# What kind of car did I see? (It had 3 wheels.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 3, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850 "2010-06-03T23:03:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/1 "2010-06-03T23:03:39Z")
(Mods, this could go in IMHO, I guess, but I really am asking for the actual name of an actual vehicle. Feel free to move if you see fit, though, please.) I’ve seen a car with three wheels several times now. What is it?!? It has two wheels in the front and one in the back, with the result being that the back bumper of the car has a “pinched-in” look. (There are two rear brake lights, but they’re right next to each other.) It’s tiny, even smaller than those SmartCars, but to me it’s a full-on vehicle: there’s a windshield, the driver is fully enclosed in a metal compartment, etc. It zips along a major three-lane artery just fine. My Google-Fu has utterly and completely failed me. I’ve seen this car intermittently for, oh, around a year now, so I don’t think it’s a case of someone borrowing some prototype. The dude clearly owns the thing. I’m just dying to know what it is. Did some concept car hit the market? (Oh, and the car is white. 😃 Does that help?) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/2 "2010-06-03T23:07:07Z")
Was it a **[1960 Messerschmitt KR-200](http://microcarmuseum.com/tour/messerschmitt-kr200-1960-1.html) ?** ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/3 "2010-06-03T23:15:27Z")
[Corbin Sparrow](http://www.corbinsparrow.com/)? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/4 "2010-06-03T23:22:57Z")
Did you try the[three wheeled car](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-wheeled_car)entry at wiki? Not blowing you up for not googling, but just wondering if you checked it… it would rule out a few models. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/5 "2010-06-03T23:28:24Z")
An [Isetta](http://www.google.com/images?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=B7e&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=isetta%20car&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi)? ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/6 "2010-06-04T17:37:37Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > An [Isetta](http://www.google.com/images?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=B7e&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=isetta%20car&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi)? Isettas are awesome. There’s a [link](http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/storage/9/1288450/isetta-29-11-07.jpg) in those Google images that claims that BMW is considering bringing the Isetta back. ---
**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 4, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/7 "2010-06-04T17:44:44Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > [Corbin Sparrow](http://www.corbinsparrow.com/)? Which is now known as the Meyers Motors NMG: > **[Myers Motors NmG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers_Motors_NmG)** > > The Myers Motors NmG (formerly the Corbin Sparrow) is a single-passenger, three-wheeled, battery electric vehicle designed specifically for commuting and city driving, produced from 1999 into the early 2010s. It was initially produced by Corbin Motors, and made to order after 2005 by Myers Motors. It is a personal electric vehicle (PEV). > The Sparrow is powered by a 20 kW (continuous) 156-volt DC or 3-phase AC electric motor and has a range of 32 to 64 km (20 to 40 mi) and a top speed of 112 km... If it was a single-person vehicle, this would be a very strong possibility, based on the description. If it had room for a passenger, it’s something else. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/8 "2010-06-04T17:50:51Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > An [Isetta](http://www.google.com/images?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=B7e&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=isetta%20car&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi)? My Grandma had one of those 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/9 "2010-06-04T17:59:32Z")
An Aptera? [Aptera](http://www.aptera.com/look.php) ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/10 "2010-06-04T18:03:05Z")
I’ve seen TV ads for something just like that. I’ll be dipped if I remember the name. It’s a Cal- something - something… It’s like a motorcycle-ATV Hybrid. I wish I remembered the name - it looks kinda cool. Third edit : Never mind, reread the OP, it ain’t this. Second edit : HA! Is it [a Can Am Spyder](http://spyder.brp.com/)? ETA : The one I’ve seen very recent ads for looks nothing like an enclosed car. Joe ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/11 "2010-06-04T20:19:07Z")
I’d seen that Wiki - none of them really looked right. That Aptera is _something_ else alright, though. The Sparrow/NmG looks the closest … but somehow not quite right. I’ll keep my eyes peeled and see if the front windshield looks that “scooped.” I recall it being more … normal shaped, like a traditional car windshield would be shaped. Thanks for the suggestions! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/12 "2010-06-04T20:50:30Z")
Didn’t Daihatsu have a three-wheeled car about 20-25 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/13 "2010-06-04T23:54:17Z")
A [Zap Alias](http://eemusings.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/green-basics-electric-car-zap-alias.jpg) perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/14 "2010-06-05T00:29:10Z")
_Where_ did you see it? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-see-it-had-3-wheels/541850/15 "2010-06-05T01:52:45Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > An Aptera? [Aptera](http://www.aptera.com/look.php) Have they started delivery yet? I used to be excited about them, but I don’t believe they will ever hit the market…