The SUB G1 - 135hp 1000cc V-twin three-wheeler

For those who have looked enviously at three wheeled prototypes such as the Volkswagen’s GX3, Heikki Naulapaa's Aprilia Magnet, Tommy Forsgren's Hermes, Elisha Wetherhorn's Rider, Mercedes-Benz Life-Jet , Peugeot’s 20CUP, Toyota’s I-Swing, Dimitrios Scoutas' Skipee and the Phiaro Eternity, here’s one you can buy and use on the road. Powered by 1000cc of liquid-cooled DOHC, eight-valve, V-twin Suzuki motorcycle engine producing 135hp (98.6 kW) and 105 Nm of torque driving through a six-speed sequential gearbox, the SUB G1 three-wheeler weighs just 330kg, giving it Formula car power-to-weight, handling and aerodynamics. Set up by ex-GM automotive designers Niki Smart, Jay Brett and Nick Mynott, SUB is a small company in southern California that caters to clients who want individual specialised vehicles. Initial production preparations for the SUB G1 are underway and will be limited to a maximum of 25 units, with a minimum of 15 to start production. Cost of each vehicle will be US$80,000 with a US$25,000 security deposit.

The company has some videos of the machine available that show the SUB's front suspension assembly working, the first chassis tests and a SUB being driven on the freeway.

So far, three SUB G1s have been built, with two in Southern California and the third located in dry storage in England. “The project spawned from wanting to build something for ourselves that we could keep, use and showcase the range of our abilities,” says SUB’s Jay Brett. “That was simply said, and the project took nearly three years to complete the first three vehicles, where as we had intended to take only a year and a half.

“The two that are in California are fully licensed and streetable as motorcycles. They have covered nearly 5,000 miles and make heads turn big and small, young and old, male and female. Buoyed by the level of public enquiry, we are now testing the waters for a very limited production and possibly a revised second version.

“The SUB's are very quick and highly responsive. The steering has a 1:1, lock to lock, ratio. This is very effective for canyon roads and track testing. We intend to experiment with different ratios to reduce the super quick steering input responses. The vehicles are then registered as “special construction motorcycles”.

“The vehicle feels big, as you get accustomed to the cockpit. There is quite a bit of noise, as you are sitting alongside the engine. Driving on the road you are smaller than most cars and much lower to the ground. You feel like a racecar driver as it has Superbike-like quickness and formula car handling. There is an awareness you also must have of your surroundings, much like a motorcyclist, in that you have to predict and judge your environment, other cars and trucks, road surface conditions, as well as distracted onlookers. It all combines to create an unbelievably fun, unique, and visceral experience.”

The first vehicle, the SUB G1 is an evolution of work done by Niki Smart years several years ago entitled the "One-up" that sat in London's' Millennium dome. G1 is a ground up build, demonstrating the company’s ability to produce, not just one, but a series of fully functioning, innovatively packaged vehicles that are road legal and that could be used in a day to day scenario as well as being pushed hard on a track.

The original One-up concept was 'An Engineering Aesthetic'. The project was about the design beauty that purely engineered forms posses from their focus on performance and efficiency. Smart looked a lot at castings and fabricated suspension parts as well as WW2 battleships and especially submarines. The idea was to be as minimal, without being a bike: one seat, three wheels and a small engine. His original used a 600cc Honda CBR located behind the driver. The resulting longer wheelbase (2.7m) made for a rear biased weight distribution. The track was 1.6m. While similar in concept, G1 makes use of a tight packaged V-twin to reduce the wheelbase to 2.3m (same 1.6m track) and to achieve a 50/50 weight distribution. The 50% on the rear wheel and 25% on each front creates a dynamic, stable platform.

A major aspect of the project was to design and build a vehicle with aesthetic appeal - a single seat, lightweight, high performance machine ideal for quick runs through canyons. The project was never about straight-line speed or acceleration. More important was to create a vehicle that handles predictably and controllably and is engaging and fun to drive, while keeping the project within a manageable budget and time frame.

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