MAROTTI - a vision which has become a reality. This vehicle has been created just to bring delight, to feast your eyes on its appearance, achievements and ultra-sport driving.

Marotti is a combination of the cutting edge motorcycle and car technology which has resulted in the production of a vehicle as dynamic as a motorcycle and, at the same time, as save and easy to drive as a car.

It is equipped with a high-revolution Honda V4 engine of the total capacity of 750 cm3 and 100 hp placed in a steel and highly resistant to the damage frame. It impels the back wheel with a chain assuring required dynamics of the back axle.

Its sporty character is intensified by an extremely low center of gravity and aerodynamic shape of the bodywork equipped with additional elements for the air intakes and interior air flows such as a front spoiler, flat floor, and back stabilizers. Power-to-weight ratio amounting to about 4.4 hp/kg assures a good pick-up and very dynamic acceleration, whereas its low weight and sport tires result in achieving high speed while taking a turn.
Fun guaranteed!

Selected technical data:

* engine and gear box: Honda V4, 750 cm3, 100 hp at 11000 1/min, 6 speed sequential gearbox, electric reverse gear,
* proper weight: 440 kg,
* length: 3200 mm,
* width: 1800 mm,
* tires: front 255/45R17, back 275/45R17,
* suspension: front - double rocker arm, back - roller rocker arm, shock absorption system fully regulated,
* brakes: disk brakes without brake assist.

[Marotti via Autoblog.nl]

Upon approach, the Spyder is smaller in all dimensions than it looks in pictures. It's surprisingly low to the ground; the saddle is only a little higher than a Harley Fatboy, but nothing close to a BMW GS. From a styling point of view it's either love it or hate it. The bodywork is nicely sculpted, with fancy ducting around the front wheels and a carefully styled seat section. The headlight and windshield "pod" is the only part that looks a bit off, but in operation it makes sense. One thing I wasn't expecting was a Corvair-like trunk up front. There's enough room for your helmet and jacket or a bag of groceries or (shudder) a briefcase. Neat-o!

On the nuts and bolts side of things, the engine is a 998cc twin Rotax affair which also powers an assortment of Aprila models to great effect. The fat rear wheel is hooked up to a dual sided monoshock swingarm and is driven by is a carbon-fiber reinforced belt . The vehicle features linked brakes and an all-wheel ABS system. This bike/car also has stability control in the form of ignition cutout when you start doing something stupid. More on this later. Now things get weird. The double A-arm suspension up front is designed for Ackerman steering, self centering, and a pretty neutral kingpin offset. This means it's basically a car suspension up front and doesn't allow for leaning the vehicle into corners like a motorcycle. As a result, motorcycle purists think it's the work of Satan, while we're a little more pragmatic about it.

Hopping onto the Spyder is no different than onto a bike, except you can get on from either side without looking like a moran [sic]. The seating position is quite comfy and sort of like a cross between a rocket bike and touring setup. Your body is fairly upright while your feet are underneath. From a motorcycle rider's point of view, when driving the Spyder, there are a couple of things that are unsettling at first. The linked brake system is at the top of the list. The front brake normally offers 80% of total stopping power and is the first line of defense at your right hand. Here there isn't even a handle, just the twist throttle. All braking is done with the right foot, normally reserved for the weaksauce rear tire. This only causes temporary unease because after the first full panic stop, you can't help but praise your deity. On a motorcycle if you lock the front wheel you will go down unless you're very lucky. It's called low siding. I've done it and it's not fun.

Acceleration is smooth and controllable and the transmission is very fluid. Despite the displacement, the engine feels a little bogged down with an extra couple hundred pounds. So it's only about as fast as a modern 600cc rocket bike, which is to say still very fast. The engine note is delightful — a grunty howl with a dash of gear whine, however, I'm pretty sure a slip on can would really make it sound cool. Now the big question, cornering. If you've ever ridden a quad before you'll note cornering mechanics of the CanAm are almost identical. Hold onto both grips, keep your torso high, move your body around with your legs and use it like a lever against chassis roll. My first high-speed corner had me lifting the inside wheel and squealing the outer one. This machine is very predictable. The long wheelbase and well sorted suspension work together to soak up bumps that would unseat you on a motorcycle.

This all sounds like the makings of an ideal hooncycle, and in an ideal world it would be. However, I have one complaint. The traction control nanny is a bit of a killjoy. They need to dial it back from 11 to about 7. Half the fun of riding a quad, snowmobile or jetski is to let things hang out a bit —oversteer, play in the dirt, get squirrelly and in general have some fun. It seems that with the Spyder, just when things get fun (read: dangerous) the engine ignition cuts out the power and what you think is going to be a powerslide through the gravel turns out to be a sputtering plod through the gravel. Or when you really lean into a corner and get on the gas, the rear tire slips a little and that perfect apex you were aiming for disappears. Oh well. Lawyers.

To sum up: Not a motorcycle, not a car, something different. Maybe better. I'd love to have it for a week to test it as a daily driver. As effete as it may seem, the locking trunk is a huge selling point. Carrying a backpack full of stuff is a hassle and sweaty in the summer. Throwing the boat anchor out without worrying about locking up is really nice. Is it $15k nice? Nope, but once the other manufacturers jump into the market (Honda, Kawasaki, BMW... are you listening?) I suspect competition will have a nice effect on that problem. I can hardly wait to see what generation two looks like. – Ben Wojdyla

Related:
Can-Am Spyder Website Goes Live, Trike Fanatics Hearts Aflutter [internal]

We love the Reliant Robin the way we love a three-legged kitten. You consistently feel sorry for it, but it's impossible not to feel affection for the damned thing. Top Gear, of course, tried to turn one into a Space Shuttle, and the season before that they'd turned a Toyota Hilux, a Vanagon and Triumph Herald into amphibious vehicle. We have no idea whether this particular aquatic Robin still works as a car, but it seems to be doing a damn sight better as a boat than the ones fielded by Clarkson, Hammond and May. It doesn't explode, either, but we still kind of have a crush on it. – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
KittensAreHot: Mad Reliant Econobox Action [Internal]

Robert Q. Riley Enterprises says its new plug-in diesel-electric hybrid is two months from launch. (It'll debut on June 16.) Purportedly, the three-wheeled XR-3 will get 125 mpg on its three-cylinder, 23 hp diesel engine alone, and 225 mpg when coupled with an electric motor driving the rear wheel. Riley, a well-known custom car builder and purveyor of kit-car plans, will offer the XR-3 in kit form. For those with more time and talent than reasons just to sit and watch reruns of "Freak Show," the company will offer it as a set of plans only. [UPDATE: Press release after the jump.] – Mike Spinelli

[Reilly XR-3 via Motor Authority]

Related:
Kit Car Designer Takes on Hybrids [internal]

Press Release:

Fuel-Efficient XR-3 Will Offer 125-225 Miles per Gallon

In less than 90 days, Robert Q. Riley Enterprises, LLC, a product design firm in Glendale, Ariz., will introduce its XR-3 plug-in hybrid, a sleek two-passenger, three-wheel sports car that is expected to generate up to 225 miles per gallon.

Designed to be assembled by someone with average mechanical abilities and no prior experience, the all-wheel drive vehicle will be available as a kit or plans for complete do-it-yourself construction.

"We've made a technology leap by designing a super-simple hybrid power system, but 'technology' itself was not the main thrust of the project," said Robert Q. Riley, company president and author of "Alternative Cars in the 21st Century." "We focused on the power of 'design' to define a new category of personal mobility products that are neither automobiles nor motorcycles."

The XR-3 uses the latest hybrid power system technologies in the most simplified way possible. While the front wheels are powered by a three-cylinder diesel engine, a single rear wheel uses an electric motor run by a lithium-ion battery. The ground provides the connection between the two systems, eliminating the need for a complex electronic and mechanical interface.

Driving on power from its diesel engine, the XR-3 can achieve fuel economy of 125 miles per gallon. However, when the diesel and electric power systems are combined in a hybrid driving mode, fuel economy can exceed 200 miles per gallon over an 80-mile trip.

A simple three-position switch allows the driver to select between battery-only, diesel-only and hybrid driving modes. The diesel engine can remain off for local trips, since power from the advanced lithium-ion battery pack gives the car a battery-only range of up to 40 miles.

Robert Q. Riley Enterprises, LLC is a full-service product design and development consultancy in Glendale, Ariz., specializing in transportation, recreation, fitness and medical products. For more information, please visit http://www.rqriley.com

I think Ralph Nader's infamous title is perhaps more apropos in this situation than in its original context. I first saw this contraption cruising Woodward during the Dream Cruise last summer, but couldn't seem to catch up to it. Now it's cornered quarry and far more dangerous than I'd thought. As mentioned, that's a blown GM 502 ci V8. The shock comes from the numbers: 700 hp and 733 lb-ft of torque. That goodness is running through a custom-built 200R4 transmission to a Ford 9" rear and 20" wide Mickey Thompsons. Yeah, that's more batshit craziness than most muscle cars with four wheels (and seat belts and a roll cage, and...). I can almost taste the sublimated June bugs just looking at it. – Ben Wojdyla

Related:
Can-Am Spyder Website Goes Live, Trike Fanatics Hearts Aflutter; all of our Autorama coverage [internal]

So the Can-Am Spyder is a bit of an oddity, and it was pretty much off everyone's radar, but we're on it like crazy on Congress now. The real deal grown up website is going live at 11:00pm which is like now and that means specs, new pics, maybe some vids, certainly some wacky marketing pitches. I can't promise I'll be posting the wacky goodness instantly since it's SaturdayFriday night and I'm lazy/half drunk, but I WILL be checking it out when it goes live, as all of you should too. Everyone should be a little bit psyched by tthe rollout of an all new niche, the motorcycle-automotive hybrid. Oh yeah, the possibilities for hyphenated hybridization are so exciting. – Ben Wojdyla

Can-Am Spyder [Can-Am (flash required)]

Related:
So That's What That Was: The Can-Am Spyder [internal]

Those asymmetrically inclined Canadians who build the T-Rex trike are offering their creation to Londoners this week. They're hoping to win over Brits to their lightning-quick Kawasaki-powered trike, which they say can hit 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. The three-wheeler is powered by a 187-hp 1400 cc bike engine, inserted into a tubular chassis frame, with a carbon-fiber body dropped overhead. We'd imagine the lil' bugger will go over big in certain circles, like among the suicidal idle rich.

[via PistonHeads]

Related:
What?!: T-Rex in the Hizzouse [internal]

Spinner hubs on a three-wheeled T-Rex? Somewhere in the Bronx, there's a one-legged pimp leaning on his Jakob the Jeweler cane. [Thanks to Martjin for the tip.]

Pimped three-wheeler superbike [Fresh Creation]

Related:
Three-wheeled Invasion! The T-Rex [internal]

Australia's Gizmag reports on a new concept three-wheeled vehicle to carve its way onto our purview, the Phiaro P67b ETERNITY. Now in its give-us-money proof-of-concept stage, the Japanese-built, aeronautically named P67b has two tandem-arranged seats, a 67hp 660cc motor, and is designed to lean into corners like a motorcycle, or like its Dutch peer, the Carver, with which it shares an engine and tilting technology. Like the Carver, the Phiaro will likely sell for around $40,000.

Phiaro 3-wheeler prototype [Gizmag]

Related:
Peugeot s Three-Wheeled 20Cup Prototype; Welsh Car Company Promises Prototype by Later this Year [internal]

The Narrow Car Company of Wales aims to see its weird innovative Naro city commuter car as a working test mule later this year. As you may recall from a release earlier this year, the Naro, a tandem-oriented two-seater that can lean into corners, was designed to combine the driving dynamics and economy of a motorcycle with the comfort of a pup tent an enclosed car. Research for the concept came from the minds of motorsports engineering firm, Prodrive, though the Naro is being built by the Narrow company, whose principal was formerly of Prodrive and, before that, Lotus. The company is still seeking financial backers, but has set a target launch date of 2008. The company plans plans to produce 1,500 Naro models a year in South Wales, selling for around $9,400 each.

Related:
Thrice Bitten: Aprilia s Three-wheeler Concept; The AirBike Personal Aircraft [internal]

Along with its recent announcement that it would compete in the Le Mans Endurance Series Championship, Peugeot's new commitment to motorsports has a face, and three wheels. The company's 20Cup prototype roadsters, which look like the product of a lab accident involving a 907 concept and a race-bred wheelbarrow, synthesizes the motorcar and motorcycle worlds in one, awkwardly attractive package.

The two 20Cup prototypes, using a one-piece carbon chassis and separate two-seat cockpit, are designed to place maximum load on the front axle, and virtually no weight on the rear wheel — the single-arm rear axle of which merely steers the car. Both cars sport the same engine, a direct-injection turbo four, built in cooperation with BMW, which produces 170hp and 184ft/lbs of torque — more than enough to propel the 1100lb concepts to racing speeds — assisted by a six-speed sequential manual tranny. No word on whether the 20Cups will make their way to Frankfurt for a proper viewing.

Peugeot's exciting new three wheeler - the 20CUP [Gizmag]

Related:
Finalists in Peugeot Design Competition Announced; Thrice Bitten: Aprilia s Three-wheeler Concept; Indy Cycle Kit: Build Your Own Super Trike; Citroen to Show Grand Touring Concept in Frankfurt [internal]