P4 Pictures

[gio]

I do not like the New LOOK one bit....Part of what they were selling was the cool factor. Once you put the headlights into the hood and cover the wheels and front tires with a full fender it is down right UGLY. I received my all in package today with the original prototype....Guess I might as well throw that away. Grey on the fenders around the back of front fenders on P4 and grey around rear wheel looks tacky. The Fenders if this is going to be the final model needs to at least have full body color fenders. Very Disappointed in the change. It will lose the cool factor and become that GEEK car. I definitely will not be promoting it anymore. except for gas mileage. Double D in Ohio

You're right.Can you believe that they hipped us with the real sexy hot rod looking car with one of kind beautifully rounded rear,roadster type headlight,fender & sleek hood & now we ended up with a boxy,wussy,ugly thing? The tee shirt we got,the stickers,the promises...is gone and they still showcase the P3 at their events! Lately we hear more about "with a starting of 6800" and in 2015.What happen to the 6800 and as in the tee shirt?
I think the lovely P3 couldn't make it to 84 MPG so they had to copy some Indian or Chinese scooter manufacturer's trick.The way it is now,with the hump on the hood,the cheap scooter headlight,the coffin type rear end,and the TONKA car type of wheel cover, $6800 is right but by the time we get what they showed us and what we want in an American car the price will shoot to 10K.

 

[trock59]

To each his own, Some changes were made and not everybody likes them. Considering production will not even begin until the 3rd/ 4th qtr. of 2015 I'm sure other changes will be made but isn't that why this blog exists? Everybody's likes and dislikes will be noted and used in the final version (for 2015) Also I'm sure tons of aftermarket accessories will be available too. $6800 just buys the canvas- creativity is your part.

 

[goldwing06]

Should be fairly easy to mount a set of clearance lights on the fenders- could use driving lights too!

about the only thing u could mount on the fenders would be LED's, anything with a filiment in it would be beat to death in short order. the fender feels every bump the tires hit. maybe some sort of extension mount, attached to the chassie, inboard of the a frame and holding the head lamp in proximity of the front wheel to meet the width requirements of some lic venue's.

 

[JEBar]

To each his own, Some changes were made and not everybody likes them. Considering production will not even begin until the 3rd/ 4th qtr. of 2015 I'm sure other changes will be made but isn't that why this blog exists? Everybody's likes and dislikes will be noted and used in the final version (for 2015) Also I'm sure tons of aftermarket accessories will be available too. $6800 just buys the canvas- creativity is your part.

its only normal that when folks create a concept that they are committed to bringing to reality, things will come up and reality will require adaptations .... my bet is, that when the decision was made to make an Elio a reality, there is no way the brain trust would have envisioned that it would take so long, be so expensive, and require so much effort/engineering .... I have to hand it to them, they have and continue to adapt while keeping the core principles on which the company was founded

Jim

 

[Stugotz]

Unfortunately the Elio will have to undergo a Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval test, as do all low volume imported two and three wheelers. The rules are cast in stone. Without an MSVA test compliance certificate, it will not be possible to register the Elio in UK.

However, If the MSVA pass certificate can be obtained, there would be nothing to stop anyone personally importing an Elio and using it here.

I built a car which was required to comply with the four wheeler equivalent of the MSVA test (SVA as it was then, it's now known as the IVA test). I have the testers' manuals for these tests, which is how I know about the requirement (they are now available online). Having seen the recent changes to the shape of the P4, I specifically checked this out because it could be a "show stopper".

The only way round these tests is for the manufacturer to achieve full UK (read European) Type Approval, which includes crash testing

That shouldn't be hard...

 

[wheaters]

Unfortunately, the Reliant would never have got through the regulations which apply now (MSVA test). Production had stopped before the regs were introduced. Exhaust emissions of the old engine was a problem, but back then they weren't required to be tested. I use one of those engines in the car in my avatar <-- and because it has four wheels, it does need an annual emissions test. In the three wheeler it was originally built for it didn't! The car always has a problem getting a pass certificate.

The Top Gear article was filmed very close to where I live. The Reliant owners who attended were all members of the "Reliant three wheelers" forum I used to help moderate and some were friends of mine.

Reliant three wheelers always had a reputation for being tricky to drive but they were very popular in the north of England with motorcyclists, who wanted to keep warm and dry in the winter but hadn't passed a car test. That probably sounds familiar to some potential Elio owners here.

I needed a donor Reliant three wheeler to build my Liege but had difficulty finding one at the time. The owner of the car lot where I finally found one told me it was because it was autumn time, when the locals all bought them in for the winter. In the spring they came up for sale again because their owners went back to motorcycling.

The TopGear team rigged their three wheeler to make it roll over more easily. It had different sized rear wheels and was ballasted. It also had a roll cage and a one gallon fuel tank, a gel battery etc. Apparently, Clarkson got a good amount of friendly banter from the Reliant owners who attended on the day for the filming, although in the programme it wasn't included. He originates from Doncaster, where Reliants were very popular with the coal minig fraternity (that's where my donor car came from).

 

[goofyone]

Unfortunately, the Reliant would never have got through the regulations which apply now (MSVA test). Production had stopped before the regs were introduced. Exhaust emissions of the old engine was a problem, but back then they weren't required to be tested. I use one of those engines in the car in my avatar <-- and because it has four wheels, it does need an annual emissions test. In the three wheeler it was originally built for it didn't! The car always has a problem getting a pass certificate.

The Top Gear article was filmed very close to where I live. The Reliant owners who attended were all members of the "Reliant three wheelers" forum I used to help moderate and some were friends of mine.

Reliant three wheelers always had a reputation for being tricky to drive but they were very popular in the north of England with motorcyclists, who wanted to keep warm and dry in the winter but hadn't passed a car test. That probably sounds familiar to some potential Elio owners here.

I needed a donor Reliant three wheeler to build my Liege but had difficulty finding one at the time. The owner of the car lot where I finally found one told me it was because it was autumn time, when the locals all bought them in for the winter. In the spring they came up for sale again because their owners went back to motorcycling.

The TopGear team rigged their three wheeler to make it roll over more easily. It had different sized rear wheels and was ballasted. It also had a roll cage and a one gallon fuel tank, a gel battery etc. Apparently, Clarkson got a good amount of friendly banter from the Reliant owners who attended on the day for the filming, although in the programme it wasn't included. He originates from Doncaster, where Reliants were very popular with the coal minig fraternity (that's where my donor car came from).

Thanks wheaters, I know you have shared most of it before however it is great information as it is really interesting to hear some of the behind the scenes info. Of course I have seen that Top Gear episode and noticed the roll cage and figured they were exaggerating things as they tend to do for entertainment value.

By the way, as I am sure you are aware, Top Gear has been available over here on our BBC America channel for years however last year they finally began airing full length episodes only about two weeks after they first air in the UK which is really nice!

In the past they would wait about six months after the show was aired in the UK before airing the new programs over here and then they would air with nearly a third of the show cut out to make it fit into an hour of US air time which is really 42 minutes due to commercials. The only way we could see the uncut episodes was on Netflix streaming however we had to wait over a year for them to appear there.

 

[wheaters]

I have to admit, I don't often watch TopGear. I'm not a great fan of Jeremy Clarkson's character in the show. It presents both ignorance and arrogance and I find it rather boring after all these years.

Having said that, I know the show can be funny and having seen Clarkson present serious documentaries (not often!), especially one he did about a heroic relative of his (a WW2 VC holder, if I recall correctly) it is obvious he is only acting and exaggerating in TG.

 

[goofyone]

I have to admit, I don't often watch TopGear. I'm not a great fan of Jeremy Clarkson's character in the show. It presents both ignorance and arrogance and I find it rather boring after all these years.

Having said that, I know the show can be funny and having seen Clarkson present serious documentaries (not often!), especially one he did about a heroic relative of his (a WW2 VC holder, if I recall correctly) it is obvious he is only acting and exaggerating in TG.

I agree they do enjoy taking Clarkson's character to extremes when it is not really necessary to go that far just for laughs.

I already understood it was a character before I began watching Top Gear. I had seen some of the shows he did on and while he certainly has a sarcastic streak he was not nearly as over the top as he is on Top Gear. One funny thing to me was watching him riding scooters and motorcycles before Top Gear but on the show they have him saying he does not know how and is completely opposed to them.

 

[Stugotz]

Unfortunately, the Reliant would never have got through the regulations which apply now (MSVA test). Production had stopped before the regs were introduced. Exhaust emissions of the old engine was a problem, but back then they weren't required to be tested. I use one of those engines in the car in my avatar <-- and because it has four wheels, it does need an annual emissions test. In the three wheeler it was originally built for it didn't! The car always has a problem getting a pass certificate.

The Top Gear article was filmed very close to where I live. The Reliant owners who attended were all members of the "Reliant three wheelers" forum I used to help moderate and some were friends of mine.

Reliant three wheelers always had a reputation for being tricky to drive but they were very popular in the north of England with motorcyclists, who wanted to keep warm and dry in the winter but hadn't passed a car test. That probably sounds familiar to some potential Elio owners here.

I needed a donor Reliant three wheeler to build my Liege but had difficulty finding one at the time. The owner of the car lot where I finally found one told me it was because it was autumn time, when the locals all bought them in for the winter. In the spring they came up for sale again because their owners went back to motorcycling.

The TopGear team rigged their three wheeler to make it roll over more easily. It had different sized rear wheels and was ballasted. It also had a roll cage and a one gallon fuel tank, a gel battery etc. Apparently, Clarkson got a good amount of friendly banter from the Reliant owners who attended on the day for the filming, although in the programme it wasn't included. He originates from Doncaster, where Reliants were very popular with the coal minig fraternity (that's where my donor car came from).

Hello Wheaters, I thought the Reliant video was funny and was being sarcastic when I linked to it. I know the rules have change since 1975, like any rule or regulation that is "set in stone" there may be a reasonable need to modify it when new ideas or solutions (ELIO) warrant a change. I did not mean to offend, hope I didn't, im sure there are some really good stories of couples tipping that thing over from the back seat.