The mysterious world of the three-wheeled car

Velorex (1950)

Based in Czechoslovakia, the Stransky brothers built their first Velorex prototype in 1943 but production didn’t start until 1950. A steel-tube spaceframe housed a 175cc engine (later 250cc then 350cc), over which were clipped canvas sheets to keep out the elements. It was light, frugal and surprisingly quick, and more than 15,000 had been sold by the time production ended in 1971.

Fuldamobil N-2 (1952)

The original Fuldamobil of 1950 used the same manufacturing techniques as contemporary caravans. Things improved with the N-1 of 1951 and by the time the N-2 arrived a year later, this super-sleek 2+2 was positively stylish. It was quite fast too, with a 9.5bhp 359cc single-cylinder engine.

Daihatsu Bee (1951)

Most Japanese car makers started small; Daihatsu’s first passenger car was this three-wheeler that was powered by a rear-mounted 804cc air-cooled flat-twin. So it probably drove just like a shrunken 911. At over four metres long it was a big car for such a tichy engine which is why it topped out at just 49mph. About 300 were made; do any survive?

Bond Minicar (1952)

Having sold almost 3500 copies of his previous design, Lawrie Bond came up with this car,  the far more upmarket Minicar MkC. There was now a door (just the one though, for the passenger), front brakes and full-width styling, so from the front the Bond looked like a proper car. Onlookers weren’t fooled for long though.

AC Petite (1952)

It seems incredible that the company that brought us the thundering Cobra 427 also built this 40mph contraption. While the Petite was made of steel, the later Model 70 was made of plastic; that’s the blue invalid car that was so prevalent on UK roads in the 1970s. The Model 70 was so unsafe that it was banned from production in 1978 – and from the roads altogether in 2003.

Allard Clipper (1953)

Just like AC, Allard was a company that built sports cars powered by huge American V8s, so the Clipper was something of a departure. One of the first cars ever to be made of glassfibre. A 346cc engine knocked out all of 8bhp but the Clipper was hideously unreliable, which is why hardly any were made.

SNCAN Inter (1953)

SNCAN was an aircraft builder that switched its attention to making cars. Just like the Messerschmitt, the Inter seated two in tandem and was powered by a 175cc engine. Early examples featured front wheels that could be folded in so the car could be pulled through a standard front doorway, enabling it to be stored inside.

Brutsch Spatz (1954)

Egon Brutsch (1904-1988) was one of the most prolific microcar designers of the 1950s, but he didn’t enjoy much commercial success. His first car was the Spatz, with a 191cc single-cylinder engine. Instead of a chassis the Spatz featured a glassfibre monocoque – which fell apart because it was too weak. This led to the car being banned in Germany, which proved something of a setback.

Gordon (1954)

Vernon Industries was the company behind the football pools – the company that made some lucky people very wealthy overnight. It also made this abomination, which presumably no pools winner ever rushed out to buy. The 197cc engine sat outside the bodywork on the driver’s side and this provided a 45mph top speed.

Despite this, Vernons claimed the Gordon was “Britain’s finest three-wheeler family car”. We beg to differ.

Avolette (1955)

Another Brutsch creation, the Avolette was licensed by French company Air Tourist, which improved the styling to make the car more appealing, as is evident from this picture. The standard powerplant was a 175cc single-cylinder unit, but for those who craved performance a 250cc engine was optional.

Messerschmitt KR200/201 (1955)

When Willy Messerschmitt (1898-1978) was banned from making aircraft at the end of the second world war, he moved into car manufacturing. His first creation was the 1953 KR175; nearly 20,000 were made, and its successor the KR200 appeared in 1955. This featured a 191cc engine and tandem seating for two.

About 30,000 of these were sold by the time production ended in 1964, and the company returned to the aircraft industry.

Brutsch Mopetta (1956)

Perfect for the person with a death wish who was in no hurry, the Mopetta packed a 49cc engine and could speed all the way to 27mph. Just 1.7 metres long and all of 88cm wide, for some reason the Mopetta wasn’t a strong seller, with just 14 made.

Heinkel Kabine (1956)

As the advert says, the Heinkel was exceedingly fast and came with a spacious and comfortable interior; no wonder the family inside this one look so happy. One of the most famous and popular of all bubble cars, the Heinkel was also sold in the UK as the Trojan, with around 30,000 examples made in all.

Tourette (1956)

So many jokes, so little space... Built by the Surrey-based Progress Supreme Company, the Tourette was tiny but could supposedly seat three abreast. With all of 7.6bhp available from the 197cc engine the 195kg car was reputedly capable of 55mph. Presumably on a very steep downhill gradient. Just 35 were made in 1956-1957.

Rollera (1956)

If the Mopetta was a washout in terms of its popularity it was nothing compared with the Rollera, of which just eight were sold. It was effectively a longer and wider two-seater version of the Mopetta, and once production ended, the Rollera was licensed to Sté Rollera Francaise which built a few more.

These cars have become hugely collectible with the car pictured sold by RM Sothebys in 2013 for $63,250; a Mopetta was sold in the same auction for $66,125.

Bond Minicar (1957)

Less than a decade after he introduced his Minicar, Lawrie Bond had sold almost 14,000 of them; that’s austerity for you. The final design appeared in 1957, offered in saloon, convertible and estate forms during its nine-year lifespan. Bond had finally discovered true luxury; this Minicar had a door on each side, a throbbing 246cc engine and even wind-up windows on later cars.

Fuji Cabin (1957)

Built by Tokyo-based Fuji Toshuda Motors, the Cabin was one of Japan’s most successful microcars – which isn’t saying much as only 85 were made. The 5.5bhp 123cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine gave a top speed of 37mph; the car pictured was sold by RM Sothebys in 2013 for a whopping $126,500.

Coronet (1957)

The Coronet was an attempt at producing a microcar with big-car styling and comfort, which is why it was advertised as “the world’s best three-wheeler”. And who are we to argue? The 328cc engine could take this three-seater up to 57mph and despite the high price when it was launched, around 250 were made between 1957 and 1960.

Scootacar (1958)

As bubble cars became big news in mainland Europe, Scootacar put this confection into production. There were three iterations, all basically the same but the first two got a 197cc engine which ballooned to a 324cc unit for the final version. Around 1000 Scootacars were built between 1958 and 1965.

Berkeley T60 (1959)

We’ve already encountered the delights of Lawrie Bond. In 1955 he approached caravan maker Berkeley with a view to collaborating on a pint-sized sports car. The result was the four-wheeled B65 which four years later became the three-wheeled T60.

Very nippy and enormous fun to drive, the T60 proved a smash hit with 1750 sold in the first year. But Berkeley went bust in 1960 when its caravan sales slumped, and it was all over.

Reliant MkVI (1960)

If ever there was a company renowned for its three-wheelers, it’s Reliant – largely because it built almost 200,000 of them over a 65-year production run. The first passenger cars came in 1952 and they were pretty basic, but by 1960 the factory was churning out this sporty little number. Sleek and stylish, the MkVI was a big success, with 8478 built by the time production ended in 1962.

Nobel 200 (1959)

What started out as the German-built Fuldamobil S-7 became the British-made Nobel 200 in 1959. Offered with three wheels or four, the Nobel featured a glassfibre bodyshell made by the Bristol Aircraft Company. Available in kit or fully-built forms, around 1000 Nobels were made before the plug was pulled in 1962.

Peel P50 (1962)

Marginally more high-tech than a skateboard, the Peel P50 is still listed as the world’s smallest passenger car by the Guinness Book of Records. Capable of seating one in discomfort, a 49cc engine buzzed away under the driver; it could take the Peel all the way to 30mph.

Original P50s are very highly prized but the car is back in production once more – now powered by electricity. Suddenly the Reva G-Whiz looks sophisticated.

GM Runabout (1964)

Most three-wheelers of the 1960s were cheap, functional cars but GM showed that the genre could also be sleek and appealing with this concept. Shown at the 1964 World Fair, the Runabout’s single front wheel could be turned through 180 degrees so the car could turn in its own length. The back of the car also incorporated a removable shopping trolley.

Peel Trident (1965)

Buoyed by the success of the P50, Peel’s encore was the Trident. Looking like it had driven straight out of the Jetsons, the Trident could seat two side by side, with power still supplied by a 49cc engine. Once again, the Trident went back into production in 2010, and as with the P50, motive power was supplied by an electric motor rather than a petrol engine.

ABC Trimini/Tricar (1968)

If you’ve always thought that the Mini has one wheel too many, the Trimini was just the thing. Created by Auto Body Craft in the West Midlands, the Mini’s entire front end was retained and half of a Mini rear subframe was grafted onto the back end along with a new glassfibre body tub. Weighing 205kg less than a regular Mini, the Trimini was fast and 25 examples were sold.

Bond Bug (1970)

Reliant’s designer Tom Karen (1926-2022) had long wanted the company to build something a bit far out, and when it bought microcar maker Bond, it was the perfect opportunity. It sold reasonably well with 2269 being built up to 1973, each one powered by a 700cc four-cylinder engine.

Reliant Robin (1973)

The butt of endless jokes, the Robin was powered by a 748cc engine, enlarged to 848cc in 1975. The Rialto replaced the Robin in 1981 but the latter was revived in 1989 and it would stay in production until Reliant faded away in 2001.

Stimson Scorcher (1976)

With three wheels, a 254kg kerb weight and a top speed of around 100mph, the Stimson Scorcher was capable of providing thrills galore. The brainchild of Barry Stimson (1940-2022), around 30 of these wacky machines were built, each one powered by a 998cc Mini engine. They’ve become very collectible, so if you happen to see one at the right price...

Badsey Bullet (1981)

Bill Badsey (1940-2001) was an ambitious South African who claimed that his Bullet was capable of 200mph – 150mph was probably nearer the truth. Powered by a Yamaha V4 motorcycle engine, the Bullet was supposed to be officially imported to the UK from 1982, but it doesn’t seem that any cars ever actually travelled to the country.

Ghia Cockpit (1981)

The Cockpit represented the future of urban commuting when it was unveiled at the 1981 Geneva motor show. Capable of seating two adults in tandem, at the back was a 12bhp 200cc single-cylinder engine capable of giving great economy. Just the one show car was made though, sadly.

Reliant Rialto (1981)

By the early 1980s the Robin was looking dated, so Reliant brought in the IAD design consultancy with a difficult mission: come up with a stylish three-wheeler. It’s fair to say that IAD succeeded, with a car that was quite sleek.

Lomax 223 (1983)

When Nigel Whall created the Lomax from a redundant Citroen 2CV he probably didn’t realise that his Lomax would become one of the most popular kit cars ever, with more than 3500 sold. A 2CV floorpan was mated to a glassfibre bodyshell with no doors or roof. The car weighed just 400 kg, with its 31bhp 602 cm3 flat-twin engine giving ample performance.

Sinclair C5 (1984)

New regulations from August 1983 allowed electrically powered cycles of fewer than four wheels, under 60kg in weight and powered by a motor of up to 250W, to be used on the road under powered control at a maximum of 15mph. No tax disc, licence, insurance, helmet or MOT was required, and anyone aged 14 or over could drive one.

Sir Clive Sinclair (1940-2021) seized an opportunity that wasn’t there with a vehicle that was impractical and overpriced. Despite a high profile launch that saw the car featured on the TV news, it was a sales disaster, leading to the company going bust in 1985.

Replicar Cursor (1985)

Alan Hatswell formed Replicar in 1981 to build Bugatti, Ferrari and Jaguar-inspired kit cars. Then he came up with the Cursor – a single-seat three-wheeler powered by a Suzuki 49cc moped engine. With a 30mph top speed the Cursor could legally be driven by 16-year olds. About 100 Cursors were built between 1985 and 1987, with a few later cars being two-seaters.

Volkswagen Scooter (1986)

The Scooter was a refreshing take on the urban commuter car. Powered by a 1043cc Polo engine that could take it all the way to 125mph, the Scooter featured gull-wing doors that could be removed altogether to create a sort of convertible.

Grinnall Scorpion III (1992)

This car featured a square-tube steel chassis, uses Ford front suspension, with power coming from a BMW motorbike engine. Well made and enormous fun to drive, it was  easy to see the car’s appeal.

Corbin Sparrow (1996)

When Mike and Tom Corbin launched their Sparrow in 1996 it was one of the few electric cars on the market. Around 350 of these single-seater commuter cars were built up to 2003. By that point the company had also introduced the petrol-engined Merlin three-wheeler, but just a dozen of these were made before Corbin went out of business.

Carver One (1997)

Three-wheelers tend to be a bit crazy but the Carver took things to the next level, with a body that leaned into corners so it constantly looked like it was tipping over. About 200 cars were made before the company went out of business in 2009.

Mercedes F300 Lifejet (1997)

Mercedes might be a very conservative company, but that doesn’t stop it letting its designers have some fun when it comes to concept cars. They were certainly let off the leash for this one; a two-seater three-wheeler with a 1.6-litre engine that could do 130mph.

A computer allowed the cornering angle to be controlled, with the body able to tilt by up to 30 degrees, presumably ensuring that any occupants will feel sick by the time they get out.

PAL-V (2004)

The PAL-V is essentially a gyrocopter based on the Carver One that we saw earlier, a 100bhp petrol engine in drive mode gives a top speed of 100mph on the road. When flying the engine’s power output doubles to 200bhp and the top speed increases to 112mph. However, consumer sales have been repeatedly delayed.

Peugeot 20Cup (2005)

Offering a brief diversion from reality, Peugeot whisked the covers off the 20Cup in 2005 to show what a three-wheeler with a Peugeot face would look like. It looked pretty appealing, and with a kerb weight of under 500kg along with a 168bhp turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine it would have been a hoot to drive.

Volkswagen GX-3 (2006)

When VW unveiled the GX-3 at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show the assumption was that this was merely a show car, but the ultra-conservative company looked seriously into putting the car into production. A 1.6-litre Lupo GTi engine gave 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds and a 125mph top speed, but litigation concerns put paid to the project.