Three wheeled car

[ironchop]

I still think this is one of the funniest episodes of Top Gear

https://youtu.be/QQh56geU0X8

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[3Deep]

Hahaha :lol: I have seen those cars in the background on T.V. and movies and wondered about how stable they were. Now I know. Hilarious bit by Top Gear. What were they thinking when they designed those cars?

[ATC King]

What were they thinking when they designed those cars?

Skirting licensing laws.


It's the same reasons as the current Polaris Slingshot, the old Morgan 3 Wheeler, and vehicles like the Piaggio Ape (it's Italian and not said as it's spelled). Things with 3 wheels and a steering wheel, not handlebars, are still allowed to licensed as a motorcycle in a lot of places. (Ape has handlebars though)

There's even Ape racing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4iKGMom3K0


No reason a Robin couldn't be substantially modified to handle better, but it'd take some left fielders like in this forum to commit the time and money to make such a rare bird.

[coolpool]

Hmmm, almost like it was scripted? Funny!

[El Camexican]

I've ridden in a few of the Chinese versions. Basically a way of turning a motorcycle into an all weather cab with room for 4 (cramped) and some luggage. They go real slow into the corners.

The ones that blow my mind are the truck versions that seem to be able to take 3 tons or more. You see them flying down the rural roads loaded to the brim and can't help wonder what happens when they have to swerve quickly.

[90nut]

The Robin reliant! Great episode, I'm assuming, didn't actually click the link. I've seen every episode multiple times. Just got back from Jamaica and there were some very interesting "vehicles. " my favorite part was they all seemed to be standard trans.

[3Deep]

Yeah, I understand the rationale but the design is unacceptably unstable. Top Gear was obviously making fun of the car and purposely driving it so as to make it roll but %$#!. The engineers didn't seem to put any thought into roll prevention.

[3Deep]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZCBVxNXrnI This is charming :lol::lol:

[ATC King]

Yeah, I understand the rationale but the design is unacceptably unstable.


To understand the design, you have to understand their top secret military beginnings.


After WWII, when Britain took control of the Antarctic Nazi moon launch bases, they needed a lightweight half track vehicle to navigate the snowy bleakness. Also of importance was styling, to not offend the tuxedo wearing wildlife.

ROBIN was the military code name for the project. If they had called it Nazi Base Prowler, or just Prowler for short, it would have raised public suspicions.

In it's original form, with rear tracks and a front ski, it was very maneuverable and capable of traversing over powder because of it's light weight. The light weight meant the military could ship them in bulk, by plane. This proved to be a cost savings and contributed to their long production.

After years of the Robins being used to search the snowy desert, it was clear than any remaining Nazis had already fled to the moon. The Robins weren't easily adaptable to space travel, so their original use was abandoned.

The manufacturer, having a surplus of the vehicles, couldn't just dump them in the English Channel, where they may have been mistaken for a similar looking top secret mini submarine. Instead, they put wheels on them, sold them to the public, and the rest is history.

[3Deep]

Okie dokie ��. There is a documentary on youtube that shows the evolution of the Robin. It was interesting and the car has a following of enthusiasts much like ATC’s. They are also the butt of a lot of jokes by arse-holes. Guess they have those in England too.