VW brings a new style to American biking.

Byline: WILLIAM LEECE

IF Volkswagen made motorbikes, I'd have expected them to look something like a cross between an old BMW airhead boxer and a single-cylinder MZ.

More fool me. VW's engineers in Santa Monica, California have come up with a vehicle that, legally-speaking, is a motorcycle - and there's absolutely nothing of the traditional bike about it at all.

If you haven't already twigged from the picture above, the Volkswagen GX3 is in fact a three-wheeler, which makes it a bike as far as the authorities in the US are concerned just as it does in this side of the Atlantic.

Its closest modern relative, in conception at least, seems to be the British Grinnall Scorpion, although devotees of old three-wheeler Morgans may have a bit to say about the layout of two wheels at the front and one driven wheel at the back.

Under the skin, though, the GX3 has several important differences. It uses a VW 1.6 litre car engine which, a little surprisingly, then uses a chain to take the power from the six-speed gearbox to power the back wheel.

A huge bike-style single-sided swing arm keeps the back wheel firmly in alignment, with a whopping great 315/30 R18x12J tyre transmitting the power. The front end, rather more predictably, has rather more in common with a car, but that's another matter.

At the moment the GX3 is just a concept vehicle, which has gone on show at the Los Angeles Auto Show, but it is a real, running vehicle which VW say could be put into production quite quickly if it gets a favourable reaction.

Volkswagen is quoting a 0-62.5mph of 5.7 seconds, impressive enough, although a superbike would leave it standing, with urban fuel consumption of 46 mpg. To be honest, VW doesn't say whether these are US or Imperial gallons, but given the GX3's performance and grin factor the figure may not be all that relevant anyway.

By contrast, the Grinnall uses an engine and drive train taken straight from a K-series BMW bike. The BMW shaft drive seems more appropriate for this kind of vehicle, and although Grinnall does not quote chapter and verse, the performance of the Scorpion and the GX3 should be pretty comparable.

One big difference, though, may be in the pricing. VW are suggesting that a production GX3 could be available for $17,000 - just over pounds 9,500 - in the US. No doubt a UK version would be some that more.

The Grinnall is available as a semi knocked down kit for pounds 7,699 plus VAT, ie pounds 9,046. And then you've got to find your K-series BMW - say pounds 800-ish for a good early one, or pounds 2,000-odd for a later machine. If the GX3 goes ahead, Grinnall's US sales could take a real hit at these prices.

Meanwhile the VW publicity team goes into overdrive, stating: "The focus for Volkswagen's design team in California was to create a quintessential and pure driving machine. Inspired by the minimalist design language often expressed in contemporary GP motorcycles and F1 race cars, the GX3 has a true feeling of authenticity."

Quite so. But buried away in the small print is a suggestion that the GX3 is an American-market only machine. But for how much longer?

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The shape of things to come? VW's GX3 concept vehicle