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A tricycle is actually only for small children. Unless they come from the US manufacturer Vanderhall, for example. Because as big as a car and up to 250 hp, they are the perfect toy for big boys.
Florian Schade knows his way around eye-catching cars. It is not for nothing that the horsepower fetishist from the Weser Uplands earns his money as a wrapper and has repeatedly brought it to the motor show in Essen, for example. But what he brings out of the garage in Beverungen today also stings his colorful VW with stickers Arteon and should a Lamborghini, Ferrari or McLaren ever get lost in the provinces, the super sports cars will also be shadow players. It's a shame for the American small-series manufacturer vanderhall took over the German sales and now asks for the first exit with Venice, which costs at least 32.490 euros.
Enough space instead of special equipment
At first glance, the open two-seater is somewhat reminiscent of the Morgan three-wheeler. Like the bizarre relic from England, the Venice is a three-wheeler with two wheels at the front and one at the back and a dugout canoe in between for two people who crouch deep down on the asphalt and can only barely duck behind a glass wind deflector.
But first of all, with a length of 3,65 meters and width of 1,75 meters, there is enough space in Venice for a morally and morally harmless coexistence even without a marriage license, and secondly - and that is much more important than the little more comfort, the heated seats, the Bluetooth Sound, cruise control or the grim LED burner behind the radiator - unlike the Morgan, the Venice has front-wheel drive and the massive roller on the wide swing arm in the rear only follows.
Although it is not quite as agile and there is a little lack of thrill, dancing with the reverse trike is not that risky either: Instead of riding on a knife edge, you can easily surf there and back with the Venice a few meters, even the Weser Uferstrasse feels a bit like the Pacific Coast Highway.
A lot of horsepower is also possible with 3 wheels!
The soundtrack to this is played by a 1,5 liter turbo, which we know as a perfectly good four-cylinder from the Opel Insigna. But Vanderhall tickles a little more life out of the otherwise rather tired GM engine. Not only that the basic model already offers 185 HP and with new chips also upgrades to 220 or 250 HP are included. In addition, the turbo hisses and puffs with every thrust like an adder before the attack and then blows off the pressure again just as spectacularly.
However, the driving behavior only partially fits the riot: Even if the 1,5 liter at 280 Nm should have an easy time with the only 640 kilos of the Venice, much of the vigor is lost in the shallows of the six-speed GM automatic and it takes time a little, until the tricycle revs up. In any case, toxic is different. But with a little patience, things can get down to business. The wind whistles around your ears, your hand is automatically placed over the silver billiard ball next to your knee, with which you - click, click one up, click, click one down - set the pace for the gears.
And with every minute the corners of the mouth go up. If you don't have your grin under control, you will quickly become a flycatcher at 240 km / h top speed and later have to pull the carcasses out of the gaps between your teeth.
There are doors too
Even if the Venice is something like the Maybach among the three-wheelers for Morgan fans, the Americans have a heart for men of older age, with stiff bones and wide hips. If the Venice is too narrow for you, they also sell the Carmel for a good 10.000 euros more. It's cut a few centimeters further, instead of climbing over the parapet, you climb through doors hinged at the back. And because the weather on the Weser is not quite as reliable as on the Pacific, there is even a kind of hardtop for the Carmel that is tucked over the two seats.
E-tricycle
Although the idea of the tricycle is quite old, the roots of the Vanderhall can be traced back to the first Morgan three-wheeler from the beginning of the last century. But the Americans have not just turned it into a more comfortable car with somewhat - well - more predictable driving characteristics. They also keep up with the times, which is why they now have an electric version that is now apparently unavoidable. It is currently being completely turned inside out and equipped with its own engines, but then promises two 47.000 kW / 52 hp, up to 70 km / h and a range of around 170 kilometers for just under 300 euros.
But that's not the only big change they're working on over in Provo, Utah. At the same time, the Americans are also working on a traditional off-roader, which - of course also electric - will be launched next year as a Brawley as a mixture of Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Land Cruiser at prices from 35.000 dollars with over 400 hp and also a range of more than 300 kilometers should go. But then in Provo it no longer says that all good things come in threes. But then suddenly the message is: four wins.