Elio Motors, The Next Big Thing?!!...

[freebeard]

05-18-2020, 07:26 PM seems so long ago.

If I ever see a 1996+ manual Metro for sale in my area I will buy it, hack off the back half, and ask you guys "What do I do now?"

[Xist]

You're talking crazy again! Obviously this is better than that monstrosity!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idpksr-u40I

Apparently the answer that I sought was established almost a dozen years ago:

Couldn't they afford an I-beam, single shock wheel and some Coroplast and at least get the poor thing off the ground?

https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...html#post95500

Unfortunately, I did all of this before thinking to do a Google search for "Metro cut in half."

Maybe something like this:


Can anyone read any of the decals besides FlyCorvair.com and "Intruder?"

[Xist]

For builders who had a chance to see Vern’s aero-trike (1/2 Lancair 320, 1/2 Geo Metro) at Corvair College and Sun n Fun, here is a shot of it driving down Route 17 at 65 mph. I drove it 25 miles the other day, and it handles much better than you might guess. Vern was plagued with computer issues on the Geo’s original EFI set-up. I called Jeron Smith, noted Geo expert at Raven Redrives, and he provided us with a distributor and carb set-up to ditch all the computer and EFI stuff. Worked like a charm. Simplified, the vehicle runs flawlessly. So much for complexity. It gets 50 mpg in mixed driving. Vern even has the A/C working now. He has slightly under $1,000 in the project, total.

https://flycorvair.net/category/projects/

https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...-scooter-thing

Above, Vern drove to the College in his ‘Aero-trike’ 50% Lancair 320, 50% geo metro. (Note that the airplane parking arrow is pointing to the wrong end of the vehicle, I should have had Vern turn it around) It logged 12,000 miles on Florida roads last year, where it is considered a legal motorcycle.

https://flycorvair.net/2014/04/08/co...-photo-report/


I haven't found anything specific to this trike on this reddit post, but someone mentioned: "There were a total of 245,313 Metros sold between start and end of production (surplus units were sold in 2002 and 2003)..."

That is just since Chevrolet bought Geo, right? How many sold before?

"The replacement for the Metro, the Aveo, only sold 426,845 copies..."

[freebeard]

He has slightly under $1,000 in the project, total.

Yeah, right. How much of that into the vinyl wrap?

I used to like that thing, but now that I have a Metro [that gets 45mpg] I find it difficult to haul building materials.

[Xist]

This is an earlier post:

This post mentions another trike that Vern, the creator, made.

Know what I mean?

Above is Vern [Stevenson]’s yet unnamed project. He has been messing with it part time for the past two months or so. It is also a three-wheeler, and makes the grade in Florida as a motorcycle. (Car insurance is not cheap in this state, and motorcycles are exempt from the requirement.) If you look closely, you can see that the back half of this creature is a two-seat Lancair fuselage. The front is a Geo Metro front end. As crazy as it sounds, Vern has artistically blended the two. It isn’t going to win the New York Auto Show, but every motorhead that has seen it has been captivated. The design was driven by the fact that Vern’s girlfriend didn’t like the tandem seating of the Streamliner. The digital camo paint job is an experiment in how you break up the shape differences of the front and back halves.The rear end is out of a Suzuki motorcycle. There is a steel tube subframe that joins the A-pillars of the Geo to the longerons and the spar carry through of the Lancair.

Above, a look inside the new project. It retains most of the dash and the pedals of the Geo. The steering column has been moved over about 3 inches. The wheel has a race car style quick removal to making getting in easier. The hinge mechanism for the canopy is the rear gate hinge from a minivan. The seats are 914 leftovers. Vern is hoping for a comfortable cruise and 60 mpg. By trading some time and parts, Vern has kept the budget ultra low. He is just now getting to $150 of cash laid out. He claims that he is willing to “go all the way” (Spend $500) to see the project through being roadworthy. If either of these vehicles have special driving requirements, it isn’t an issue, Vern has a 40 year history of driving anything with an engine from Stock Cars to excavators. He is a gifted motorcyclist, and he is sensitive enough to machinery that he taught himself to fly ultralights without ever taking a single lesson. In the 1980s ultralights were powered by a number of two strokes not noted for reliability. In his first 500 hours he had 18 engine outs but never got more than a scratch.

[Xist]

Problem solved!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12KG2-nOgks

Stretch Geo Metro sighting in Shockoe.
I also found a red and a blue limosine.
Then this beauty!

https://jalopnik.com/this-guy-has-be...mpe-1819075715
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curb...n-if-you-cant/

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Xist

If someone could make a similar canopy setup to a Metro without converting it into a trike, would also be quite interesting. Regarding this one specifically, the longer wheelbase and overall lenght might become less practical for regular daily commuting.

[freebeard]

Metro convertible with aerocap. Else this:

[Frank Lee]

Needs to get the Sawzall out again and delete that windshield fragment.

[samwichse]

Well, I know the aftermarket for Elios is huge and all, but I'm not sure I appreciate this body kit.