Carver One

NOT SO MUCH

OVERVIEW
When it comes to 'thinking outside the box', we reckon the boffins behind this avant-garde creation have got the market cornered. Welcome to the Carver One - part motorcycle, part car, and entirely wacky.

It's designed and built in Europe, with Carver's world headquarters located in the Dutch centre of Dordrecht, near Rotterdam. The Carver One is the labour of love of Dutchman Anton Van Den Brink, who, when stuck in a Paris traffic jam back in the early '90s, began to ponder the vexing question of why it should take two-and-a-half tons of metal to often get just the one person from A to B.

Those ponderings led to a two-wheeled concept machine, to which Van Den Brink then added a further wheel for extra stability. A large piece of the jigsaw fell into place when Van Den Brink's son, Chris, along with fellow aeronautical engineer, Harry Kroonen, developed the Dynamic Vehicle Control (DVC) system, which translated car-type steering into motorcycle-style banking through a corner.

In 2004 a production version, now dubbed the Carver One, hits the streets of Europe. These days Carver has teamed up with automotive specialist ACU to produce the Carver One, of which 500 or so examples are built each year at ACU's production facility in Uberheim, Germany.

Essentially, the rear mounted engine and two rear car wheels remain flat on the road, while the Carver One's body, cockpit and front motorcycle wheel pivot through corners, at lean angles of up to 45 degrees. It can flick from full left lean to full right lean in just one second. The cockpit returns to an upright position at speeds of 10km/h or under, and locks in this position whenever the vehicle comes to a stop - so there's no need to worry about it rolling onto its ear when you pull up at a red light.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
Constructed around a chunky tubular steel frame, the Carver One is powered by a 659cc four-cylinder engine manufactured by Daihatsu. The powerplant is good for 50kW at 6000rpm and 10.2kg-m of torque at 3200rpm - given the Carver One's claimed dry weight of 643kg, we're not talking Hayabusa-like levels of performance, although power junkies may like to consider the 70kW power-up version also on offer.

The go is put down to the road via a five-speed manual gearbox, with the shifter mounted high on the right-hand side of the cockpit. All standard manual car foot controls apply, and smack bang in the middle of the cockpit is a Momo sport steering wheel. Braking is handled by three-wheel discs and the suspension, which comes set quite firm, is adjustable for preload. The steering is handled not just by the front wheel, but by the two rear wheels as well.

The bucket seat slides forward to allow access to the passenger seat, and there's also a small luggage trunk located at the rear. The Carver One comes with several creature comforts, including heating and ventilation (but no air-con), a removable hard top, electric windows, alloy wheels, and alarm. There's even a cup holder… That's all included as standard, but BikePoint's test machine came fitted with all the optional goodies, such as leather interior, dash-mounted turbo gauge, stereo system, body trim kit, wheel trim kit, rear spoiler and DVC mode selector. The latter allows you to switch between 'Comfort' and 'Sport' modes, which affects the sensitivity with which the Carver One responds to steering input.

So, how much would you expect to pay for a truly unique machine like the Carver One? According to Peter James, the New Zealand-based importer and distributor for Australia and NZ, we're looking at around $95,000 in Oz. But don't fish out the chequebook just yet, because the Carver One isn't yet able to be registered in Australia. James says it'll take a significant investment to push the Carver One through ADR and all the other relevant Australian engineering certification, so he's looking for a few firm orders before he makes that commitment. It's a bit of a 'Catch 22' situation, as James readily admits, but then the Carver One was never going to be a high-volume seller.

ON THE ROAD
BikePoint was introduced to the Carver One at Melbourne's West Gate go-cart track, where it was on hand in the lead up to its Australian debut at the 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show. With my best origami impersonation I folded my 188cm self into the rear passenger seat, before heading out with James for an orientation session. Think of the limited rear space as a spot for an occasional passenger who wants to head around the block or perhaps across town - or, more likely, simply as additional room for luggage.

Regular motorcyclists won't find the Daihatsu four-cylinder engine especially loud, but you do notice it, especially given the lack of a helmet. In James's expert hands, the Carver One scythed around the tight little track with ease, swooping and diving through corners in a manner which to the uninitiated can only be described as thoroughly enjoyable, but bizarre.

After a couple of laps it was my turn. After swapping spots I was eager to get to grips with this product of an engineer's fertile imagination. The cockpit itself is all 'Spartan sports weapon', while the view ahead through the slim windscreen is reminiscent of a jet fighter. Then again, the three-spoke sports steering wheels smack of Formula One race car, so I didn't really know what to expect.

After employing the relatively heavy gearbox to engage first, a flurry of revs sees the 50kW Carver One pick up speed with a pleasing degree of haste. Bikers will be a little underwhelmed, while the majority of car drivers will think they've got a live one… However, it's when you reach your first bend that a satisfied grin spreads across your dial - a grin that's happy to call your head home until long after you've parked the thing at journey's end.

Once above 10km/h, when the DVC system is activated, I initially wobbled my way around the track, finding the lean mechanism quite sensitive. However, just a few laps later I was starting to get a bit of a feel for it, if not exactly ripping around the track with anything approaching the confidence of the vehicle's Aussie and NZ distributor. In terms of feel all the controls have more in common with a car than a motorcycle, but that banking provides a bike-like sensation that has to be experienced to be fully understood. Think maxi scooter with manual transmission and complete weather protection, and you're getting close… The thing pulls up well via three disc brakes, while its suspension was difficult to assess, being on a smooth race track surface devoid of any decent bumps.

Of course the question must be asked, who will buy one? At around $95,000, not many. It's certainly well put together and it comes with some great features and a two-year warranty, but that sort of money could buy you a variety of bikes AND cars. No, I suspect if you're looking for practicalities here then you've already missed the point. This is a machine for the wealthy enthusiast - someone who wants the ultimate 'look at me' bit of automotive bling, or perhaps someone looking for a mega head-turning promo vehicle - for their presumably already very successful business.

I find it reassuring that there are individuals and companies still out there willing to bring their dreams to the market, but even so - don't expect to see this idiosyncratic example of engineering and business bravado prowling Aussie streets en masse any time soon.