The Volkswagen GX3 was a concept car created by Volkswagen. The GX3 was first shown at the 2006 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show. It is considerably a very unusual concept since it was three-wheeled and sometimes considered more of a motorcycle concept than a concept car; but it did feature great performance for a value of only about US$17,000.
The GX3 used a transverse-mounted 1.6 L I4 engine from the VW Lupo GTI. This engine gave the GX3 an output of 125 PS (92 kW) and 152 N路m (112 lb.ft) of torque. The GX3 could go from 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and had a top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph). It used a six-speed manual transmission.
The design of the GX3 was very unusual, with the fact that it used a front double wishbone suspension. The GX3 was made out of a tubular steel spaceframe and laminated body panels. The exterior design was one of a kind, with it being a two-seat, three-wheeled vehicle. It lacked a roof or windshield, and was intended mainly for fair-weather environments, as a "weekend car". The design of the interior was very minimalist and entirely functional.
There was considerable speculation as to possible production of the GX3; Volkswagen fueled this with the announcement that production would depend on the public reaction to the concept. However, in spite of the energetic and overwhelmingly positive public response to the concept, and intensive chassis development by Lotus Cars for production, Volkswagen later concluded that it would not be able to sell the GX3 without costly and complex redesigns that would alienate VW's target market and increase price above the proposed US$17,000 base price. The company cited possible safety issues that could lead to product-liability lawsuits and decided that the legal concerns made production as-is impossible.Does anyone know if the VW gx3 is being developed?I'm also crushed that the VW GX3 never made it to production - it was my dream car. However, there are several really interesting alternatives already in the marketplace: $15,000 will get you a Can Am Spyder (spyder.brp.com), a 3 wheeled sport-touring bike that is similar to the GX3 but with a motorcycle-style seating/steering position. $53,000 will get you a T-Rex (www.t-rexusa.com/), which is very similar to the GX3 but with a motorcycle engine, and $60,000 will get you an Ariel Atom (www.arielatomusa.com), a 4-wheeled ride but very much in the spirit of the GX3.
Or, if you're like me and need your lightweight, 3 or 4 wheeled motorcycle on the super cheap, there are several books on how to build your own Lotus Seven-inspired sports car for under $10,000 (look up Build your own Sports Car: On A Budget by Chris Gibbs on Amazon.com).
Keep the faith! Someone will eventually get the message that there's a market for the GX3 type of ride!
No comments:
Post a Comment