This find is one of the more bodacious vehicles to ever grace our pages! With three seats, a VW Beetle engine, and a 17-foot long shadow, this custom creation would ensure you would be riding a truly unique vehicle! It’s listed for sale here on Facebook Marketplace and is located in Van Buren, Arkansas. The asking price for this level of exclusivity is a mere $5,850!
The seller doesn’t go into the origin of this trike, and some internet sleuthing found nothing quite like this three-seat inline configuration. There are many — okay, at least a couple of hundred — VW-based trikes out there, with a relatively high percentage of those having a two-across second seat, but I only found one other three-in-line configured trike, and it was nowhere near as long and spectacular as this one.
It appears that the trike has been “shelved” for a while, with this picture depicting its current state. The seller reports damage to the lower left front and that the carpet has been pulled out for replacement. Despite being stored for the past five years, the VW engine is said to start right away, although the clutch actuation needs some work.
While the seats look comfortable enough, I have two questions. First, take another look at the top picture in this post. How exactly does the rider/driver reach those front handlebars? Perhaps with the wingspan of an NBA player? Secondly, the seller reports seeing over 115 miles per hour on the speedometer before the cable seized. Who in their right mind (or wrong one?) would be a passenger at that speed? How would you stay in the seat without a seat belt? Inquiring minds want to know these things!
The power plant looks pretty nice for a Beetle and the decor — well, let’s just call it appropriate for a vehicle like this. It’s not as if you’re not going to get a lot of attention! The seller reports the build year as 1978 and I can certainly believe it. The metal flake paint and gold striping are very period. If you look closely at the side view, the striping resembles half of the Wonder Woman or What A Burger classic logos — was it just a dip in the stripe, or was there a deeper meaning to the “V”? Does anyone have any memories of seeing this unique and truly bodacious bike on the highway? And if you would be willing to be a rider at 100 mph plus, tell us why in the comments!
Turning radius of a bus, 3 seats? As far as 115 mph I am with Jamie speedo does some crazy stuff before the core is twisted in two. No thanks.
Maybe it has individual rear brakes, like a farm tractor,, :) I think it would be hard to steer as well. Probably could use wheelie bars too. I don’t think speed is what they had in mind here.
Only in Arkansas.
They had good drugs back then.
I’ve never liked these home made jobs that were ridiculous in proportion….Can you imagine a truck passing by you and you get caught in the tail wind! No f—in way! They say speed kills, what kind? The drug or the trike????
Put it back in the barn.
I think that those pictures were taken in
Oceanside,Arkansas.
Modified Rupp Centaur, and poorly. That’s a shame, Centaurs are getting very hard to find.
Can we say “Deathtrap” boys and girls?
Based on the lower license plate my guess this was a promotional build and not for road use. ( don’t really want to know what was being promoted) Regardless, not road worthy. Heaven help the person caught on a yellow in the middle of an intersection trying to make a left.
A biker bar in Eurika Springs.
https://cathouselounge.com/
Eureka Springs
This trike was built in Paris Illinois by my grandpa and my dad when I was a kid around 30 years ago. I was thinking about it this morning so I searched stretched vw trike on Google and it was the first image that popped up. That’s awesome I actually found it… wouldn’t be my color of choice and it took a football field to turn around but I loved going for rides on it. He used to take it to local car shows all the time
Outstanding among its piers.
It should be “Outstanding in its field” I do like Seat#3, the “Mother-In-Law” seat though.
Best over priced pile of spare parts.
Best Deathtrap.
The Put down the JB Weld and The crack pipe award.
I believe a very good reason this “Hillbilly Horror” was put away in a barn! And, exactly where it should stay.
You know you are a redneck if……..
Hey DJ Griffiths
I just spit my coffee across the room when I read your comment!
I’m betting that the 2 rear seats have the auto ejection option…..
Dumbest thing I’ve seen in a long time. Best thing here is to give the seller as few dollars as possible then cut out the two rear seats and have a real VW-powered trike. This thing as-is looks like a death trap to me.
Am I the only guy saying I want to take this for a ride? I am 6′ and don’t think I could reach the handle bars tho.
what it needs is a 359 chevy engine
Oh ye of little imagination….A 6-71 Detroit diesel would make this bike complete.
Definitely a Centaur body that has been stretched. Centaurs were only made in 74 and 75. I have 3 of them. Fun but scary at 60 mph.
The perfect bullpen cart when the manager wants to make the double-switch. Hello Arkansas Travelers, I’m talking to you.
This would have been perfect for the Tommy Lasorda era Los Angeles Dodgers. Imagine reliever Terry Forster and Tommy’s good friend Tony Danza zooming in from the Dodger Stadium bullpen in the top of the 9th to face Jack Clark and shut down a budding San Francisco Giants rally. (Clark would park a hanging 2-2 fastball in the right field pavilion to give John Montefusco the win in relief, but that’s another story.)
It was built in the 90s. I know that because it was my grandpa’s trike. Him, my dad, and uncle built it from the ground up when I was a kid. Built in Paris Illinois. Sold at auction when my grandpa died. Rode like a caddy but needed a football field to turn around. I was probably 13 or 14. The leftover flake from the paint job was used when we painted my first car. The builder and original owner was Jesse Johnson. I need to dig up some old photos from the bike shows he had it in. He won quite a few
Hello, Yall get a load of this right here. My name is Bubba I live in Arkansas and I own the Trike I call it
( Three Seats In The Wind ) and it does run pretty quick it has a 1600cc Dual Port, Twin Carbs 4 Speed Stick and runs as smooth as a cloud it will light up those big tires and fly like a chicken chasing a june bug. The first picture was taken when I lived in Aransas Pass Texas but the pic was taken across the ship channel in Port Aransas on the north end of Mustang Island. It started out as a Tanner Trike built in California it was stretched and built by Brandon Johnsons grandfather up in Illinois, that’s where I bought it 15 yrs ago it is very safe to drive and more fun than you will ever know. I drove it almost every day every where it has been used in bike toy runs as Santa’s sled and I’ve used it as a limo down on Galveston Island for High school kids going to the Ball Dance on the Seawall Blvd. It blew everyone’s mind when we
pulled up on it that couple was the talk of the town that night, just a couple good times with it. Brandon’s granddad won trophy’s with it and I have also that Trike has been place’s and to party’s most people can only dream of and gets more women than it can haul. It has been for sale for the past 5 yrs but every year I always back out of the deal I have way too much fun and enjoyment from it and now another season is coming and it is for sale this year for 6,500.00 but in about 2 weeks it will not be for sale again until next year maybe. The best part about this whole story it that i own it and all yall are talking about it ? Thanks Folks