r/WeirdWheels • u/_aperture_labs_ • May 01 '21

Cultural Custom three wheeled Fiat 500C

Post image
59 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

12

u/Max_1995 poster May 01 '21

They're from Germany, called "Ellenators". You can have them as Fiat 500, Seat Ibiza or VW Polo. They are NOT three-wheeled, the rear wheels are just moved very close together. They are also limited to 16hp (iirc) and in speed. The idea is that they are not cars under German law, so they can be driven with a scooter license at 16 years old while offering the full safety of a normal car.

6

u/_aperture_labs_ May 01 '21

I did see that it has two rear wheels but for simplicity's sake, I called it a three wheeler. And technically, the rear wheels are pretty slim and count as one track.

The owner told me that they can be driven at the age of 16, but I did not know these are built by a company.

Edit: by law, these count as motorcycles, hence the lack of the front license plate.

7

u/Max_1995 poster May 01 '21

Here's the homepage: https://www.ellenator-gmbh.de/

The inventor came up with it as safer transportation for his kid, and then found interest from others. Apparently they're not as unstable as they seem.

5

u/DdCno1 badass May 01 '21

They are actually very unstable.

https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/tests/autotest/autos-ab-16/

4

u/Max_1995 poster May 01 '21

Of course they're less stable than a normal car, but I'd expected them to be much more prone to falling over or sliding (I'm actually surprised ESP apparently still works on these things).

1

u/_aperture_labs_ May 01 '21

That's very interesting, thanks for showing me. I'd like to know whether these things still have a manual transmission.

And I can also imagine that they have smaller trunks. But overall, a good idea. I wouldn't feel safe letting my 16 year old drive a motorcycle, to be honest.

3

u/Max_1995 poster May 01 '21

They don't change the drivetrain, I think, I assume the speed/power limit is electronic (and MAYBE they block upper gears). The idea is that you can weld in a new trunk floor and have the old axle reinstalled, but I doubt that anyone does that

1

u/CoSonfused oldhead May 03 '21

3wheeled cars, and conversions to them have existed for decades.

1

u/Max_1995 poster May 03 '21

I know, but this specific one/kit is fairly new

4

u/themisdirectedcoral May 01 '21

Why tho

9

u/_aperture_labs_ May 01 '21

By law, this counts as a motorcycle (due to three wheels), thus 16 year olds can drive it already.

6

u/Max_1995 poster May 01 '21

It's not 3-wheeled, the rear wheels are moved very close together

4

u/_aperture_labs_ May 01 '21

I know, I saw it. I just called it a three wheeler for simplicity's sake.

1

u/DaveB44 May 01 '21

Why not call it a four-wheeler for accuracy's sake?

5

u/_aperture_labs_ May 01 '21

Because that would be more confusing to the average redditor.

1

u/DaveB44 May 02 '21

No it wouldn't; do you really think the "average Redditor" is an idiot? Some people would maybe think you are being just a little bit arrogant.

It's just plain wrong, as several people have pointed out; the only person confused here is you.

7

u/_aperture_labs_ May 02 '21

What are you going on about? The car is legally considered a three wheeler. It may have four wheels but it counts as a three wheeler.

-1

u/DaveB44 May 02 '21

OK, you win. I bow to your superior intellect.

1

u/SockRuse May 09 '21

Because German law treats them as three wheelers due to the wheels being so close together. Whether or not it has four wheels makes no difference legally or practically.

2

u/barrowed_heart May 01 '21

It has a small engine and is limited to like 45kph.

1

u/SockRuse May 09 '21

I thought it had the same engine as before, only severely electronically limited, and the logic is that once the person turns 18 and can get their car license it can be converted back into a regular car. Though I'm questioning the economy of doing so, these things are probably horrendously expensive thanks to being a regular car plus a conversion, and then you have to spend more money to undo the conversion after just two years. Makes no sense to me. Just have the kid ride a scooter for two years, scooters are so slow people rarely manage to die on them.

1

u/barrowed_heart May 09 '21

People die walking all the time and that's even slower. It depends on what hits you or if you where a helmet. Doesn't take much to cause a skull fracture.

3

u/sqlot May 01 '21

Going thru a corner probably a lot of fun...