The vendor of at present’s Nice Price or No Dice Tri-Hawk claims that it’s “Probably more fun than is legal in most states.” and warns “People will either stare or wave while you’re driving.” Let’s see if all this illicit enjoyable comes at a good worth.
The thriller mileage on final Friday’s 1988 Volkswagen Cabriolet—which was owed to an odometer that stopped working at 103K—proved to be the fly within the automotive’s ointment for a lot of of you. That unknown made the $13,200 asking worth lower than tenable because of this, incomes the Vee-Dub a 72 p.c no Dice loss. The automotive apparently offered whereas we had been ruminating its destiny, and it might be a pleasant near the story to see what it really offered for.
It’s been averred that ‘birds of a feather flock together,’ nonetheless relating to driving at present’s 1984 Tri-Hawk 304, there’s little or no likelihood of seeing one other one on the highway, a lot much less any type of flock.
First off, although, let’s reply the query just about all of you who’re at the very least one cup of espresso into the morning are asking: “Just what the hell is a Tri-Hawk?” Let’s do some historical past.
This is certainly one of about 100 FWD trikes constructed by the now defunct Design Lab Inc. firm out of Illinois, based by an entrepreneurial engineer named Lou Richards. Richards wished to create a light-weight sports activities automotive akin to the unique Lotus 7 however was stymied by the large volumes of rules required to get even so easy a automotive on the highway. Richards then found that three-wheelers had been exempt from most rules as they had been thought-about bikes (or shut sufficient) below the Federal and State tips and so his two-seat tribute to the 7 was designed round a tricycle structure.
The ensuing Tri-Hawk 304 (3 wheels, 4 cylinders) acquired loads of good press upon its debut, together with a Top 10 award from Car and Driver for its skidpad efficiency. That didn’t assist a lot with gross sales, nonetheless, as the marketplace for vehicles so fundamental they lack a fourth wheel is fairly tiny. Within a yr of launch, Design Lab, Inc. was renamed Hawk Vehicles, Inc. and operations had been moved to Dana Point, California.
The firm’s poor funds coupled with Richards’ personal well being points compelled the sale of the enterprise in 1985, with Harley Davidson taking possession. The bike maker’s personal monetary struggles prevented it from doing something with the Tri-Hawk and it shuttered manufacturing shortly thereafter.
Now, you would possibly assume that the Harley connection would imply there’s a V-twin thumper below this Tri-Hawk’s hood, however that’s not the case. Not needing to fulfill automotive emission requirements opened the door for any variety of becoming powertrain choices and the one which Richards settled on was an air-cooled 1.3-liter flat-four from the Citroën GSA. That produces 67 horsepower and drives the entrance wheels by means of a four-speed guide. Various Citroën and Renault components make up the steering, brakes, and suspension surrounding that. With its mild weight and large stance, this setup give the Tri-Hawk wonderful dealing with.
That’s to not say that taking this trike to its limits wouldn’t be a terrifying expertise. After all, one of many major causes the Tri-Hawk solely has three wheels was to sidestep most automotive security necessities. In a nod to a few of the fundamentals, although, the trike does have a fairly tall roll-over bar. Three-point belts are connected to that.
This one comes with a clear title, a reported 37,000 miles on the clock, and the vendor’s intimation that it’s a automobile that requires consideration to drive, warning towards acknowledging the gawkers and thumbs-uppers it’s going to invariably encounter.
This bizarre little bit of automotive historical past comes at an asking worth of $10,000. You now have to resolve whether or not that’s a good deal or a sham. What do you say, may this extraordinarily uncommon and succesful sports activities trike be price 5 figures? Or, does that worth clip this Tri-Hawk’s wings?
You resolve!
San Francisco Bay Area, California, Craigslist, or go right here if the advert disappears.
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Source: jalopnik.com