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Polaris Slingshot: Part car, part motorcycle, all excitement

September 02, 2014 09:45 IST

Photograph: Kind Courtesy, Polaris
 

The Polaris Slingshot three wheeled performance machine which aims to be a pocket rocket, has been unveiled.

The road legal vehicle has two front wheels and a single rear wheel which receives the power from the engine.

The Slingshot has its design cues in line with other road legal high performance machines like the KTM X-Bow and Campagna T-Rex.

Photograph: Kind Courtesy, Polaris
 

With minimal body panels, the Slingshot looks like a slammed Polaris ATV with a single rear wheel. That said, there is no short supply of visual aggression.

The cockpit seats two and warrants the occupants to wear crash helmets. Surprisingly, the dashboard features a 4.3-inch LCD with Bluetooth, six-speaker sound system, USB support and a backup camera.

Photograph: Kind Courtesy, Polaris
 

Power comes not from any of the Victory or Indian Motorcycles (Polaris owned American bike brands) but from a 2.4-litre EcoTec petrol engine sourced from General Motors.

The four-cylinder petrol engine puts out 172.9 bhp (129 KW) and 225 Nm of torque. The power is harnessed by a 5-speed manual gearbox which then transfers it to the rear wheel via a carbon fibre reinforced belt drive.

Photograph: Kind Courtesy, Polaris
 

The Polaris Slingshot weighs 771 kg and measures 3,799 mm in length, 1,971 mm in width, 1,318 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,667 mm.

The ground clearance stands at 127 mm. Polaris has not released the performance stats of the three-wheeler but given the strong power-to-weight ratio, the vehicle is expected to live up to its name.

Photograph: Kind Courtesy, Polaris
 

The Slingshot is suspended by a double wishbone aluminium suspension and sits on 18-inch wheels upfront and a 20-inch unit at the rear.

Other noteworthy features include projector headlamps, LED taillights, rustproof polymer body panels, two storage boxes in the cockpit and electronic power-assisted steering with ESC.

Photograph: Kind Courtesy, Polaris
 

The prices of the Polaris Slingshot range from $19,999 (around Rs 12.02 lakh) to $23,999 (around Rs 14.42 lakh). Polaris is present in India, though its products extend to ATVs at the moment.

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