Okay,
maybe
it's
iust
a hybrid between a motorcycle
and car,
but
y/e
bet it would
be
pretty
fun to rip around in. ln a world premiere
at the Los Angeles Auto
ShoW
Volkswagen
presented
the
GX3 - a completely new type
of motorcycle,
The GX3
was conceived by the Moonraker
team and VW's
Design Center in California,
exclusively with
the U.S. market in
mind, to bring an exciting
idea ro
a
fully func-
tioning concept. With
its three wheels and
unique design,
this
Volkswagen
opens
up a new driving dimension.
\r'y'hat if
you
could carve
up the back roads and cruise solo
in the carpgol
lane?
The
GX3
is
a motorqcle with Vwike features:
Ljght, Iast,
and erwironmenally
friendly, the GX3 shows that
conceptually it is
much closer to a motorcycle
than to
a classic-type
automobile. lt
opens a new driving dimension,
turns even the
daily
commute
to work into an adventure, allows you
to
cruise
in
the carpool lane even
ifyou're driving solo
(the
GX3 is a three-wheeled
motorcycle, after all)
and with its
keen
handling, it
opens up completely new horizons
for recreational
driving.
The car offers a lot of fun for less
than
$17,000.
The GX3 will be
powered
by a
four-cylinder l-6-liter
VW engine
that delivers a claimed 125 hp
and I 12.5 ft.-lb.
of
torque and weighing
only 1257
pounds.
The
GX3 is a
pure
driving
machine, a
motorcycle
with two seats
positioned
side by side. The
result is a
power-to-weight
ratio of l0 lbs/hp.
The
GX3 can
reach
a speed of 62.5 mph in
just
5.7 seconds
and
the
possible
lateral
acceleration reaches I .25g -
values typical
of exotic
perform-
ance cars. No comparable
sports car in the world,
however, can come even
close
to the low-fuel
consumption
ofthe GX3: 46 mpg. The fact is
that a
production
counterpart
ofthe GX3, could be on the maTket
very soon. lt
all depends on the
American driver's feedback.
O
A Three
Wheeler
Sans
Sidecar
It's no
GSX-RIOOO,
but it'll
blow the roof
off
of most
