"Metroquadro", that is the italian for "Square Meter"...
SQUARE METER MEASURE
AN EXTRAORDINARILY COMPACT THREE-WHEELED TOWN 'CAR' ALTERNATIVE FROM ROBERTO LUCCI AND PAOLO ORLANDINI. DESCRIBED BY ILSE GRAY
What motor vehicle is easy to manoeuvre in traffic, yet steadier than a moped and cleaner than a motorcycle, dry in wet weather, smaller and cheaper than a car, but still with enough room for hand-luggage or shopping? The answer is the Metroquadro (Square Meter), according to designers Roberto Lucci and Paolo Orlandini of L/O Design, Milan.
Metroquadro is a three-wheeler with a two-stroke 49cc engine, controlled like a scooter or small motorcycle with a kick-start and clutchless twist gears. The base is painted steel with a curved flange round front and sides. It has a tubular steel steering column and a tubular steel seat base with an adjustable swivel seat on a telescopically housed spring with protective gaiter. The left handlebar twist-grip is the two-gear lever, the right twist-grip is the throttle. Front and back brake levers follow push-bike practice.
The engine is located below the seat. There is a lid under the driver's feet which can be lifted for maintenance. The petrol tank is further forward, with the filler cap next to the steering column. There is a right-angled handbrake below the seat next to the kick-start.
The vehicle measures 1100 x 900mm wide and turns in a fuel performance of 140mpg (5Okm/l) at a maximum speed of 40km/h (25mph). The driver steps in from the back by swivelling the rectangular-shaped seat. Under the seat there is a hook for hanging a bag or case and there is room on the floor for other small luggage.
In wet weather, a curved polyester hood with an open back can be quickly fitted on to the base by means of a pvc magnetic ribbon fixed to the underside of the hood plus a plug pin at the front for safety. The window in the hood is made of transparent pvc, and there is also a waterproof blind at the back which can be rolled down in very bad conditions or when the vehicle is parked.
Ignition, main and parking light switches and the horn are in the switch panel between the handlebars. The panel also incorporates the headlight. An electric motor could replace the petrol-driven version which could be useful in areas where petrol engines are restricted.
Though the Metroquadro complies with Italian motor vehicle regulations, there are still one or two things at prototype stage which need to be ironed out. For instance, with the hood up in wet weather, is visibility really going to be good enough without windscreen wipers? The designers themselves think wipers are unnecessary at such slow speeds.
From the safety angle, the vehicle is probably safer than a two-wheeler. But without the hood, and particularly from the rear, the driver is very exposed should anything fast-moving crash into him; and being wider and less manoeuvrable than a scooter, it is more vulnerable to damaged paintwork - especially without bumpers.
At an approximate cost of £230 and very little petrol, the Metroquadro could be considered the poor man's alternative to the town car. For the elderly person, well-dressed businessman or tight-skirted woman shopper, it is obviously a much more practical (if more expensive) solution than a bicycle; it could be a boon in areas where public transport is infrequent or non-existent. As eight Metroquadros can be parked in the space occupied by one medium-sized car, it should never present a parking problem.
