Vanderhall Venice: American-Made, Three-Wheeled Baby Exotic

By removing a wheel, has Vanderhall built a bargain sporty car worthy of your collection?

It is fair to say that the Vanderhall Venice will never be your only car. It probably wouldn’t even be your second, third, or fourth car. As a fifth car, though, it might start to make sense. This car will grab the attention of any passersby without the traditional exotic-car price tag. However, you’d better be prepared to be the center of attention before taking off in one of these diminutive trikes for the day.

The Vanderhall Venice looks strangely vintage and modern all at once, combining old British-car sensibilities with modern materials and simplicity. And, well, it’s only got three wheels.

This car is fast by virtue of its light weight. The 180-horsepower, 1.4-liter turbocharged engine hauls just 1,450 pounds. On top of that, this car is all-American, having been hand-built in Provo, Utah by Vanderhall’s staff of about 35 people. Furthermore, that engine and 6-speed automatic transmission are sourced from General Motors.

Because the engine and transmission are a mildly upgraded version of what is found in Chevrolet’s Cruze, it’s not exactly exotic sources, and who ever heard of a front-wheel drive sports car. Then again, different isn’t always bad.

In the video above, you can see that the car is quite quick and nimble. You can hear that it actually sounds quite pleasing to the ears, considering the source. This car is billed as a “Boulevardier”, which is a distinctly un-American word, but it fits the car’s ethos to a T.

With an automatic gearbox and raucous good looks, this would be the perfect car for cruising the Las Vegas strip or a beach-side boardwalk. You want people to stop and stare. You want to be showered with questions. And you want the attention.

You can have all of that for just under $30,000. What a bargain.