W3 Triposto: Porsche 911 Conversion
Motoring Channel Staff - 23/January/2009
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W3 Triposto
The W3 Triposto is based on the Porsche 911
It has three seats and the driver sits in the middle
It costs US$250,000 and looks very, well, different
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Quebec, Canada –
It looks like a retro racer that has drawn influence from an amphibian
bog-dweller, but what you see here is a highly modified Porsche 911. Created by Canadian engineer Clyde Kwok and his son Hugh Kwok, the W3 Triposto is an intriguing conversion for a number reasons. First, it looks bizarre. Of all the people we've spoken to, about half love it and the other half hate it, so it's had a mixed response. The
headlights appear to be carried over from the Porsche 911 but that's
about it, with all new body work and panels plus interior fitout. Viewed from the rear, the car has a somewhat classic look due to the large central 'spine' and the brake lights look good. The the exhaust housing looks a bit out of place, but the tiny swing-wing doors add much to the car's exotic appeal. Made
by Kwok's company Wingho Auto, the family business can turn most 911
models (they prefer early 1990s Porsche 911 models) into the W3
Triposto at a cost of US$250,000 - plus extra for the Porsche to start
with. At the time of writing that works out to be about $381,500 in local Aussie dollars. However what this gets you is a head-turning roadster with retro tones that has three very unorthodox seats. That's the second thing, the W3 Triposto has three very unique seats. The
driver sits in the central position with the best view and has a large
buttress behind his head to avoid whiplash injuries. The brave passengers who flank the driver are positioned slightly aft, and appear to get rudimentary head rests. Take
a look at the windscreen and you'll notice it's virtually non-existent
and forget the roof - it's just not cool to have one on this car. The interior fitout is also fairly basic with simple controls and instruments, but for a niche car conversion it's not too bad. As
for engine types, Wingho Auto again prefers to use older model Porsche
engines displacing 3.6-litres. It then tunes up the engines to output
around 224kW (300hp). With more than 200kW hitting the rear
wheels, the lightweight W3 Triposto can reach speeds of more than
300km/h (187mph) should you need more attention that this
dramatic design already provides. Related Links:
- Porsche 911 (2009)
- Spadaconcept
Codatronca (2007)
- Porsche 911 Carrera: Military (2009)
- Porsche Cayman S Sport (2009)
- Porsche 911 Targa (2009)
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