3-Wheel Bonning Roadster: Mean And Green

Anthony Fontanelle
March 2, 2007

A unique Aussie roadster changes the notion that green cars could not be created to be mean. The 3-wheel Bonning Roadster is aimed at proving that mean and green could go together and that being an environment-friendly car does not hinder having a high performance.

The Bonning Roadster delivers supercar performance and true sports car character in a compact economy car. The car is engineered to consume a miserly amount of gasoline and other alternative fuels like hydrogen and methanol derived from household waste.

The roadster weighs 400 kilograms and that is about half of the weight of the smallest hatchback. The car boasts remarkable acceleration of 90 kW and around 200 km/h top speed. The Bonning Roadster is penned by Brad Bonning, Queensland’s automotive designer and oil painter. Bonning has developed the car from a pedal-powered car he had created for driver training.

The factor that influenced the roadster’s outstanding performance and handling is its weight. Bonning used a combination of an aluminium two-seater body and a commanding, motorcycle-derived engine to produce a vehicle that weighs a little more than a large motorcycle.

However, to some critics, Bonning's most notable feature is not its fuel or its performance but its attention-grabbing minimalist bodywork. An auto critic said, “The styling and the chassis engineering are the product of Bonning's intuitive engineering and fabrication skills, and the unpainted aluminium panels are testament to his high standards.”

Detailed refinements have been entertained by Bonning since he first turned a wheel a bit over a year ago, and the prototype is being fitted with lights and other equipment needed for registration as a road car. The 3-Wheel Bonning Roadster was showcased at the Melbourne Motor Show in Australia. The roadster was also a stunner at the Motor Show Cavalcade at Federation Square which was held on 28 February.

A roadster is a two-seat, open car usually without the side windows. At present, the word is often used to describe a two-seat convertible without fixed window frames and is often used to describe a light-weight sports car. The roadster is generally equipped with high-performing engines complemented by EBC Redstuff or other powerful auto parts to boost efficiency. Car purchasers in the present milieu go for comfy, convenient and fun to drive vehicles. When it comes to purchasing roadsters, enthusiasts wanted a purebred driving machine that is made to race and not to cruise.

The recent roadster trend clearly emphasizes the new direction that auto purchasers are taking. This is why automakers are stressing weight when it comes to the manufacture of roadsters. Some roadsters, to achieve utmost performance, have to take a good diet to slash extra pounds. Automakers are now reducing features of roadsters which include power steering, navigation system and automatic climate control to strip excess fats off the car.

One of the famed manufacturers of roadsters is Mercedes. The automaker is now formulating a head-zone heating system. Lorinser, also a popular manufacturer, has earlier introduced its front windshield spoiler for the SL that deflects air stream and reduces possibly annoying air whirls inside the roadster. According to critics, these features dilute the roadster driving experience by taking away some of the greatest, most admired and most respected qualities of roadsters. They added that some of the automakers have completely unable to leave things as original and uncompromising as they were intended once. This fact leaves a note of vigilance to the purchasers. They have to select according to their needs and not to succumb to anything less.

Source:  Amazines.com