(first posted 12/28/2011) Lurking behind the shop where I found the ’67 Tempest and Kellison GT was this little piece of vintage seventies ‘forgotten fiberglass’. It rang some sort of distant bell, one whose peal was highly dulled by the accumulated fuzz of the decades since. But the proprietor must have seen me looking a bit stumped, and rescued me from my almost-senior moment. “It’s a Tri Power; more specifically, the very first one, the prototype”. Ah yes! Stupid me, how could I forget? Tri Power indeed.
Well, it looks somehow familiar, like something one read about in the back pages of C/D or M/T. Yet all the googling I’ve done turns up zilch. Undoubtedly, one of you has a better memory. This may well be the only story on this on the web, so let’s get it right. (Update: Yes, our all-knowing commentators have identified this as a Tri-Magnum, and it does well look like this could be #1)
Trikes were the hot new thing in the seventies, owing to several reasons. It was the decade to be individualistic, and what better vehicle to let your shaggy mane get a good airing than in a trike.
Another reason was the ready availability of donor-cycles with large enough of engines to power them. This one sports the very popular Kawasaki 1000 under its Star-Wars influenced body work. That probably hadn’t been released yet, so more likely it was Star Trek.
And a safety bumper. That was so 1976! The front suspension is from that other ubiquitous donor-mobile, a VW Beetle. A marriage made in heaven, especially since so many trikes were also built the other way around: VW rear ends with motorcycle front ends. So efficient, nothing is wasted. I’m looking at a particular CC contributor.
The interior is bare fiberglass right now. But according to my source here, he tells me it’s just about to be redone, and looking like a duck. Yes, he says it will be turned into a rolling mascot of some sort for the Oregon Ducks football team, and driven unto the field at Autzen Stadium. Stay tuned.
Fascinating.
I especially like the reverse-trike layout, with a single rear tire. Much more stable.
Styling…I’ve got issues. The front end works. The rear…not so much.
I wonder what the performance and fuel-economy are with that setup? Those big cycle engines weren’t known for their economy….
But they were reknown for their performance
Those KZ1000 engines were also dead reliable. Cop bikes accumulated 100k miles routinely with them.
What’s the trike car that was promoted by a transsexual and turned out to be as real as his tits?
I think not. That was the “Dale” – and I don’t think it got off the drawing board.
IIRC, that gal got arrested on a morals charge and got sent away for a long, long time. She tried a defense that she was being framed by Detroit forces, which wanted to keep “her” from revolutionizing the motor biz…
Let me hit Google on that.
EDIT: It was counterfeiting, not morals. That thing was supposed to be powered by a BMW cycle engine, an 800cc unit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twentieth_Century_Motor_Car_Corporation
MORE LATE EDIT: You might be right! A prototype here:
http://www.3wheelers.com/dale.html
This is not a Dale; I’m quite sure.
It’s not a Dale, but it sure free-associates to the Dale; that was the first thought that popped into my mind too.
Given that this is dated to 1976, and the Dale fiasco happened in 1974, is it possible there was some influence, even unintentional? Someone who saw some design validity in the Dale concept and figured out that it could be built using a bike to provide the drivetrain and some of the basic structure.
I think it’s important to note that the Dale wasn’t a bad idea. In the hands of a competent person it could’ve been a viable solution during the gas crisis of the 1970’s. Unfortunately Liz Carmichael was a con artist only interested in making quick cash not providing a viable solution to any problems.
How culturally incompetent of you!
Who’s next, gays? Women? Blacks? Jews?
To quote Jerry Seinfeld,”You know, some of us are trying to have a civilization here.”
What’d I do? Should it have been -her- t1ts?
Why do you find it necessary to sleaze out and use language like that at all, especially on such a nice, wholesome site like CC? Are you insane?
And yes, your pronoun choice was inappropriate, as was your jeering reference to her transsexualism and her breasts. I know some men think being a grunting caveman is “cool” somehow these days, but I assure you they’re wrong. It just makes them look incredibly infantile.
I can’t believe I’m getting chewed out on a car website.
I’ll be more respectful to convicted career felons next time.
If you really feel that her being a “convicted career felon” is all the excuse you need to let your inner bigot run amuck then you should be accustomed to getting “chewed out” by now.
You sure told me!
Let’s end this thread, please. Thank you!
Sorry, Paul, but something had to be said so I said it. And to Mr. Tactful, I hope you understand there’s nothing personal in this. I’d just as readily defend you if the roles were switched. 🙂
Another little tidbit, is how they built the trike around the entire motorcycle frame. An interesting approach, although it couldn’t have done much to keep weight down.
The lack of a door and open roof don’t look like prototypes of the Dale. But, who knows?…it might have been an engineering mock-up for them…or just something to hype the concept with, a rolling prototype with no true relation to the planned vehicle, yet something to get the press to salivate over.
It sure doesn’t look like a homemade.
I’m trying to figure out how you are supposed to sit in it and drive it. Where that steering shaft (I’m assuming that is what is being supported by the tent stake) is at it looks like there wouldn’t be enough room to get your left leg around it to operate the clutch. It may just be the perspective and all but it also looks like the pedal height is going to be above the seat bottom height. Then the reverse mounted parking brake handle is another odd thing. I wonder if it is a brake or what exactly it is. It certainly would not be ergonomic to operate.
Like a chaise lounge?
Or a recumbent bicycle – under power.
No pedals on these, they use the motorcycle hand controls mounted on that stick, Never had the opportunity to try one, but always did admire the design. Another similar one I always liked was called the Fire Aero. Should’ve bought one in the ’80s when they were available starting at $1995 for the DIY kit.
Saw the car in Mecanix Ilistrated. They said the plans and blue prints could be bought thrust them. I bought a set, used a Suzuki 750 “water buffalo” for the engine rear end. It used a VW front suspension, brake pedal, gas pedal. The gear shift used part of the handle bar and and clutch to shift. The frame was made from square tubing welded together. The ribs were 3/4 ply wood with 1 inch strips running the length of the car to make the outline of the body and covered with fiber glass.once the glass was hardened, the canopy was cut out with jig saw. The string wheel came from a stock VW.
Kinda looks like a Fiero that got attacked by a butcher of a plastic surgeon. But I like it.
It looks a lit like this Tri-Magnum kit car:
Tri-Magnum it is! I knew someone would straighten me out. For all I know, he may have said that, and I forgot in the excitement of the moment.
I found a site with a lot of info. They call it a Tri Magnum. Looks pretty neat when it’s done up right!
http://www.rqriley.com/tri-mag.html
(Edit, The Prof beat me to it!)
Link claims the prototype was built around a Kwaka 900 but it looks like any bike big enough could be used Kawasaki 900s would have been easy to find wrecked they recorded the fastest purchase to death times when new and had gobs of grunt.
It may well be a 900. Kinda’ hard to tell apart at first glance.
It is a 900. I own it
Now. How about that CJ-2A in the background?
I’m a bit interested in the 87ish Escort GT with Mustang Turbine wheels.
We just did a CJ-2A a couple of weeks ago: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1947-willys-overland-cj-2a/ Can’t get enough?
Yes, I shot the Escort GT, and I have some other gen 1 Escorts in the can. I’m way overdue to do a CC on them.
You’re right: I forgot about that.
(smacks self on head)
I keep forgetting you didnt have real Escorts stateside must shoot some they are still plentifull here I got eyeballed by some lovely ladies in a MK1 Escort whilst out in my Minx tother day but I presume they were looking at my car.
The Escort GT and Lynx XR3 were the closest thing that we got to “real” Escorts here. Ford didn’t want to steal the Mustangs thunder.
As threatened theres a MK2 Escort on the cohort page
It is unclear to me how you would ‘mount’ such a beast. And, to be honest, why one would want to.
But the pictures from the web site do kinda-sorta clarify the whole driving-position thing. Looks like one of those things you would drive around the block a few times, maybe try to scare yourself on a twisty road somewhere, dismount and declare, “Next!”
I’ll be looking for it on the Duck football telecasts next fall…
Now that I went and looked at the website with other versions it appears that canopy does lift forward so you can get in w/o too much contortion.
Have to keep it kwacka powered to go with the duck suit
Out of town and on vacation so got to this late. You are right paul. There is no waste. I have the front end welded to a Kaw 600 rear at my house. Project interruptis by a broken leg and the 57 is keeping me off it now.
The 600 is too light duty. Shocks are at full collapse. I am going to match the 1100E rear to the vw front and probably rig a the 600 engine to the 1100 back. Obviously, the front is vw. As a poster child for ADHD I won’t stay on just one project till done. The reverse trike is project 1.5 in priority. Smog inspection on my S10 has bummed me so much that the 57 has to become roadworthy soon so I can sell the S10.
ADHD does not get better when you get old. It just mixes with senility. Sorry guys.
Good to see you still have the other ends of the electric project one of these kits is right up your street.
That is exactly where they came from. Nobody beating down the door to buy them and “waste not – want not” is an old guy statement.
I learned truisms like that at my dads knee and with a grey beard and grey hair I nearly qualify as an old guy meself
I designed a three-wheeled car for my Senior Industrial Design project at Ga. Tech in 1986. Suspension geometry, center of gravity and center of roll are critical aspects of designing a safe-handling three-wheeler. Some of the trikes on the market at that time had severe rollover tendencies… Properly configured, you could position the center of roll *above* the center of gravity, and the vehicle would actually lean *into* the turn.
My car was designed with a FWD/front steer configuration and was intended to use the Suzuki-sourced three-cylinder engine then available in the Chevy Sprint. While I built a full-scale buck to test ergonomics and component placement, I never got around to building a full-size car (!). The attached photo is of the 1/8-scale model I built for wind tunnel testing.
Cool!
Color me impressed. Still have one sitting in my back yard but I went in reverse order. Have a chassis with engine but hadn’t even thought of the body when I broke my leg and stopped work. By the time I get back to it there probably will be nothing left.
Oh well, it’s one of those years when I might be unable to get back to it but it was nearly free.
Res, I love your design. I designed mine very much similar. I even have a full sized ‘buck’. And now I’ve seen yours. Any more pictures?
If you have a facebook account, check it out at the url I provided.
Wow, I never saw this reply (I was posting as “res” at the time). I still have my design sketchbook and a number of other photos. One of these days, I’ll do a Curbside Concepts post on it.
It is my understanding that this particular motorcycle was built in 1982, it does not have a KZ 1000 but a 76 KZ900. I talked to Robert Riley and he confirmed it’s the first one ever made. Thank you for all your interest. I am the current owner. We scrapped the duck idea.
The Tri-Magnum appeared in Pop Mechanics mag as part of their Urban Car series, most of which were tiny, clunky, under powered, ugly… But I digress. The series was for home build-able economy cars and this one blew all others away. I saved the article and went halvers w a co-worker for the plans which I still have. As I recall there is a gas pedal and brake but the gear shift was one end of the handlebar and the clutch was mounted on this as it would be on the motorcycle.
As I understand the 1st was built on a KZ 900 AND a second was built on a 1000.
As I said, I saved the article from PM a review in Kit Car Magazine and still have the plans.
Anybody interested.
I’ll bite JR… How complete are your plans ? and How much ?
I’m actually constructing a similar vehicle using a VW frontend and the remains of an old sandrail someone gave me. I intended to build it semi open at first ,but things can always evolve…LOL
It would be fun to make a trailer in the shape of a power nozzle. It could be towed behind the Tri-magnum and connected with a hose. It would look like a giant vacuum cleaner driving down the road.
I saw one of these at a kit car show years ago. That seating position is not only hard to get into, but in the event of a collision you have a very good chance of breaking your legs. If you are propelled forward your legs could contact the cowl area and there is no give. Seemed really scary to me.My BIL has one of these type trikes and he let me sit in it. It did look pretty scary to me.
Looks like this might handle like the Hoffman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y16ObVRvgOE
Mid 80’s Firebird wheels.
Spotted that too.
Engine cooling? Any in this design? Hopefully cooling isn’t an afterthought. Any enlightenment would be appreciated.
Needs some kind of air dam in the front. Front end lift must scary at highway speeds.
I recently encountered something that looks a lot like this at a local engraving/stained glass shop. Talked to the owner of the shop, who built the car in the early 80’s (I think). I can’t recall exactly if it’s a tri-magnum or not, I’ll have to look at the photos I took which are on my home computer.
I do recall he said it had originally been motorcycle-engined, but was now running a 3-cylinder Chevy (presumably from a Sprint or a Metro). And that you had to be rather small in stature to fit into it!
Does anyone remember the Trihawk?
http://designmassif.com/trihawk/
Road & Track tested one when it was first introduced. I thought it was cool that it used a Citroen GS engine and transaxle.
Anybody wants t to buy it?
Health forces sale. 3607208907. Owner of tri-magnum prototype. 2500 as is
Jeff – if you have the original, shoot me some more pictures and maybe we can talk…