# Identify this 3-wheeled, single-person, nose-shaped microcar! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2005, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603 "2005-06-23T22:49:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/21 "2005-06-24T14:02:58Z")
Was it - and this would blow me away - one of Buckminster Fuller’s [Dymaxion Transports](http://pages.zoom.co.uk/elvis/dymaxion.html)? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/22 "2005-06-24T14:17:59Z")
The Dymaxion was an 8-passenger van. Even if there were any on the road, I doubt it can be mistaken for a 1-person microcar. The only one I can think of (that hasn’t been mentioned yet) is the [Twike](http://www.twike.ca/), but I take it the OP’s sighting was more curvy and narrower? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/23 "2005-06-24T14:39:50Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Front single wheel free wheelers are rare designs. For good reason, too. Just watch how often the light blue Bond on Mr Bean tips over in turns. On the other hand, trikes with the two wheels in front are about as stable as four-wheelers, though you cannot straddle road hazards as easily. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/24 "2005-06-24T14:52:03Z")
After all these suggestions, I susspect the vehicle must have been a kit car or home built one off. **The Scrivener** roughly how long was the car you seen? ---
**Author:** ![exvex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b77776/32.png) [@exvex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exvex)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/25 "2005-06-24T15:09:20Z")
I work in Iselin, NJ. A co-worker has a green mini-car and brings it to work occassionally. Since I’ve never seen another one around I’m going to go out on a limb and say that is the car you saw. Her car is a 2000 Corbin-Pacific Sparrow. [http://www.sparrowelectriccars.com/](http://www.sparrowelectriccars.com/) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/26 "2005-06-24T15:17:01Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > the light blue Bond Sorry, Reliant Robin. (damned incestuous British trike makers!) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/27 "2005-06-24T15:18:43Z")
Crap! I mean Reliant Regal! ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/28 "2005-06-24T17:05:16Z")
The Sparrow is the only one that looks like a nose. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/29 "2005-06-24T17:10:26Z")
Did it look like [this](http://www.lotus7club.co.uk/images/lf/2005/lf200506.jpg) only with 3-wheels? If so, it’s **definately** a kit car. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/30 "2005-06-24T17:37:08Z")
Wondering… does the Sparrow have a reverse gear 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/31 "2005-06-24T19:45:34Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Wondering… does the Sparrow have a reverse gear 😉 I believe it has a button on the dashboard that puts it in reverse. I looked at one last year and since they are made nearby I’m going to test drive one soon. I really want one! ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/32 "2005-06-24T20:01:13Z")
It wasn’t, by any chance, the old GM Lean Machine? I remember seeing that thing all the time on those crappy gee-whiz shows in the 80s. [http://www.maxmatic.com/ttw\_leanmachine.htm](http://www.maxmatic.com/ttw_leanmachine.htm) Doesn’t look like it was ever more than a concept car, though. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/33 "2005-06-24T20:03:37Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I looked at one last year and since they are made nearby I’m going to test drive one soon. I really want one! I thought Corbin Motors went out of business - did someone else take over the production of the Sparrow? Let us know how the test ride goes… ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/34 "2005-06-24T20:43:31Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > I thought Corbin Motors went out of business - did someone else take over the production of the Sparrow? Let us know how the test ride goes… Yes, Corbin Motors, at least the Sparrow part, was bought out by Myers Motors of Tallmadge, Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/35 "2005-06-24T21:28:45Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > Yes, Corbin Motors, at least the Sparrow part, was bought out by Myers Motors of Tallmadge, Ohio. There’s an interesting wrinkle to Myers’ white knight act to save Corbin motors. Myers is a devout Christian who apparently believes God wants him to promote electric vehicles. The company is being “saved” and “reborn” in more ways than one. This probably isn’t too bad for the development of the Corbin at this stage - at least somebody was willing to try to pick up the pieces. The “values” section on the Myers Motors page includes items “Glorify God” and “Share our financial success on behalf of God’s kingdom”: [http://www.myersmotors.com/](http://www.myersmotors.com/) (Note - flash presentation) May new Sparrows will have “John 3:16” printed around the wheel rims like “In-n-Out Burger” beverage cups. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/36 "2005-06-24T21:37:02Z")
You know, he’d probably have more luck if he sold a “Goldmember” edition, than if he did anything else. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/37 "2005-06-24T22:35:50Z")
You know, guys, I appreciate all the good reasons as to why single-front-wheel micros are a rarity, but that was definitely what I spotted. I’m sure of that configuration because when I noticed it approaching it probably wasn’t more than 50 yards away, and what caught my eye about it (aside from its tiny size and chartreuse-y color) was its weird, rounded-yet-pointy, narrow front tip, with the single wheel under it! (If the configuration was reversed, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all, since I was trying to follow a complicated set of Mapquest directions, tracking my mileage, anticipating the next turn, etc.) > [@scr4](#): > > The only one I can think of (that hasn’t been mentioned yet) is the Twike, but I take it the OP’s sighting was more curvy and narrower? Correct… curvier, narrower, and with a cleaner, less cluttered look. > [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Did it look like this only with 3-wheels? If so, it’s definately a kit car. No, it didn’t really look like those at all. Still might be a kit car, though. **Toadspittle** ’s GM Lean Machine link probably comes in the closest so far. If anything, that’s even more streamlined than what I saw. The way the front tip obscures the wheel is very similar; I don’t remember if the rear wheels were enfolded in the same way by the body. (What I’d give for another look!) But what’s strikingly different is the general contour along the top edge of the vehicle. The Lean Machine has a smooth, even, unbroken contour. What I saw had a lower (shallower?) angle, and the driver’s bubble stuck out more. The bubble top was also smaller – definitely not as wide as the body of the car at that point – and it conformed more to the size and shape of the driver’s head. I think the car chassis alongside the bubble were the body contours going up and over the rear wheels, if that makes any sense. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/38 "2005-06-24T22:53:31Z")
> [@The Scrivener](#): > > **Toadspittle** ’s GM Lean Machine link probably comes in the closest so far. If anything, that’s even more streamlined than what I saw. The way the front tip obscures the wheel is very similar; I don’t remember if the rear wheels were enfolded in the same way by the body. (What I’d give for another look!) But what’s strikingly different is the general contour along the top edge of the vehicle. The Lean Machine has a smooth, even, unbroken contour. What I saw had a lower (shallower?) angle, and the driver’s bubble stuck out more. The bubble top was also smaller – definitely not as wide as the body of the car at that point – and it conformed more to the size and shape of the driver’s head. I think the car chassis alongside the bubble were the body contours going up and over the rear wheels, if that makes any sense. ☹ I’d linked to the leanmachine in post #15, but nobody ever noticed, 😉 How long was the car you saw roughly (4’,6’,8’ ?) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/39 "2005-06-24T23:19:01Z")
Sorry, **Bippy**! Both for overlooking the earlier link and for neglecting your query re. dimensions, which I’d meant to answer… Actually, I’ve been purposefully avoiding the tricky question of measurements because I have no confidence of getting them right, and there’s the risk that my wrong guesses could throw you automotive sleuths off the trail. It was a micro, and smaller than anything else you’re likely to see in a typical day on the road, but I couldn’t say what that translates into. (I drive a Saturn and I have no reliable idea how many feet long that is, either!) :o WAG – around 6-8 feet long. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603/40 "2005-06-25T00:13:56Z")
Thanks, so quite a bit bigger than a motorbike, that crosses a few possibilities off the list. (Unfortunately I asked because if it wery tiny it may have been a Sinclair C5 with some sort of rain protection roof added.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-3-wheeled-single-person-nose-shaped-microcar/309603.md?page=3)