Volkswagen GX3 Trike

[Karlo]

"The GX3 was conceived for the US by the Moonraker team and Volkswagen's Design Center in California. VW claim's they'll build it and sell it for about $17,000 if they get enough interest. Details are as follows:

10 lb/hp power-to-weight ratio (1200lb curbweight), 1.25g road holding, and 46 mpg. It is powered by a tranverse, rear mounted 1.6-liter 4-cylinder that makes 125hp and 112.5 ft-lbs of torque and enables the GX3 to sprint to 62mph in 5.7 seconds. Row all the way through the 6-speed gearbox and you'll eventually top out at 125mph. Suspension is double wishbone with coil-overs in the front and an aluminum mono swing arm in the back. Oh and about that back tire – 315/30 on an 18x12-inch rim."

[TonyB]

As you can probably tell, I joined this forum a while ago. I just wanted to say nice work.

Any of you remember the VW GX3?

http://www.vwvortex.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=8&num=1647

[pook]

Thank you.
I sure do remember the GX3 I had high hopes for the trike and VW lending a LOT of merit to the "less than four wheels" vehicle designs.
PooK

[Gage]

As you can probably tell, I joined this forum a while ago. I just wanted to say nice work.

Any of you remember the VW GX3?

http://www.vwvortex.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=8&num=1647

I'm not a big Trike fan, and I really liked that design. It must have been dropped.

[golftdibrad]

I'm not a big Trike fan, and I really liked that design. It must have been dropped.

all dubs look better dropped :D

[TonyB]

I'm not a big Trike fan, and I really liked that design. It must have been dropped.

Never had VW before, well, except as kit donors (Manx Dune Buggy and Aquila kit car), but I was on an unofficial wait list for the GX3... It was dropped for legal / liability reasons.

[pook]

I wonder how they estimated 17K? What a great price that would have been considering what's out there and what it cost (50k for a T-Rex???)
I read testing was very good and the trike was stable, but the bean counters and lawyers killed it....
PooK

[TonyB]

Yup. Was pulling some nice lateral G's. It was lacking raw power with the planned engine, but we all know that's addressable. I'm guessing such designs will have a propensity to oversteer, maybe even snap-like, which might have been the reason for killing it. Really curious to hear how yours comes-out...

EDIT - My apologies. I didn't see that there was already a thread on the GX3. I found your build thread in the Superlite area and it was marked as moved, so I just jumped straight to it, not to this subforum...

[Gage]

I'm told that big factories have advantages in material costs and bulk sales allowing them to ask the prices they do. For example...look at a Honda Civic for 20 to 25k loaded with electronics sophisticated customized parts....and the rediculously more simple Ariel Atom at 50k to 80k. It doesn't compute in my mind but that is the story.

[pook]

I guess your right Gage but they are all still just steel space frames.
.
TonyB, No problem, I "think" Karlo moved it is what happened.
What do you guy's think of those roll bars on the GX3? (they're starting to grow on me) and I wonder if those are covers over tube or something like carbon?

PooK

[TonyB]

I'm fine with them too. I'm guessing they make more sense for rear visibility purposes, and I suppose even aerodynamically as well. Not sure what's covering them...