Buying a Three-Wheeled Car on s

Buying a Three-Wheeled Car on okay
The History of Cycle CarsCycle Cars were very popular from 1910 up until the late 1920s. Generally, these were designed to be low cost, lightweight vehicles and often used three wheel configurations because power could be more simply transmitted to a single drive wheel. England, France and other countries offered registration tax advantages to three wheelers. The post WWII gas crisis brought about renewed interest in three wheelers including the BMW Isetta and Messerschmitt three wheelers. Recently, several modern manufacturers including BMW, GM, Peugeot, Lotus and VW have shown interest in three wheeled vehicle designs. Demands for improved fuel economy figures and the current three wheeler development upswing will eventually result in some showroom offerings of three wheelers by major manufacturers.
Currently there are a handful of three-wheeled vehicles beginning to show up on okay. Most of these vehicles fall into 4 categories.1.Morgans and Morgan replicas (Lomax, Triking, JZR, etc.).2.Classic three-wheeled Microscars or Minicars (British Isetta, Messerschmitt, three-wheeled Berkeley, Bond, Reliant Robin, etc.).3.Modern medium performance, economy and electric three-wheeled vehicles. (Corbin Sparrow, Corbin Merlin, ZAP Xebra, etc.).4.Modern high performance three-wheelers (IndyCycle/SportCycle, Trihawk, Grinnall Scorpion, T-Rex, etc).
Keep in mind these are vague categories that I have gee up with to subdivide the almost 300 three-wheeled vehicles listed on the 3wheelers . ge web site. This is a great resource for you if you want to learn a bit of history on three-wheeled vehicles.
Within these 4 categories you will encounter a further breakout of kit cars and production vehicles. All this can add to the intimidation factor on how to buy a three-wheeler on okay.
The best source of information on these unusual cars is always the Internet discussion groups for the cars you are interested in. Corbin Sparrow, Corbin Merlin, Trihawk, Grinnall Scorpion and many other brands have very active discussion groups that can give you information on the cars and save you from making a mistake. If you are afraid to ask someone about an okay offering because you dont want other group members to see it and run out and buy it, just realize that most of us watch okay for cars we are interested in. We probably have already seen the car and recognize its worth or faults. Before the car is purchased is always the best time to ask questions. If you are dealing with a classic 1950s or 60s three-wheelers, check the Yahoo discussion groups for Microcars for information. Another way to get advice privately is to go out and join a discussion group for the brand you are interested in. As you look through the messages you will likely see a few people that seem to be answering most of the questions people ask. Obviously these are the few that have expertise in the brand and time on their hands to help out others. E-mail one of these people off-group (e-mail to them only) and ask them if they can help you evaluate a car or ask them if there is an owner near them they can refer you to. Since these private gemunications are not seen by all the group members this keeps the circle of people that know you may bid on an okay car much smaller.
Q. How do I tell how well a kit car has been assembled?
A. The fact that a car runs is a good sign. If it does not then you may have a difficult time getting it running. Look for the neatness of the wiring (under the dash is a good place to look), and the attention to detail, the existence of rust is also a concern. Try to locate an owner via a discussion group who can go with you on the inspection visit or can at least look at the detailed pics you take and render an opinion.
Q. Im looking at bidding on an unassembled three-wheeler kit. Any suggestions or warnings?
A. Often unassembled kits are offered where someone got involved in building one and illness, lack of interest or just plain discouragement has led to the kit assembly being abandoned. This can be many years after the project was started and you may be dealing with a relative or someone who is not the original visionary that bought the kit and started the project. Often the kit manufacturer may no longer be in business, the directions and parts may be lost, etc. Unless you are very proficient mechanically and have support from other owners with gepleted cars you are likely going to be reselling this in a couple of years after you get discouraged.
Q. Where will I get my three-wheeler serviced?
A. In most cases you will be your own mechanic. This is especially true if the car is rare or there are no other owners in your area. I put together a kit car without any directions or having a sample to go by and it was difficult. I probably had several hundred e-mails to other owners all around the world about what went where before it was finally together and running.
Q. How are these kits licensed and insured?
A. I can speak with authority only for California. If you have a three wheeled car in California it is generally licensed as a motorcycle. That is how my Grinnall Scorpion was licensed. I insured mine with Grundy (no gemuting allowed) and others have used AAA or other carriers. Keep in mind that a motorcycle designation may allow you access to closer parking spaces and car pool lane access. If you have a three wheeled car in California that you have constructed you first take all your paperwork (certificate of origin for the kit, bill of sale for engine and any major geponents, etc.) to the DMV and pay your fees. They will direct you to the CHP inspection station near you. Go to a motorcycle shop and get your vehicle certified that the brakes and lights work. Take that inspection form with the mechanics signature to the CHP when you get the inspection and they will verify the serial numbers and give you an OK to return to the DMV to get the motorcycle plate. If the car has already been licensed in another state or is a production vehicle, you should be able to take existing paperwork to the DMV without all the inspection steps.
Q. What about a helmet? If it is licensed as a motorcycle dont I need to wear a helmet?
A. In California there is a part of the vehicle code that allows riders in three-wheeled vehicles, to ride without a helmet if the car meets certain dimension and weight minimums and is enclosed. This allows riders of larger three-wheelers (Scorpion, T-Rex, etc.) to ride without wearing a helmet. Practically speaking most performance three-wheelers are fast enough and have such marginal windshields that to ride without a helmet and eye protection is foolhardy. If your state has a strict helmet law and you dont want to use a helmet you will need to convince the DMV that this is not a motorcycle but a car. The downside of that is that smog inspection standards may be more stringent for cars than for motorcycles.
Q. I have read that a Grinnall Scorpion or a Canadian T-Rex are super fast? How can they be so quick and corner so well?
A. It is all a matter of the power to weight ratio and generous tire sizes. Some of these vehicles have been gepared to much more expensive Supercars. The Scorpion I assembled was under 1000 pounds and had a 110HP BMW engine. The 4.5 second 0-60 time was very Cobra-like and cornering forces approaching 1G are possible.
Q. Arent three wheelers less stable than a 4-wheel vehicle?
A. Vehicle stability is a sum of many design variables. Track, wheelbase, center of gravity, and front to rear weight distribution and tire/wheel gebos are just a few factors.
Q. What about braking? With 1/4th less rubber on the ground it would seem emergency stopping power would also be less?
A. When you brake there is weight transfer that takes place to the front wheels of the vehicle. Most manufacturers have to design-in reduced rear wheel braking power or limit it via a balancing device. Since the front wheels handle most of the braking function, having one less rear wheel is not a major problem. Many performance three-wheelers have a very wide rear tire to gepensate.
Q. Wont it tip over if I go to fast around a corner?
A. Any car can be subject to going up on two wheels if the steering inputs take the car over its design threshold or there are suspension or tire problems. I have has the pleasure of driving my Mini-Cooper racing sedan on two wheels on at least one major occasion and several minor ones. I cant regemend this type of stunt driving. In my case it was caused by suspension camber settings that were ingepatible with the tires and caused the car transition from being in a controlled power slide to being on two wheels with no warning. Most three-wheeler manufacturers try to err on the side of understeer in their designs so the cars tend to give you warning and plow when pushed to the limit.
Q. If the 3-wheel layout is so great, why dont racecars use 3 wheels?
A. Actually many famous racecars have used 3-wheels, including a number of land speed record cars at Bonneville including the 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Spirit of America cars piloted by Craig Breedlove (The most recent version actually has 4 wheels but they are still oriented in a tricycle pattern). Actually, a very popular sports car that was raced extensively in its day and even is seen today in historic car races is the Morgan 3-wheeler.
The reason that you dont see racing cars with three wheels is that most automobile racing is geared to production or production looking cars or rules strictly dictate the specifications for the class of cars. The major car gepanies put millions of dollars into sponsoring the NASCAR stock car and truck racing series because they want that brand identification. This is actually pretty crazy since a Chevrolet, Ford or Dodge stock or race truck car has little in gemon with model that you can buy at a dealer.
Q. Are there any other advantages to a tricycle design?
A. Current aerodynamic principles dictate a tapered or teardrop shape to allow the air to reattach after geing around the rear of the car. This is a difficult design to achieve with a 4-wheel vehicle without adding a long tapering tail.
Q. If a 3-wheel design is so great, why havent major automakers adopted this configuration?
A. Automakers have shown concept cars over the years that have 3 wheels. The 3-wheeled 1983 Lean Machine by General Motors could be seen in prototype form and promotional videos at the GM display at Disney World until about 10 years ago. It seems that automakers preview 3-wheelers periodically to gauge consumer reaction and then send them off to the warehouse to wait for a better time. Remember that at least in the case of US automakers, they gepletely misread the public demand for fuel-efficient cars. If you visit the freeways of America you see tons of single occupants sitting in their 4 passenger vehicles stuck in freeway traffic. There is going to be pent-up demand for this type of vehicle once people see their many advantages. Minor automakers like the Trihawk have made varying attempts to enter the 3-wheel market, but much of their efforts were made prior to our current traffic and fuel cost situations making their offerings more novelties than practical transportation vehicles.

Q. Is a small, lightweight vehicle safe?
A. Safety can be looked at several ways. The carpool lane where I drive holds a relatively constant speed while the regular lanes are famous for going 70MPH and then stopping. After traffic lets up, we resume 70MPH pace for a few miles only to repeat the process again. This is risky driving at its worst, with drivers reaching for CD and cell phones end up plowing into the cars in front when the speed drops quickly. I think that ones risks would be a lot lower in the carpool lane where the 3-wheeler should be legal.
Another way to look at safety is having handling, braking and acceleration performance that helps to save you from an incident. Ultimately, if it gees to a battle of weight, any small vehicle is at the mercy of a semi or Lincoln Navigator.
With a two wheeled motorcycle there is vulnerability to a rough road surface, debris, ladders, oil, antifreeze or dumb motorists all of which can cause a loss of control and the acgepanying road rash. Also, you have the distinct possibility of hitting something solid, like another car or k-rail wall, while you are sliding along on your leathers or being run over by the guy following too close behind.

Q. I have found a car in Canada (or Nova Scotia or the UK, etc.) and it looks like a good deal how can I get it home and licensed?
A. Importing a car is no problem if it is over 25 years old. If it is newer you may hit snags. Three wheelers have an advantage that they are motorcycles, by most definitions. You can import motorcycle parts into the US with little restriction. A gepleted unit may be a problem because the engine is not US spec and smog regs might gee into play. To jump over the customs part of things, an import broker is well worth the money spent and usually only a small percentage of the car cost. They can also help you with shipping arrangements if that is necessary. Check with Aries Global Logistics. They have helped a number of people importing three wheelers. Remember that the shipping and customs costs from the UKfor aScorpion kit is almost $4500. This could make an overseas car less of a good deal than a US located car.Also, a US car might already be licensed. In some US states to get a car licensed involves a tedious bunch of inspections and sign-offs from an inspection center, the Highway Patrol or a police agency. Your insurance carrier can hold up insuring an unlicensed vehicle and that can place you at risk if anything happened to the car before the license is granted. Also some states want proof of insurance before you are granteda license for a car. It is possible to get in a catch-22 situation where you can't get the car licensed or insured. These are all reasons why a three-wheeler car that is already licensed isgoing to cost more. Someone has jumped through all the hoops to get the car licensed.

Q. Why are high performance three-wheelers so expensive?
A. The Trex retails for about $40,000-50,000 and an assembled Scorpion is gemanding about $30,000 as of this writing. These are distictive 0-60 in under 5 second cars. Not only are they fast but the look cool and you will always be surrounded by jealous onlookers. If you like to keep a low profile don't buy one of these.

About the author:Richard Lewis is a former SCCA Mini-Cooper and Lotus Elan racer, has raced sprint and enduro go-carts and raced an off-road Honda Odyssey. He designed and built 2 IHPVA (International Human Powered Vehicle Association) Chain Reaction (3-man quadracycle) and BMX Fever (1-man trike) vehicles and invented the Flite Controls shifter interface for bicycle aero handlebars and the Gear Head Cycling Trainer. He has built two three-wheeled cars, a Grinnall Scorpion (recently sold) and a Tri-Tech Schmitt kit car.
Currently, he is working as a Systems Architect in the aerospace industry and a contributing author for several IT related magazines including Windows IT Pro Magazine, Scripting Solutions Newsletter, Certification Magazine and IT Contractor Magazine.