Campagna T-Rex (a.k.a. TREX and T REX is a 2-seat, 3-wheeled motorcycle that combines the look and handling of a car with the fuel economy of a motorcycle, created by Canadian auto/bike builder Campagna Corporation located in Quebec. Using a 1.4 L, 4-cylinder engine, it accelerates from 0-97 km/h (0-60 mph) in 3.5 seconds, with top speed of 253 km/h (157 mph). Although classified as a motorcycle, the interior can accommodate two passengers side-by-side, with adjustable seat backs, foot-pedal box, and 3-point retractable safety belts. The manual transmission, although controlled by hand, more closely resembles motorcycle transmissions than that of a car. The T-Rex has been commercially available since the early 1990s. Its distinctive and unusual look and style has made it a collector's item for both car and motorcycle connoisseurs.[citation needed]
Due to the absence of doors or windshield (optional), the vehicle maintains a very low weight. In addition, thanks to its low center of gravity, two front wheels and wide single rear wheel, the vehicle can achieve turning g-forces greater than a substantial majority of four-wheeled vehicles, 1.3G claimed by the manufacturer. Campagna also produced a vehicle almost identical to the T-Rex, the T/R (Thunder Edition). The main differences are that it has no top and a S&S V-Twin power of a present day Harley Davidson.
Stand in front of it, and it looks like an exotic race car. Peek behind, and it looks like it's got a very large motorcycleup its backside. 0-60mph in under 4 seconds, with the elemental acceleration of a motorcycle, the cornering traction and roll-bar safety of a race car and the complete lack of practicality you'd expect from a machine bred purely for sports. Introducing Quebec's nastiest export: the T-REX from Campagna.
"The ultimate exotic vehicle. You drive this down the street, there could be a Lamborghini next to you, a Rolls-royce, anything. All eyes will be on this." The words of T-REX owner Bransten Clarke, and it's hard to disagree. The T-REX's brutal exotic looks rule it out for shy drivers. But beneath the sculpted Lotus Elise-esque bodywork lies a very interesting concept - a 200bhp Kawasaki ZX-14 Ninja engine, drivetrain and transmission shoehorned into a twin-seat semi racecar chassis with a rollcage and three very fat tyres. The powerful Kwaka engine easily spins up the rear wheel when it's abused, but the stable front end puts so much rubber to the ground that the evil little car/bike can pull a staggering 2G of sideways load in a corner - it chews up curves like a formula one car. Seating is lower to the ground than most cars, so it's a very emotive vehicle to pilot. The enhanced feeling of speed is topped off by the roar of the engine right behind you and the wind right in your face - that is, unless you go for the wimpy optional windshield. Belting your way through the gearbox is done sequentially, just like on the donor motorcycle. It's street legal, registerable as a motorcycle, and yours for under US$50,000. Yes, it's a toy, but it will out-accelerate other toys worth 10 times the price... At least until the party-pooping 140mph speed limiter kicksin. Then again, at that speed your sunglasses are probably flying off your head anyway. The T-REX's only nod to practicality is the inclusion of two dorky-looking detachable panniersthat might store enough clothes for an overnight trip provided you aren't real big on shoes - but that's hardly the point. Neither is the fact that it would tear up a racetrack like the man-eater it's named for. The point is, this is a unique, eye-popping exotic that turns mild-mannered, law-abiding drivers into tyre-trashing, leadfoot hooligans. Congratulations to creators Daniel Campagna and Paul Deutschman!
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