This is cool as hell, its called The Carver....
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/7560/The_Carver.html
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/7560/The_Carver.html
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three wheeled car/bike hybrid
- Thread starter daledoe
- Start date
I would not want to get sideswiped in that death trap...unless it has a roll cage. Then it'd be kind of cool.
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Supramania Contributor
It's Dutch IIRC.
Very fun to drive since you lean over like a motorcycle, but it has 3 wheels, so it's more stable, especially in wet weather v/s a bike.
Also due to the canopy and shell, you stay dry in bad weaher v/s a bike where your either wearing rain gear, or your soaked. (Or both in most cases.)
Very fun to drive since you lean over like a motorcycle, but it has 3 wheels, so it's more stable, especially in wet weather v/s a bike.
Also due to the canopy and shell, you stay dry in bad weaher v/s a bike where your either wearing rain gear, or your soaked. (Or both in most cases.)
$45,000 for the base model... I could find much better things to spend my money on rather than a 600 cc 3 wheeler. I'm sure you could make a very, very nice one for $20,000 if you had the time. I dunno more money than I have, that's for sure.
Its very cool and nearly the perfect alternative to a motorcycle. An engineer friend of mine has been playing with a similiar idea for many years now. The big difference in his design is that the rear tires also lean over in a turn. Basically the idea is that each side of the rear suspension can actively raise or lower itself to maintain contact with the road when the body leans over. So instead of a single pivot point like on the Carver, it has no pivot points and instead two "sliders" that lengthen or shorten the suspension depending on the angle of the vehicle, and so it uses motorcycle tires in the back so that they maintain contact patch.
Back in the 80's when he started this project it had to all be done mechanically. Now with the sophistication of "drive by wire" its a much simpler design mechanically but much more complex electrically.
Back in the 80's when he started this project it had to all be done mechanically. Now with the sophistication of "drive by wire" its a much simpler design mechanically but much more complex electrically.
There's a dealer around here? I didn't know they even sold them in the US much less in NH. cool.supra90turbo said:
I want one with a 1300cc hayabusa engine in it:aigo:
Imagine getting that thing to wheelie. lol
daledoe said:
i think i already have? has this design been shown publicly yet? i think i have seen the design or one VERY close to it. i might have a pic of one like it in a car book of mine.
i'll take a look...i'm pretty sure i've heard of that idea before... i dunno. i cant scan, i can photograph with a crappy digi. more tomorrow.
daledoe-
OK! i found the book, found the picture. It's a Merdedes F-300 Life-Jet that was presented at the "1997 Frankfurt show"
luckily with a search i found the EXACT picture used in my book and i can post a nice copy w/out much work! lol... sadly i miraculously remembered i saw it in this 300 page car book of mine and knew it was 3 wheeled and even how it tilted it's wheels...but i didnt remember that the front had the two wheels and the rear had the single. so unless you failed to mention that your family's car was layed out in this fashon...its not the one. but its the same concept!
more pics I havent seen until now:
go here for more info, and google its name for more stuff: http://images.google.com/imgres?img...firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N
pretty cool cokpit too...
I just found the life jet 300...no time to look at details but it has active camber control...i thought that was interesting...look at how much camber it can modify!
OK! i found the book, found the picture. It's a Merdedes F-300 Life-Jet that was presented at the "1997 Frankfurt show"
luckily with a search i found the EXACT picture used in my book and i can post a nice copy w/out much work! lol... sadly i miraculously remembered i saw it in this 300 page car book of mine and knew it was 3 wheeled and even how it tilted it's wheels...but i didnt remember that the front had the two wheels and the rear had the single. so unless you failed to mention that your family's car was layed out in this fashon...its not the one. but its the same concept!
more pics I havent seen until now:
go here for more info, and google its name for more stuff: http://images.google.com/imgres?img...firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N
pretty cool cokpit too...
I just found the life jet 300...no time to look at details but it has active camber control...i thought that was interesting...look at how much camber it can modify!
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I remember seeing a show awhile ago on that 4 wheel Mercedes, I just remember them comparing it to the handling of a sportbike with the amenities of a car. Showed them taking it down a windy tight hill and it just went where they pointed it, the whole car acts like its leaning.
lol.
i cant wait until they start using vaccum areodynamics in racing. did you guys know that a properly engineered car traveling at high speeds could have such a low pressure underneath the car that it could drive upside down on a suspended raceway? THAT would be insane.
I read that it's possible of course, but it hasnt been explored because the G's the car would be able to pull could either exceed the limits of the tires/parts...or kill the driver. i think it was kill the driver... the turning force would make the driver just pass out
i cant wait until they start using vaccum areodynamics in racing. did you guys know that a properly engineered car traveling at high speeds could have such a low pressure underneath the car that it could drive upside down on a suspended raceway? THAT would be insane.
I read that it's possible of course, but it hasnt been explored because the G's the car would be able to pull could either exceed the limits of the tires/parts...or kill the driver. i think it was kill the driver... the turning force would make the driver just pass out