Autoblog

2013 Campagna T-Rex 16S [w/video]

Michael Harley — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, First Drives, Specialty

Canada's Prehistoric Predator Gets Longer Arms

Without a doubt, the three-wheel Campagna T-Rex 16S is one of the most fascinating vehicles I have ever driven.

"Drive it like a car, but act like you are on a motorcycle," were the words of wisdom bestowed upon me before the keys were handed over, and the advice couldn't have been more accurate. During the next four days, I zipped blissfully around town with the wind blowing through my hair as I watched the front wheels articulate over the pavement. I could smell the ocean as I drove down Pacific Coast Highway, and taste the dry brush of the Santa Monica Mountains as I toured the canyons.

I also took a bumble bee in the cheek, was nearly squashed by an inattentive driver in a Toyota Camry, cut off by a Ford F-150 and I was stared down by the law at every opportunity.

Apparently, that's the price of having the wind blow through your hair as you mount a low-slung, agile steed with a very unique three-wheel configuration.

Continue reading 2013 Campagna T-Rex 16S [w/video]

2013 Campagna T-Rex 16S [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 May 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Campagna launches T-Rex 16S with six-cylinder BMW power

Michael Harley — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Etc., Motorcycle, Canada, Specialty

If the Campagna T-Rex 14R wasn't your cup of tea, the Canadian maker of high-performance trikes has just introduced a smooth new arrival that might change your tune - the T-Rex 16S. Unlike its sibling which is powered by a 1.4-liter four-cylinder screamer sourced from a Kawasaki Ninja, the new Campagna boasts a slightly larger 1.6-liter six-cylinder sourced from BMW. Power is down just a bit, but torque improves (rated output is 160 horsepower and 129 pound-feet), meaning the 1,100-pound-or-so trike with its sequential six-speed transmission should easily crack the 60 mph benchmark in less than five seconds and provide plenty of flexibility around town.

Offered in eight different colors (Winter White is pictured above), the two-passenger three-wheeler features a tubular chassis with an integrated roll cage and three-point seatbelts inside a fiberglass body shell with carbon-fiber accents. Perhaps thanks to automotive-type controls that should be familiar to anyone with a driver's license, Campagna says that the majority of its customers are high-performance car enthusiasts attracted to the T-Rex models for their driving stability and unique looks.

Campagna launches T-Rex 16S with six-cylinder BMW power originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Campagna T-Rex 14R [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, First Drives, Motorcycle, Canada, Specialty, MISC

Car-Bike Genetic Mashup Still Fearlessly Roams The Canadian Countryside

As much (or as little) as our conscience might drive us to applaud initiatives to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions - and thereby, our compatriots at AutoblogGreen tell us, prevent us all from going the way of the dinosaur - deep down, the real car nuts inside and among us love cars that tend to consume the most fossils. Naming a car after a dinosaur, however, is another matter.

When Ford's Special Vehicle Team wanted to distinguish its rip-roaring off-road pickup from the workaday F-150, they called it the Raptor. When Saleen designed a conceptual successor to the S7 supercar, it also chose the name Raptor. But back in the day when both those teams of Ford performance specialists were still hot-rodding the Fox-body Mustang, a small outfit in the Canadian province of Quebec was already building its own dino-named tribute, a three-wheeler called the T-Rex.

Having driven its newer, more Harley-like stablemate the V13R last summer, we returned to Montreal to take the T-Rex out for the day to answer the lingering question on our minds: Namely, is the T-Rex named after a dinosaur because it's been on the market for decades and should, by all accounts, be long since extinct? Or is it so named because it's an irreverent monster that will bite your head off and consume everything in its path?

Continue reading 2012 Campagna T-Rex 14R [w/video]

2012 Campagna T-Rex 14R [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Campagna V13R [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Etc., Videos, First Drives, Motorcycle, Canada

Part Harley, Part Hot Rod, All Crazy

Think back through your own inner musings over the years, and we'd bet dollars to proverbial donuts that, at some point on your life, you've thought about buying a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The allure of riding Wisconsin's finest around your neighborhood and down the interstate may have drawn you in after seeing one on the road or being extolled in a movie. But you can't tell us you've never even thought about one.

Maybe you even went ahead and bought a Harley, and either got it out of your system or you're still riding one today. But more likely than not, you passed on the idea. Maybe you heeded the warnings of that doctor or nurse who told you horrific stories from their days in the emergency room of grotesque biker accidents. Maybe you were turned off by the criminal element that - let's admit it - is still part of the biker mystique. Or maybe you just never thought your ten thumbs and two left feet could manage to keep all that Americana on the straight and narrow.

That's where the Campagna V13R comes in. It's part Harley, part hot rod, and a whole lot of machine. To find out if it's the real deal, we hit the open roads around Montreal, Quebec, and tried it out ourselves.

Continue reading Campagna V13R [w/video]

Campagna V13R [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fly like a Hawk in Alex Hodge's single seater

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:28:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Etc.

Click above for a gallery of the Hodge Hawk

We don't have anything against the T-Rex, but... you can keep it. Whenever we enter the market for a three-wheeled vehicle, we'll take this baby designed by New Zealander Alex Hodge. A fiberglass shell rides on an alloy chassis that connects the three wheels. For motive power there's the heart of a Honda RC51 sportbike, and the 10,000 rpm, 120 rear-wheel-horsepower would give the thing a theoretical top speed of 145 mph. When it's red light time, disc brakes are fitted up front and double-up in the back. Sure, you can't buy it yet, but we're not looking for a trike at the moment, either. And we can wait. So Alex, get to work, please...

[Source: Alex Hodge via Autoblog.nl]

Fly like a Hawk in Alex Hodge's single seater originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: Coggiola T-Rex coachbuilt HUMMER

Noah Joseph — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:29:00 EST

Click to view the Coggiola T-Rex in our gallery

The original HUMMER H1 was far from the prettiest truck on the market. But then, beauty wasn't part of the design brief, as it was originally developed for military use before Operation Desert Storm and Arnold Schwarzenegger propelled it into celebrity. At the 2000 Geneva Motor Show, Italian design house Coggiola unveiled its idea for a more "stylish" take on the ultimate utility vehicle. The T-Rex you see here was the result. Powered by the H1's 6.5-liter turbodiesel, it measures a very HUMMER-like 17.7 feet long and 7 feet tall, dwarfing everything else on the road this side of a semi.

The one-of-a-kind concept vehicle is now up for auction on eBay in Italy with a €500,000 asking price. The buyer is pretty well guaranteed never to see another one on the road, but that's the closest we'd want to see the word "pretty" in the same sentence as this Italian-American tough guy.

Gallery: Coggiola T-Rex

[Source: eBay.it via CarScoop]

eBay Find of the Day: Coggiola T-Rex coachbuilt HUMMER originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Redesign proposed for T-Rex trike

Noah Joseph — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Canada

Click above for more pics of the proposed redesigned T-Rex

When we had our first close encounter with the T-Rex at the 2007 Montreal Auto Show in this blogger's hometown, it had just undergone a minor cosmetic update. Now on the market for 14 years, local industrial designer Johnatan Côté of Morelli Designers is proposing a complete redesign to bring it up to date.

The biggest change is the removal of the roof, which consisted of little more than a couple of tubes in the first place, but added vital roll-over protection and structural fortitude to the vehicle. Coupled with a more dynamic, modern design, the updated T-Rex proposal also incorporates more storage space, doing away with the optional saddle-bags on the current model while increasing much-needed capacity for things like crash helmets and groceries. Overall, the design makes a compelling case for an updated T-Rex, but makes us wonder what it is about the Canadian province of Quebec that makes it a breeding ground for sporty reverse trikes like this, as well as the Bombardier Can-Am-Spyder and the Cirbin V13R. Well, we guess you need to have something to do when hockey season is over. Thanks for the tip, Jarrett!

Gallery: T-Rex design by Johnatan Cote

[Source: Gizmag]

Redesign proposed for T-Rex trike originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cirbin V13R blurs scenery, line between car and bike

Noah Joseph — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

Click above for high-res gallery of the Cirbin V13R

Does anyone know where the line that differentiates a car and a motorcycle exists these days? Because we just can't tell anymore. Take this, the Cirbin V13R, first unveiled at SEMA and due to hit the streets imminently. The Harley-powered roadster/trike takes a similar form to the T-Rex we checked out in Montreal (near where the Cirbin is also made, incidentally), only while the T-Rex is more rice-burner, the Cirbin is more custom chopper. Think modern racecar vs. 50's hot rod crossbred with a tricycle and you won't be far off.

The retro fiberglass body hides the tubular steel chassis that includes a front crash zone and cradles the 1250cc v-twin from the Harley-Davidson V-Rod that's mated to a five-speed sequential transmission. The cabin incorporates two seats with chrome roll-over hoops, adjustable pedals and an instrument cluster that includes a speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauge. The full lighting system incorporates headlights with high-beams, low-beams and daytime running lights, turn signals, brake lights and reverse indicator. It's even got a trunk up front. Heck, you could confuse this thing for an actual car, especially after learning of the $40,000 sticker price. All in all, this looks like one pretty sweet... whatever it is. Check out the information in the press release after the jump and the big gallery of big pictures below.

Gallery: Cirbin V13R

[Source: Cirbin via Luxurylaunches.com]

Continue reading Cirbin V13R blurs scenery, line between car and bike

Cirbin V13R blurs scenery, line between car and bike originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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