BMW F76/79 “Cargo Donkey”

I know a 3 wheel BMW that isn’t a bubble car!!!!! Built between 1932 and 34, it was sold as a delivery vehicle. The F76 was fitted with a 192cc single cylinder 6bhp bike engine, this meant it fell under the 200cc limit meaning it was license free for use on the road. The F79 though had a 398cc engine with 12bhp but was a licensed vehicle. In total 600 trikes were built, 250 F76’s and 350 F79’s.

The Manchester Bike Show

Snow on the ground is not what you need when you’re running a bike show but that’s what Manchester woke up to!!!! It didn’t dampen this event though, granted the car park was a little lacking in bikes, and can’t blame any riders for taking the easy 4 wheeled route. This was the second outing for this event and what a long way it had come over the last 12 months when compared to last year. More room, more dealers, more clubs, more traders and more bikes to look at modern, retro and classic over two halls.

Martin/Mobility Conquest

This has to be a story of something good coming out of a tragedy, when Alan Martin’s son was involved in an accident that resulted in his disability Alan developed this trike suitable for disabled riders. The worked up prototype trike pictured below (which is currently on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester) utilises a BMW 850cc engine and front end. The concept was simple allow the rider to ride the trike from their wheelchair. The rear drops down to a ramo remotely and the wheelchair locks into place and off you go.

Cosmic Invader

Built by the iconic car builder Carl Casper, if you don’t know his name you’ll know his work such as the A Team van, the General Lee, K.I.T.T as well as the movie Batmobiles along with a host of hot rods. The Cosmic Invader was a 3 wheeled, battery powered car built in the 1970’s, well with a paint job like that it couldn’t have been built in any other decade. The car, with its 18 six volt batteries, could cruise at 50mph, although if you dropped this to 35mph you’d have a 125 mile range before a recharge was needed. Unfortunately no matter how advanced this car seemed to be, it hit the same problem still here for electric cars, the 8hour recharge!!!!

GM Runabout

A 3 wheeled car, designed  to be small, easy to park and still have room for 2 adults and 3 children. Sounds like a modern concept straight out of Geneva, but this was debuted in 1964 General Motors Futurama Exhibit at the New York World’s Fair. The wheel at the front would turn 180 degrees allowing the car to almost turn on its own length. A hint of its age however is the 2 detachable shopping trollies that slots into the boot, very off its day I think you’ll agree.

Stimson Scorcher

Part Mini, part kit car and part trike this is the Stimson Scorcher. Barry Stimson built 30 of these vehicles between 1976 and 81 in Nouveau, Brighton. Barry had a history of building Mini based cars, some of which I’ll come back in the near future, The Scorcher though was a little different with its 3 wheel configuration. The cost of this unusual trike £375+ VAT, all you had to do was supply him with the running gear , steering, foot pedals , handbrake and fuel tank and he’d take care of the rest, including putting that tuned mini engine up front.

Keeble K3

From one half of the partnership that produced the awesin Gordon Keeble in the 1960’s, Jim Keeble kept in the sutomotive industry designing and testing cars through to the 1980’s. At this time he built this prototype the K3. A small engine 3 wheeled car that by all accounts was very fast and would carry on going up to 125mph!!!! Meant for a production run of 40 cars it never made it into production, it’s a real shame because it has that mad look about it that all 3 wheeled cars should have.

Krauser Domani

More trike than bike plus sidecar, its chassis incorporated both allowing for a more stable and stronger package. It also allows the engine components to be located in better positions such as the radiator in the “sidecar” to aid cooling. It was also true rear wheel drive with power being transferred to both. Built around a BMW 1200cc engine with 150bhp encased in a one piece glass fibre body its certainly different.

Badsey Bullet

This performance 3 wheeler was first created in 1980 by Bill Badsey in California, powered by a Yamaha Venture 1200cc water-cooled V4 motorcycle engine which would take the fibreglass covered vehicle all the way up to 150mph. Only 8 were sold making it very rare. The prototype below was actually fitted with a Suzuki GS 1100 GLZ and had 2 gear boxes fitted totalling 20 forward gears and 5 reverse gears!!!!! With its lifting doors that encase the driver and passenger inside it certainly has presence.

Campagna T-Rex

The 3 wheel vehicle is usually consigned to one of a few camps, Reliant, trike or race bike custom, either way usually they are handbuilt by the driver either from scratch or from a kit. The Camagna T-Rex is not, it’s sold as a production vehicle delivered built. 2 versions are currently available the standard and the higher spec’d RR version both with the same 197bhp, ZX14R Powered 1400R engine with 6 speed sequential box that will run it up to 197mph. If that’s not enough an aero kit was available as well. Built in Canada by a company whose goal is to build the best 3 wheel vehicle in the world.