Cars with three wheels are hardly common.
Three-wheel designs are unusual nowadays since there is no practical reason to build an automobile that is inherently less stable than a four-wheel vehicle. Three-wheelers found it difficult to remain in mass production for an extended period of time, regardless of whether they were designed in reaction to the fuel crisis of the 1970s or simply sprung from experimental engineering.
1929-1936 BSA Three-Wheeler
BSA, well-known for making guns, bikes, and tricycles, used to be the biggest motorcycle manufacturer in the United Kingdom.
In direct rivalry with the first Morgan Three-Wheeler, the business also manufactured a number of three-wheeled vehicles. Although BSA began producing four-wheeled automobiles in 1936, their three-wheeled designs continued. The business produced two three-wheeled microcar prototypes, called BSA Ladybirds, in 1960.
Unfortunately, it never made it into production and was too late for the 1950s bubble-car fad.
The production of cars by BSA came full circle, terminating on a three-wheeler, just where it had started. In 1960, the BSA automobile brand was discontinued, and it was absorbed into Jaguar Cars.
1933 Dymaxion
The Dymaxion is by far the largest three-wheeler in this collection, having been designed by American architect Buckminster Fuller.
The initial goal was a peak speed of 120 mph, but it could reputedly reach 90 mph and provide about 30 mpg. It was designed to accommodate 11 passengers. It was 20 feet (6 meters) long and featured front-wheel drive and rear-wheel steering to provide some control.
This car was designed to go well with Fuller’s Dymaxion dwellings, which he was constructing at the same time. Regretfully, only three prototypes were produced since neither concept became popular.
1933-1937 Goliath F400
The F400 was an extended variant of the Goliath Pionier passenger vehicle, designed to be used as a panel van or a pickup truck. Mounted behind the seat, the 396cc air-cooled, two-cylinder, two-stroke engine could reach a startling peak speed of 30 mph.
The same car was given a 198cc engine, which was marketed as the F200 and could carry up to 500 kg (1102 lb) of cargo. Presumably, the bigger engine could support 750 kg. In just four years, almost 18,000 of these models were made thanks to their great success. Subsequently, the F400’s wooden body was replaced with metal panels throughout manufacture.
Goliath brought back the three-wheeled pick-up truck after World War II with the GD750 and Goli, but the business failed in 1961.
1947-1949 Davis Divan
Used-car seller Glen Gordon “Gary” Davis sought a share of the surge in the market for new vehicles that followed World War II.
The Californian, a three-wheeled vehicle developed by Frank Kurtis and commissioned by Indianapolis 500 driver Joel Thorne, served as the model for his Davis Divan. Davis bought the Californian and went throughout the country showing potential dealers what this sleek anomaly would look like.
He gathered an impressive $1.2 million to build the Divan, according to reports of his spectacularly successful sales drive. Just 13 automobiles were produced despite the fact that production started with workers working for free until the cars started to sell.
1948-1977 Invacar
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Bert Greeves converted a ‘bike into a three-wheeled, single-seat vehicle in 1948 to aid wounded veterans in getting around. The UK government hired a number of producers to create Invacars, which were then leased as a component of a driver’s disability compensation.
These cars gave people a certain amount of independence, but they were not permitted to carry passengers, and safety issues were raised.
Over 20,000 Invacars are said to have been made, but the government recalled them all in 2003 so they could be demolished. Because of this, there aren’t many surviving examples—roughly just sixty are believed to have survived the crusher.