11 THRILLING THREE-WHEELERS

11 Thrilling Three-Wheeled Kit Cars
By Andrew English, Popular Mechanics, 1 November 2012.

The first automobiles started out with three wheels: Nicolas Cugnot's 1770 Steam Dray rolled on three, as did Karl Benz's 1886 Patented Motorwagen. In recent years we've seen a lot of big carmakers produce three-wheeled concepts, including Peugeot, Mercedes-Benz, GM, BMW, and Volkswagen. But in Britain there are a host of smaller and largely unsung three-wheeler builders who continue to make well-engineered trikes in kit or turnkey form for the enthusiast market. We've assembled (almost) all of them for a track day at Blyton Park near Gainsborough in England.

1. Morgan Three Wheeler

Price: Basic vehicle from $48,420 (£30,000)
Engine/Transmission: Front-mounted 56.25-degree, S&S air-cooled V-twin driving the rear wheel via a bevel drive and drive belt; Mazda MX-5 five-speed transmission
Chassis/Body/Suspension: tubular steel space frame with aluminium-alloy coachwork. Wishbone front with double trailing-arm rear suspension.

Reengineered from Peter Larsen's Liberty Ace, Morgan's Three Wheeler has been an astounding hit with orders running far ahead of production. The barrel-bodied design isn't as pretty as the pre-war Aero models, but it's distinctive, and the cockpit is roomy. The instruments and switchgear are brilliant: In fact, the starter is the bomb release button from a Eurofighter. The charismatic S&S engine makes the Morgan genuinely fast and torquey, and the Mazda 'box engages smartly. The driving position is quite upright, with the huge wheel mounted high. It feels heavy - and at almost half a ton, it is - but the handling is predictable.

2. MEV TR1

Price: Base kit from $9684 to $11,298 (£6000 to £7000), with buyer-supplied YZF-R1 driveline. Finished price about $22,596 (£14,000).
Engine/Transmission: Rear-mounted 150 hp four-cylinder liquid-cooled Yamaha YZF-R1 engine driving the rear wheel; six-speed sequential transmission.
Chassis/Body/Suspension: Tubular steel exoskeleton with glass fibre panels and two race seats. Double wishbone front suspension and single sided swing-arm rear.

Stuart Mills has designed a number of these exoskeleton machines for three and four-wheels. This TR1, with vestigial coachwork and Yamaha YZF-R1 motorcycle engine and driveline, is the ultimate trike. It looks like a race car engineering catalogue thrown at a farm gate, but it is comfortable even if the steering wheel is a bit of a stretch. Using the Yamaha swinging arm on a long wheelbase lends much-needed stability and safety, but this is a machine not for the faint of heart. We saw almost 120 mph at Blyton and were thankful for the excellent brakes and handling.

3. Grinnall Scorpion 3

Price: Basic starter kit from $2935 (£1819) with buyer-supplied BMW driveline. Completed vehicles from $27,015 (£16,738), turnkey vehicle about $32,280 (£20,000)
Engine/Transmission: Mid/transverse-mounted 185-hp BMW in-line four-cylinder motorcycle engine driving the rear wheel via a BMW bevel box; six-speed sequential transmission
Chassis/Body/Suspension: Steel space frame with two-seat bodywork made of a glass fibre and Kevlar mix. Wishbone front suspension with BMW single-sided swing-arm rear.

On sale since 1992, the Grinnall Scorpion sets high standards for fit and finish, though some say the open barchetta-style cockpit feels over exposed. The seats are comfortable and supportive and there's plenty of room - pity you can't see the speedometer though. The BMW engine feels powerful and the sequential gearshift feels positive and fast. The steering is well-engineered with a linear response, although a flexing swing arm gave an unsettling reaction during fierce cornering. Mark Grinnall of Grinnall Cars says a fix is in the works for this. Recent updates include a wider track, which has improved the stability and safety of this quick and likeable car.

4. Pembleton Super Sports/Grasshopper

Price: Base kit from $1927 (£1194). Turnkey kit about $8070 (£5000), plus donor vehicle
Engine/Transmission: Front-mounted 34-hp Citroën 2CV engine with air-cooled flat twin cylinder driving the front wheels; four-speed transmission
Chassis/Body/Suspension: Tubular steel space frame with aluminium two-seat coachwork. Leading link torsion-beam front and trailing-link torsion-beam rear suspension

The Pembleton is named after the caravan that donated its aluminium body for the prototype, and Phil Gregory has sold more than 300 in the last decade. There are even four-wheeled and Moto Guzzi–engined versions. It's a handsome vehicle with simple but well-curved, laser-cut aluminium panels and a spacious and comfortable cockpit. It's not (quite) as fast or dynamic as its rivals, but that's not the point. With that popping Citroën engine, a gentle ride quality, and light direct steering, the Pembleton is the embodiment of charm.

5. Triking

Price: Basic comprehensive kit from $12,912 (£8000) with buyer-supplied Moto Guzzi engine. Turnkey vehicles from about $29,052 (£18,000)
Engine/Transmission: Front-mounted, 90-hp Moto Guzzi with 90-degree, air-cooled V-twin driving the rear wheel via Guzzi bevel box; five-speed sequential transmission.
Chassis/Body/Suspension: Square-section tubular steel space frame with glass fiber two-seat body. Double wishbone front and double-sided swing-arm rear suspension.

Tony Divey couldn't afford a Morgan, so in 1978 he designed his own trike. The Triking has spawned many imitators, but thanks to Divey's Lotus background, it is still the best-handling and prettiest Morgan-inspired kit. The Giulio Carcano–designed Moto Guzzi V-twin is compact and powerful and uses either the original Guzzi ‘box or a proprietary transmission. On the track you drive with elbows out, leaning into the corners. The trick is to keep steering changes smooth and limit the weight transfer. Otherwise the inside front wheel will lift, which tends to terrify the pilot. Nowadays the Triking firm is run by Alan Layzell, who has further developed this machine.

6. Buckland B3 Mark II

Price: Base kit from $13,170 (£8,160), part-built $25,178 (£15,600), turnkey about $32,280 (£20,000)
Engine/Transmission: front-mounted, in-line four-cylinder, 80 hp, Ford Escort engine driving the rear wheel through a custom-built bevel drive; four-speed Ford gearbox
Chassis/Body/Suspension: zinc-coated channel-section steel frame with fully enclosed glass-fibre two-seat coachwork. Double wishbone front suspension with inboard damper/springs and rear swinging arm

Dick Buckland was inspired by his own Morgan F-Type to design his lovely 1983 B3. Lotus boss Colin Chapman lent a hand designing the suspension. Just a handful were sold; the design has now been licensed by the Penguin Speed Shop. It's beautifully built and entirely gorgeous, but the pedal box is minute. The high driving position and plenty of body sway give the B3 a vintage driving feel, but it's agile as it slithers around the circuit. The Ford four provides lots of grunt, but the B3 we drove had a crazy camshaft which didn't suit it.

7. J. A. Prestwich 'Japster'

Price: Finished vehicle about $41,964 (£26,000)
Engine/Transmission: Front-mounted 85-hp, 50-degree air-cooled V- twin driving the rear wheel via a BMW bevel box; Ford Mark 9 five-speed gearbox.
Chassis/Body/Suspension: Square section tubular steel space frame with glass-fiber two-seat coachwork. Double wishbone front suspension, double-sided swing-arm rear.

This re-creation of the 1920s JAP JTO unit has a 1.3-litre with thicker crankcases, ceramic-coated bores, and loads of investment castings - plus they're working on a supercharged version. The engine is extraordinarily refined with lots of low-down pulling power, and it suits the Ford gearbox. The chassis is the same as the Triking's, so expect predictable, safe, and fun with lovely steering. Shame it's not as pretty as a Triking.

8. Aero Cycle Cars, Aero Merlin

Price: Comprehensive kit from $19,368 (£12,000) with buyer-supplied Moto Guzzi engine. Turnkey vehicles from about $32,280 (£20,000)
Engine/Transmission: Front-mounted 90-hp Moto Guzzi with 90-degree air-cooled V-twin driving the rear wheel via Guzzi bevel box; five-speed transmission
Chassis/Body/Suspension: Square-section tubular steel space frame with aluminium body panels and two-seat glass-fibre tub. Wishbone front with double-sided swing-arm rear suspension.

This Morgan-style trike was derived and developed from the BRA CX3, launched in 1992 and aimed at the Triking/JZR market. Aluminium panels add an aura of vintage craftsmanship; the cockpit is roomy with a decent-size pedal box. The California-spec Guzzi lump pulls nicely, but the sequential gear linkage is stiff. The steering feels light and direct, but on the track the car lifted the inside wheel far too readily. Arthur Rayner of Aero Cycle Cars says he's working on a wider track to rebalance the handling and restore stability.

9. Blackjack Zero

Price: Basic kit from $19,368 (£12,000) with buyer-supplied Moto Guzzi engine. Turnkey vehicles from about $35,508 (£22,000)
Engine/Transmission: Front-mounted 90-hp Moto Guzzi with 90-degree, air-cooled V-twin driving the front wheels; Volkswagen Beetle four-speed transmission
Chassis/Body/Suspension: Semi-monocoque glass-fibre two-seat body/tub, with laser-cut bulkhead front subframe and tubular steel rear space frame. Double wishbone front suspension, swinging arm rear.

A former Ford stylist, Richard Oakes has designed a brilliant motorcycle-inspired trike with a modern tub, using bulkheads for strength and simplicity. The cockpit is comfortable, well built, and roomy. Oakes's Weber-fed Guzzi engine (there's also a VW four-cylinder version) is powerful in the mid range, while the VW Beetle transmission is fast and accurate and the brakes are powerful. The Zero feels so planted to the track that it's deceptively fast. That's the beauty of front-wheel drive, which allows you to pull the car straight with none of the wheel-lifting drama of rear-driven trikes.

10. FRS-2

Price: Basic kit from $9191 (£5695), turnkey vehicles from $29,859 (£18,500)
Engine/Transmission: Front-mounted 98-hp, four-cylinder in-line Suzuki Bandit motorcycle engine driving the front wheels; Suzuki five-speed sequential transmission.
Chassis/Body/Suspension: Tubular steel space frame with glass-fibre body. In-board single mono shock wishbone front with single-sided swing-arm rear suspension.

This car's predecessor won a shelf full of silverware on the hill climb circuit for Fred and Jason Reeve, the father and son team who build and drive it. Then a sponsor requested a road-going version, and here it is. The tandem-seat trike uses a Suzuki Bandit engine and gearbox with a bespoke front-drive system. It's astonishingly fast and easy to use, from the low-down power of the engine to the faster-than-your-fingers gear change paddles. The FRS-2 is easy to drive at or near the limit, with the front wheels pulling the whole vehicle straight when it gets out of shape. We only wish it were better looking.

11. JZR

Price: Comprehensive kit from about $8070 (£5000) with buyer-supplied Honda engine. Turnkey vehicles from about $19,368 (£12,000)
Engine/Transmission: Front-mounted 52-hp Honda with 80-degree water-cooled V-twin driving the rear wheel via a Honda bevel drive; five-speed sequential transmission
Chassis/Body/Suspension: Square-section tubular steel space frame with aluminium and glass fibre two-seat body. Wishbone front and double-sided swing-arm rear suspension.

Morgan owner John Ziemba produced his first JZR in 1989, and though the looks weren't quite a match for the Triking's, the price undercut its competitor's significantly and orders flooded in. There is a wide range of engines available, but the JZR is most associated with the Shoichiro Irimajiri-designed CX500 Honda ‘Maggot,' which also donates its transmission and bevel box for this three-wheeler. The half-litre Honda looks tiny but crackles purposefully, and the five-speed gearbox is a delight. But though the steering feels light and direct, the cockpit is cramped, and the pedal box is tiny. The JZR is charming but a bit lost on a circuit.

[Source: Popular Mechanics. Edited.]