The GX3 concept is the product of Volkswagen's Moonraker team, an international group of 20 or so engineers, designers and other brainy sorts that VW sent to California to explore U.S. market possibilities. It's a half-racecar, half-motorcycle roadster with an open cockpit and a giant rear wheel.
From the tall front air dam to the centrally located headlights — one large and one small — the GX3 looks something like a squinting insect. Arches behind the two seats peg the exact specimen: It's a grasshopper.
The GX3 weighs just 1,257 pounds, which helps its 125-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine push it from zero to 60 mph in less than 5.7 seconds. Fuel economy also stands to benefit from the three wheeler's lightness: It's rated at 46 mpg in city driving.
The front wheels measure 17 inches and ride on P215/45R17 tires, and a single rear 18-inch wheel wears a giant P315/30R18 tire. If it were for sale, VW says the GX3 would cost less than $17,000, which would make it a performance bargain. Of course, that price doesn't include insurance for an open-roof, three-wheeled street rocket.
The world premiere of the GX3 at the LA Auto Show
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