The Grinnall Scorpion is fast, fun and furious. This entertaining three-wheeler puts John Wheeler in seventh heaven
In times past "non-reversing tricycles" were regarded and taxed by the authorities as motorcycles. Not so today, as the Revenue Commissioners decree that if it has a steering wheel it's a car, and treatit as such when it comes to Vehicle Registration Tas (VRT).
The British Auto Cycle Union allowed three-wheelers, such as the famous Morgan, to compete in sidecar races. And this one, the Grinnall Scorpion III, is powered by a motorcycle engine. That's our excuse for testing itrather than letting the regular the regular car testers, and we're sticking to it.
Developed by Grinnall Specialist Cars in the depths of rural Worcestershire, the Scorpion III incorporates the best of both the three- and four-wheel worlds. Unlike its classic predecessors, the Scorpion III is mid-engined and uses up-to-the minute construction techniques which are distinctly race-bred. It is hand-built and designed to comply with EU legislation.
One glance tells you that this machine, guaranteed to draw crowds wherever it's parked, would be utterly useless for the weekly trip to the supermarket, or for taking a horde of children to school. This is an out-and-out high-performance fun machine.
The sting of the Scorpion III is in the tail: it is powered by a K-type 16-valve BMW 1200 cc engine producing 140 bhp and has a six-speed gearbox and heavy duty clutch. You can opt for a five-speed gearbox and electric reverse.
Weighing in at about 395 kg, this translates into a respectable 354 bhp per tonne. The 0-60 mph time is 4.5 seconds, maximum speed around 130 mph with fuel consumption in the 35-50 mpg range.
But none of the facts and figures do justice to the sheer exhilaration of this unusual machine. Driving it, its motorcycle ancestry is all there: the purposeful exhaust note, surging performance and positive stop gear change giving lightning-fast changes.
The roadholding is above and beyond anything you have experienced in "a car". This beastie can be flicked through the bends in a fashion that would defeat almost any sports bike. It has all the feel of a racing car.
There are those motorcyclists, not all of them senior citizens, who accept that their days astride two-wheeled vehicles might be coming to an end.
For them, the prospect of giving up the bike and having to resort to an ordinary car has little appeal. Then there are others simply wanting something to put the fun back into driving. The Scorpion III could be an answer.
Some years ago we had the opportunity to drive an earlier, 90 bhp version of the Scorpion III, and were so impressed we deemed it to be "Viagra on Wheels". Thus we had some idea what to expect of this more developed, 140 bhp version which has undergone no fewer than 100 revisions and refinements.
It would be an understatement to say that we were blown away by the sheer exhilaration this machine now produces. This is all about real driving, stunning performance, impeccable handling and a grin factor such that it has to be experienced to be believed.
Being hand-built to order, you can specify whichever K-series BMW engine you want. You can even supply your own engine. You can buy it ready-to-go, or in kit form and specify a mass of options, including traction control and a Micron high-performance exhaust system. And you can have whatever colour you wish.
A ready-to-go, 140 bhp version would cost around £16,600 ex-works (€24,450). In kit form, ex-engine, prices start at £7,599 (€11,260).
If you are thinking of buying one, it would be well to have a word with the Vehicle Registration Office before going ahead. When it comes to the unusual, we have found that they have their own ideas - often of the "Heads they win, tails you lose" variety - when it comes to "determining" values.
If you fancy changing from two to three wheels, and can afford the price, there is little on two, three or even four wheels that could give you so much fun and really put the pleasure back into driving.
If ever I had to give up two-wheels, I'd happily settle for a Scorpion III. Indeed if I could fit one in the garage now, that would be even better.