Triking

Triking is the common name for Triking Sports Cars, a specialist British manufacturer associated with the Triking Cyclecar, a lightweight three-wheeled vehicle combining characteristics of a sports car, a microcar and a motorcycle-powered cyclecar. The business is based in Hingham, Norfolk, and was formerly located in Marlingford, Norfolk. Its vehicles occupy a highly specialized niche rather than competing directly with mainstream passenger-car manufacturers. The Triking concept originated in the late 1970s with Tony Divey, a former Lotus employee. Divey wanted a Morgan three-wheeler but was unable to obtain one, so he developed his own interpretation of the format. The resulting vehicle used a steel space frame, alloy body panels, a glass-fibre bonnet and a Moto Guzzi V-twin motorcycle engine. The design drew on the visual and mechanical tradition of 1930s Morgan three-wheelers while applying more contemporary construction methods and components. Early interest from other enthusiasts led the one-off project toward limited production. Trikings are defined by their unusual layout and close relationship between driver and machine. Their three-wheel configuration, low weight and motorcycle-derived powertrain create a driving experience distinct from that of conventional sports cars. The vehicles are intended for recreational and enthusiast use, with an emphasis on open-air motoring, mechanical simplicity, compact dimensions and character rather than practicality, passenger capacity or high-volume production. The brand’s appeal is consequently strongest among collectors, cyclecar enthusiasts and drivers interested in specialist or historic-inspired vehicles. In 1990, Tony Divey redesigned the front structure and introduced a one-piece glass-fibre body element. This development formed an important stage in the evolution of the Triking design, retaining the established concept while revising its construction and appearance. The company operated as Triking Cyclecars Ltd until that company was dissolved in 2006 following Divey’s retirement. The business was subsequently re-formed in 2009 by Alan Layzell, who had been associated with Triking as an employee. Triking remains a small, specialist marque rather than a mass-market automotive company. Publicly available reference material identifies its principal product as the Triking three-wheeled cyclecar and places the business in the United Kingdom. Detailed information about production volumes, sales, ownership, financial performance, international distribution and current management is not established in the supplied sources. Its historical significance lies in preserving and modernizing the lightweight three-wheeler tradition through a distinctive, motorcycle-engined British sports-car format.

Triking’s history begins with Tony Divey, a former Lotus employee who became interested in the Morgan three-wheeler tradition. In the late 1970s, after being unable to acquire a Morgan, Divey decided to construct an alternative of his own. His project developed into the first Triking, a compact three-wheeled vehicle designed around a steel space frame, alloy panels, a glass-fibre bonnet and a Moto Guzzi V-twin motorcycle engine. The design combined several traditions. Its three-wheel layout and cyclecar character recalled pre-war Morgan vehicles, while the motorcycle engine and lightweight construction gave it a more contemporary enthusiast-oriented identity. The result was neither a conventional automobile nor a motorcycle, but a narrow specialist vehicle occupying the space between the two. Its compact body, low mass and motorcycle-derived powertrain made it suitable for recreational driving and appealed to enthusiasts interested in unusual forms of motoring. Interest in Divey’s prototype led to production under the Triking name. The enterprise became known as Triking Cyclecars Ltd and developed a small-scale manufacturing identity around the three-wheeled cyclecar. The business was not presented as a mass manufacturer; its importance was instead tied to craftsmanship, distinctive engineering and the continuation of a largely abandoned vehicle format. A significant design revision took place in 1990, when Divey created a new tubular front end and a one-piece glass-fibre body. This update refined the structure and bodywork while retaining the fundamental Triking formula. The revised design continued to use the characteristic three-wheeled arrangement and motorcycle-based mechanical concept, preserving the marque’s visual and technical continuity. Triking Cyclecars Ltd was dissolved in 2006 after Divey retired. The dissolution marked the end of that corporate phase, but not the end of the vehicle’s identity. In 2009, Alan Layzell, who had worked for Triking, re-formed the business. This transition linked the later enterprise to the original design and manufacturing tradition while placing the marque under new stewardship. The company is associated with Hingham in Norfolk and was formerly located in Marlingford, also in Norfolk. Its vehicles are commonly described as modern interpretations of 1930s Morgan three-wheelers, although the Triking has its own chassis, body and motorcycle-engine configuration. Contemporary descriptions of the driving experience emphasize the unusual intimacy of the cabin and the close physical relationship between driver and vehicle, characteristics that distinguish the Triking from ordinary sports cars. The available reference material provides limited information about production totals, model-year changes, pricing, ownership, distribution or present-day corporate structure. Accordingly, Triking is best documented as a small British specialist manufacturer whose enduring product is a motorcycle-powered three-wheeled cyclecar, rather than as a conventional automotive group with a broad model range.

• 2009

  Business re-formed

  [1]Trikingen.wikipedia.org

  Alan Layzell, a former Triking employee, re-formed the business and continued the Triking specialist-vehicle tradition.

• 2006

  Original company dissolved

  [1]Trikingen.wikipedia.org

  Triking Cyclecars Ltd was dissolved following Tony Divey’s retirement.

• 1990

  Front-end and body redesign

  [1]Trikingen.wikipedia.org

  Tony Divey introduced a new tubular front end and a one-piece glass-fibre body, updating the structure and bodywork of the Triking design.

• First Triking built

  [1]Trikingen.wikipedia.org

  Tony Divey developed the first Triking after being unable to obtain a Morgan three-wheeler. The prototype used a steel space frame, alloy panels, a glass-fibre bonnet and a Moto Guzzi V-twin engine.

A low-volume British specialist marque positioned between a classic three-wheeler, a lightweight sports car and a motorcycle-powered microcar. Triking emphasizes distinctive engineering, compact dimensions, open-air enjoyment and enthusiast appeal rather than mainstream practicality or scale.

• Three-wheeled sports car

  Triking Cyclecar

  The Triking Cyclecar is a lightweight, three-wheeled enthusiast vehicle inspired by the 1930s Morgan three-wheeler tradition. Its construction is based on a steel space frame with alloy panels and glass-fibre body components. The vehicle uses a Moto Guzzi V-twin motorcycle engine and is designed around compact dimensions, low weight and an unusually close driver-machine relationship. It is better understood as a specialist recreational vehicle than as a practical family car, with its appeal centered on open-air driving, distinctive styling and mechanical character.

• 2009

  Re-formation of the Triking businessStrategy

  Background

  The original Triking Cyclecars Ltd had been dissolved in 2006 after Tony Divey’s retirement.

  Action taken

  Alan Layzell, who had worked for Triking, re-formed the business and continued the marque.

  Aftermath

  The Triking name and specialist three-wheeler tradition continued under a later business structure.

  Source

• 1990

  Redesign of the front structure and bodyGeneration change

  Background

  The original Triking concept had already attracted enough interest to support continued production, creating a need to develop the design while preserving its three-wheeled, motorcycle-powered identity.

  Action taken

  Tony Divey designed a new tubular front end and a one-piece glass-fibre body.

  Aftermath

  The redesign became a documented stage in the evolution of the Triking Cyclecar and retained the marque’s lightweight specialist-vehicle character.

  Source

1. 1Trikingen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Triking Sports Cars official websitetrikingsportscars.co.uk