Photo: screenshot from R&T on Facebook
For those unfamiliar with the subject, Paul Elio and Elio Motors had promised to bring a three-wheeled motor vehicle to the U.S. market back when dinosaurs still roamed this planet.
After years of waiting and a helluva lot of deposits on the not-yet-ready-for-production Elio 3-Wheeler, the American manufacturer is edging toward production. The latest announcements from Elio Motors are just what you would expect them to be. And it's jolly good news, to be honest.
The most important news, though, is that 41 U.S. States now provide exemptions for motorcycle licenses or, where it applies, have enacted legislation to create a new class of vehicle – the autocycle. That’s an enclosed three-wheel vehicle such as the Elio 3-Wheeler, which is slated for 2017. As it’s often the case with Elio, smooth sailing is not on this venture’s agenda.
During a recent test drive of a prototype Elio 3-Wheeler, our friends at Road & Track have experienced what Top Gear referred to as “ambitious, but rubbish.” More to the point, the front left fender of the prototype Elio 3-Wheeler fell off after only 20 minutes of what I'd call gentle driving.
Skip the following video to 21:30 to see the teeth grinding moment. Other than the fact that the pod fender fell off from what’s basically a brand new prototype which also happens to be near-production ready, the hilarity goes even further. Instead of filming, trimming, then uploading the review on the Internet, R&T captured the moment live during a Facebook livestream.
Don’t get me wrong. I keep my fingers crossed Elio Motors will pull it off and bring the 3-Wheeler to market in 2017, 84 mpg (2.8 l/100 km) for $6,800 excluding destination and all. But the truth of the matter is, the ambitious team behind Elio Motors needs to test the 3-Wheeler a lot in real-world driving scenarios in order to address dinky issues like the flimsy fenders.
In his write-up on Road & Track, online news editor Bob Sorokanich highlights that this wasn’t his proudest moment on video. Here's what's what:
“The car’s pod fenders, mounted to the exposed front suspension A-arms, rattled over every bump and pothole we traversed. At some point, the left fender rattled itself loose, and when we hit a bump traveling west on 57th street in midtown Manhattan, the mounts let go entirely. The fender pitched forward, got pulled under the rotating front tire, and dragged along the road."
"With the fender jammed under the left-front tire, I wasn’t able to steer the car to get it over to the curb. So brave cameraman Chris Perkins and I cut the video, hopped out, rolled the car backward to free the fender, and limped our way back to our meeting point." Oh well, it could've been worse.
The most important news, though, is that 41 U.S. States now provide exemptions for motorcycle licenses or, where it applies, have enacted legislation to create a new class of vehicle – the autocycle. That’s an enclosed three-wheel vehicle such as the Elio 3-Wheeler, which is slated for 2017. As it’s often the case with Elio, smooth sailing is not on this venture’s agenda.
During a recent test drive of a prototype Elio 3-Wheeler, our friends at Road & Track have experienced what Top Gear referred to as “ambitious, but rubbish.” More to the point, the front left fender of the prototype Elio 3-Wheeler fell off after only 20 minutes of what I'd call gentle driving.
Skip the following video to 21:30 to see the teeth grinding moment. Other than the fact that the pod fender fell off from what’s basically a brand new prototype which also happens to be near-production ready, the hilarity goes even further. Instead of filming, trimming, then uploading the review on the Internet, R&T captured the moment live during a Facebook livestream.
Don’t get me wrong. I keep my fingers crossed Elio Motors will pull it off and bring the 3-Wheeler to market in 2017, 84 mpg (2.8 l/100 km) for $6,800 excluding destination and all. But the truth of the matter is, the ambitious team behind Elio Motors needs to test the 3-Wheeler a lot in real-world driving scenarios in order to address dinky issues like the flimsy fenders.
In his write-up on Road & Track, online news editor Bob Sorokanich highlights that this wasn’t his proudest moment on video. Here's what's what:
“The car’s pod fenders, mounted to the exposed front suspension A-arms, rattled over every bump and pothole we traversed. At some point, the left fender rattled itself loose, and when we hit a bump traveling west on 57th street in midtown Manhattan, the mounts let go entirely. The fender pitched forward, got pulled under the rotating front tire, and dragged along the road."
"With the fender jammed under the left-front tire, I wasn’t able to steer the car to get it over to the curb. So brave cameraman Chris Perkins and I cut the video, hopped out, rolled the car backward to free the fender, and limped our way back to our meeting point." Oh well, it could've been worse.
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