PROVO — It's not a car. It's not a motorcycle. It's the three-wheeled "autocycle," and the Provo-based firm that makes it wants to give driving enthusiasts an unforgettable experience behind the wheel.
Incorporated in 2010, Vanderhall Motor Works started as an idea of president and CEO Steve Hall, who was at the time a purveyor of high-end and exotic automobiles, explained spokesman Daniel Boyer. The company name is a combination of his mother's maiden name, Van Dyke, and the Hall surname.
Hall took half of his showroom and made it research and development for the "autocycle" concept vehicle, Boyer said. A self-taught engineer, Hall began working on what would become the state's first three-wheeled vehicle manufacturer, carving out a niche as a boutique dealer in a space that had yet to be fully tapped, he added.
Innovation runs in the family. Hall is the grandson of Tracy Hall, the Ogden-born scientist known for inventing the synthetic diamond. And his father, David Hall, is a noteable businessman with scores of patents to his name and who currently owns several companies and acres of land in the Provo area.
Vanderhall currently produces four models, including three traditional gasoline machines — the Venice, the Laguna and the one-seater Speedster — and one electric-powered vehicle — the Edison 2, scheduled for release later this year. Each vintage style vehicle is designed and hand-built in the company's 80,000-square-foot Utah County facility, Boyer noted.
The gas models are all built on a platform that houses a 1.4-cubic-inch, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine with a six-speed automatic transmission that can can go from zero to 60 mph in under five seconds, he said. The electric model produces up to 180 horsepower and can hit 60 mph in four seconds with a driving range up to 200 miles, he said.
The base model vehicles range in price from approximately $27,000 for the Speedster, $30,000 for the Venice, $35,000 for the Edison and $50,000 for the upscale Laguna. Some manufacturer options might push the price tag up a bit, Boyer added.
Because the vehicles are on three wheels, they are "federally rated as a motorcycle," Boyer explained, which means they do not have the same crash test requirements.
He said the current annual production output is approximately 1,000 vehicles, but that is expected to grow significantly with the construction of a multiphase expansion project currently underway not far from the company's main offices in Provo. When finished in about seven years, the expanded facility will comprise approximately 1 million square feet of space that will house all of the company's operations, according to Boyer.
Vanderhall's vehicles are designed for baby boomers who recall the joy of driving and millennials who appreciate adventure captured in a retro-styled, open-wheel experience, Boyer said.
"We allow people to 'drive dreams' and we do it at a price point that is approachable for many," he said.
A "speed enthusiast" himself, Boyer recalled how he accumulated 21 tickets prior to his 18 birthday before finally getting his license suspended. Ironically, in the time he has been working at Vanderhall, he has been pulled over 27 times without receiving a single citation. The main reason is that the officers are just interested in getting a closer look at the vehicle he's driving.
"They just want to see it," he explained. "One cop pulled me over and just drilled me on the specs of the car and the end of the conversation was, 'Can I get a picture in it?'"
He said that type of enthusiasm is what the company feels will help it grow into one of the top producers in the three-wheel market.
"It's definitely more of a motoring experience than an automotive experience," Boyer said. "The goal of Vanderhall is to bring people back to the age of motoring when you would just go on a drive just for the heck of driving — the destination is the drive."