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Take this one as a hoot -- or a scary indicator of what CAFE will do to America's beloved pickup truck. It's a
1967 Daihatsu Tri-Mobile, a three-wheeler that's outfitted with 12 horsepower and a cute factor that eclipses any Corbin Sparrow.
The California seller says the Tri-Mobile is one of a wave of microcars from the 196s that "get more smiles per gallon" than any other car, and points to the
Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum as one of the few places you can see another example. Only a handful were made in left-hand drive and imported to the U.S., and this rust-free example is the only one we could find for sale after a half-hour cruising around on Google.
While we're not ready to give up our Prius just yet, the charms of the Tri-Mobile shine right through its peeling paint, applied over the original yellow color it was delivered in, as a vehicle used by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. On its third owner, the current title holder still has the original "pink slip." It sports two seats, a one-cylinder two-stroke engine, and a three-speed manual gearbox. Considered a three-wheel motorcycle truck by the California DMV, the Tri-Mobile only requires a regular old car license to operate on roads--but the wisdom of stepping into anything other than stop-and-go traffic is to be questioned.
The pickup bed on this one is in sturdy shape. There might be a dozen left in the U.S. and the owner says he doesn't doubt its clocked mileage of 23,161. So if you can get over the passing resemblance to the tuk-tuks that hammer around Bangkok, emitting more smoke than the trannie bar mamas, post your bid and maybe in three days, it'll be yours. Take that with your 35-mpg rules, Congress!
Posted in : 2008, Classics, Green Machines, Just for Fun, Shoppers
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It's not too early to start planning summer vacations -- and if your annual trek skips the Grand Canyon for slightly more exotic climes, you'll be pleased to find out that
BMW's company museum will soon be open again to the public.
BMW put about two and a half years into expanding and renovating the place, adding on to its classic "museum bowl" shape that was penning by Karl Schwanzer in 1973. The facility sits next to
BMW's headquarters in Munich.
The addition of more than 50,000 new square feet to the museum boosts its display space fivefold. It gives
BMW the space to lay out more of the company's history and to tag on more to the brand-philosophy displays at
BMW Welt and the European delivery center.
On display at the Museum are vehicles like
BMW's classic 507 and the 2002, the hallmark that inspired
BMW's newest 1-Series cars.
The opening on the 19th is for VIPs--the
BMW Museum opens to the general public on June 21.
Posted in : 2008, BMW, Classics, Shoppers
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Mercedes-Benz sent us a lovely card today reminding us that today, January 29th, is what they consider the birthday of the automobile. Of course we normally send out our own salutations by e-card. It must have been lost in the spam filter. We swear.
You probably don’t remember it like yesterday, but in 1886 Karl Benz applied for a patent for a “vehicle with gas-engine operation.” Karl’s “Motorwagen” had a four-stroke gas engine, three wheels, front-wheel steering and the name Tri-Car. That vehicle is now located in a museum in Stuttgart, has a top speed of 10 miles per hour, 0.75 horsepower and displaced 58 cubic inches.
Across town that same year, Gottlieb Daimler’s motorized carriage also appeared in 1886, making it the first four-wheeled automobile with an internal-combustion engine on the planet. Add Daimler plus Benz and...well, you don’t get
Chrysler, that’s for sure.
In case you’re updating iCal, Karl’s birthday is November 25. We’ll remind the Benz PR team to update their Amazon wish list accordingly. Meanwhile, please to enjoy this highly interactive tour of the
Mercedes museum in Stuttgart, with a warning: it’s so Flash-heavy you’ll think you’re in Central Park instead of Swabia.
Posted in : 2008, Classics, Just for Fun, Mercedes-Benz, Shoppers
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A lot of strange and intriguing e-mail crosses my digital transom. There are the rants and the raves, the corrections and the questions, and of course, plenty of press releases. You learn whose notes you want to read first—the e-mail hors d’ouevres, if you will—and those always include old friend Dick Nerod.
Now retired from General Motors, Dick is seemingly as active as ever, even if it’s just sending out notes like the one I got this morning on the N2A. Rather than interpret his words, here’s what he tells us: “This is built by N2A (No 2 Alike) motors. Cost $75,000 over cost of new Corvette. The company is planning a production run of about 100 vehicles. Sits on a Corvette C6 chassis, front styled like a ‘57 Chevy, side like a ‘58, rear like a ‘59. Hence the designation "789."
Apparently, this design mashup made its appearance at Autorama earlier in the year and is the brainchild of Fred Kanter, a collector and entrepreneur who also happens to own the rights to the Packard brand name. From what we’ve been able to piece together, it took him about 14 weeks to produce the carbon fiber body, though pretty much what’s underneath is stock C6 ‘Vette. That means about 400 horsepower from the LS2 V-8.
We’ve seen plenty of similar ventures over the years, including the disastrous Excalibur, thirty-some years ago. Whether N2A will pull it off is uncertain, but the look is certainly intriguing. To our own, jaded eyes, the most striking angle is the rear, which really does capture the best features of the ’59 Chevy.
Posted in : 2007, Chevrolet, Classics, Just for Fun, Shoppers
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(Surprisingly, Cage was not available for photo op - so here's a Cobra shot instead.)
Nic Cage may regret a few roles he's taken, but one big regret of his was taken care of by the courts today.
Cage, fellow New Orleanian and car collector, got word that a car broker who had lined up to sell some of his classics and later walked off with the proceeds, was sentenced to five years in prison and $1.8 million in restitution.
Peter Brotman had agreed to sell Cage's
Ferraris and Cobras. He did - but Cage got shorted $300,000 in proceeds from an April 2004 sale. Brotman also was convicted of defrauding a bank in the proceedings.
AP Wire Stories
Posted in : 2007, Celebrities, Classics
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The California seller says the Tri-Mobile is one of a wave of microcars from the 196s that "get more smiles per gallon" than any other car, and points to the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum as one of the few places you can see another example. Only a handful were made in left-hand drive and imported to the U.S., and this rust-free example is the only one we could find for sale after a half-hour cruising around on Google.;)
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