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The Turbo Phantom was first shown at the Los Angeles Auto Expo in April 1978. Created by Ron and Lee Will the vehicle was built by the Phantom Vehicle Company in California. (USA). Ron Will worked as a designer at GM for the Corvette Studio when he started the Turbo Phantom and as the vehicle was tested in the GM wind tunnel, several people referred to it as the “Three Wheel Corvette.” Ron Will then left GM and went to California to build the car and establish the Phantom Vehicle Company.
The Turbo Phantom has an exceptionally wide (7 feet) and low stance (44” high) that along with the styling of the car gives it a space age jet design. It was powered by a turbocharged Honda Goldwing Motorcycle engine that gave the car a top speed of over 140 m.p.h and a 0-60mph time of 6 seconds. The body was made from urethane foam and fibreglass sandwiched together and then reinforced with steel struts. The front suspension had been taken from a VW Beetle whilst the rack and pinion steering came from an MG Midget. The vehicle also featured a roll bar incorporated into the body and access in to it was via a lift up canopy that also lifted up the steering column and dashboard. Only three prototypes are known to have been built as it is believed that the car was too expensive to produce. Eventually Ron Will went to work for Subaru as a designer and the Subaru “Outback” is largely his concept and design.
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