Well that was an experience!
I think it is fair to say that unless you have ridden an old motorbike without a helmet, then nothing else could prepare you for a 3 Wheeler test drive. The assault on the senses is difficult to describe, and everything is different, from lining yourself up on the road using the wheels as bomb sights to keeping the revs higher than you ever would with a four.
While there is a fair bit of wind buffeting, it is less than I expected and glancing at the speedo I found several times I was barrelling along at 60ish when I thought I was only doing 40, which is really odd as it feels like you are going crazy-fast at whatever speed you are doing.
The staccato roar of the exhaust is fantastic, but it is all the other noises from the drive train which really set the 3 Wheeler apart from anything else I have ever driven before. It is an orchestra of clatters, clonks and rattles which gives away the pre war origins of the design and provide a large slice of the character of the car.
I have to say after I climbed out I could not wipe the smile off my face for at least an hour. However, my plan is to use the car as much as possible for a 25 mile each way commute on country roads and I think the stock 3 Wheeler drive train would wear me out.
This led me to the conclusion that the EV3 drive train could be the perfect compromise. I suspect it may be similar to comparing the experience of flying a glider vs. a piston engined aircraft. Even if the wind buffeting gets tiring then the Fairbourne Carriages larger aeroscreen sounds like a possible upgrade.
Anyway, cutting a long story short, I have put down a deposit for an EV3 (subject to a test drive in an actual EV3 with Mrs Spunagain so she has the opportunity to try and talk me out of it). I am extremely excited and looking forward to the next bits of news to be telegraphed from Malvern.
How on earth do I choose a colour scheme for such a unique car? It seems every 3 Wheeler I see is green!
Thanks for all your help!
