The Largest Production 3-Wheeler

The largest Production 3-wheeler was the 1947 Davis  manufactured in the United States.  It was powered by a 2,600cc engine and could carry seven adults in its 14 feet long body.

The Smallest Production 3-Wheeler

he smallest Production 3-wheeler was the 1964 Peel P50.  It was manufactured in the Isle on Man and had a 49cc engine.  It was 4 foot 5 inches (1.34m) long, 3 foot 3 inches (99cm) wide and 53 inches (1.34m) high.  The vehicle weighed 132lb (59kg) and carried just one adult. 

The fastest road-legal 3-Wheeler

The Vigillante produced from 1999 has a top speed in excess of 200mph and can sprint from 0 - 60 mph in 3 seconds.  When cornering and braking it faces forces of up to 1g. It is said to out corner a McClaren F1.

The fastest jet powered 3-Wheeler

The Spirit Of America broke the Land Speed Record in 1964 when it reached a speed of 526.27 mph.  The vehicle was driven by Craig Breedlove at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Longest production run of a 3-Wheeler manufacturer

Whilst AC established in 1908 is one of Britain’s oldest 3-Wheeler manufacturers still in business, Reliant (established 1935 UK) are the longest 3-Wheeler manufacturers to constantly produce 3-Wheelers.  AC only produced 3-Wheelers in 1908-1914 and 1953 - 1977. (AC Petite until 1958 and AC Invacar until 1977)  Reliant produced 3-Wheelers for 65 years from 1935 to 2001. From 2001 the Reliant 3-wheeler continued to be made under licence to Reliant by B&N Plastics until 2002. Reliant are still in business though no longer manufacture 3-wheelers.

The first “self-propelled” 3-Wheeler

The first “self-propelled” 3-Wheeler was made by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot in 1769 in France,  His vehicle (fardier a’vapeur) was a huge vehicle carrying a front mounted boiler and a two cylinder engine located over the front wheel.  It had a top speed of 2mph (So also the slowest 3-wheeler) and had to stop every 9 - 12 minutes to rebuild pressure.

Plans for the earliest 3-wheeler

In 1478 in Italy, Leonardo da Vinci drew plans for a self powered automobile that used a modified clockwork mechanism. A working model of da Vinci’s vehicle was created in 2004 which found that the vehicle would have run.

Worlds first 3-Wheeler advertisement

An advertisement for the 3-wheeled Benz in Germany first appeared in 1888.

World’s first 3-Wheeler accident

This  was caused by Cugnot’s steam vehicle when it ran out of control and demolished a garden wall in 1769.  This was also the Worlds first motor accident. A reconstruction of this crash can be seen on YouTube.

Lowest fuel consumption of a 3-Wheeler

In 1996 a road legal vehicle set the record for the lowest petrol consumption at the Shell Mileage Marathon, Northants. (UK).  The diesel-powered Combidrive “mouse” set a record of 568 mpg. (201.1km/litre)

Most expensive 3-Wheeler

According to the Guinness Book of Records the F300 Life-jet created by Mercedes Benz in 1998 will be the most expensive 3-wheeler if it makes it into production.

Did you know!

Did you know!!

In the original Star Wars film, the “Land Speeder” that was driven by Luke Skywalker was actually built around the chassis of a Bond Bug to form a 3-wheeled vehicle.  The wheels were later masked out on the film to produce the hover-car that we see in the film. Mirrors were also used on the underside to create the effect of it hovering above the ground. Three vehicles were built in total by Elstree Film Studios in the UK,  one was built on a gimbal and two drivable ones based on the Bond Bug chassis.

Did you know!!

Up until 1963 in the UK only people with a full car licence could have a reverse gear on a 3-wheeler.  Motorcyclist licence holders with no car licence had to have the reverse gear disabled if it was fitted. The change of law in 1963 meant that anyone could have a reverse gear on a 3-wheeler.  Perhaps what isn’t widely known is that that it was actually Reliant that got the government to drop the law. The law was changed due to meetings between Tom Scott (Sales Director at Reliant) and Minister of Transport, Ernest Marples.

Did you know!!

The fibreglass used in the bodies of Reliant vehicles, although having diameters of only 0.0003 inches, possesses great tensile strength of up to 400,000 pounds per square inch.  A very high strength to weight ratio indeed.

Did you know!!

The 750cc and 850cc used in a majorty of Reliant 3-wheelers has also been used to power everything from the Quasar ( a covered motorbike ) to light weight racing cars, generators, fire pumps and custom vehicles.