1994 Grinnall Scorpion 3 from UK and Ireland - Comments

Clutch exploded, ripping through the bell housing - my fault as I was trying to wheel spin it with a passenger. Replaced it and drove sensibly, and it's never been a problem again.

Great performance and good handling, but bucks around on bumpy roads and needs extreme care in the wet.

Ability to change direction in 'S' bends is amazing, and nothing much will keep up with you.

Out cornered every bike on Mad Sunday at the TT, but got annihilated on the straights (as you'd expect).

Excellent acceleration up to 85mph, and 3 or 4 cars can be overtaken at a time. Will do about 125mph flat out, but it gets twitchy past about 110mph.

Open cockpit makes leaving it unattended risky.

The styling attracts lots of attention - women are oblivious to it.

It must be a very small car if it can get 125mph from 1.1 litres and presumably the final drive ratio has to be raised to achieve this.

It's a 3 wheeler. See it at http://www.grinnallcars.com/scorpion.html.

Looks well neat.

Do you have to sacrifice a BMW motorbike to build one and how stable is that 3 wheeled configuration at monster speed?

In answer to the comments: the mechanical gearing remains the same as the bike. The smaller rear wheel (195/50 x 16) lowers the overall gearing compared to the bike and it works out to about 15.7mph/1000rpm in top gear which makes it rev at 7700rpm at 125mph with peak power at 7500rpm so it's slightly undergeared, but not by much.

Yes, you need the engine, gearbox and rear swinging arm from the bike which you can get from a whole bike or salvage.

The car is only has 5" ground clearance and the front track is around 6ft so it's pretty stable. Physics dictates it would be better with 4 wheels in this respect, but I have never had a issue. Some testers have managed to get it onto two wheels, but despite spirited driving I have never managed it - thankfully.

The Grinnall Scorpion is a fantastic vehicle. I had similar clutch/drive shaft problems (due to over-aggressive use/fun)

If you treat it with love and respect it is probably fairly reliable. I wouldn't know!!!

See it out playing in the wild with a friend here: http://www.lazyway.co.uk/lazydiary/scorpion3.mpg

Watched the video - you're mad - enjoy your car. Thinking of selling mine now we have a baby, but what else can I get? BMW 540i seems to be the best value for money, but would it be as much fun - no!

I didn't sell it in the end, and having compared running costs, I decided that nothing else could offer the same fun at the price. Having languished in the garage for 2.5 years, I fitted it with new suspension, which has made it much better on uneven roads, and I am now once again enjoying the car.

Selling a Grinnall Scorpion 3 is very difficult. I almost sold mine earlier this year but one drive post the yearly service was enough to bring the simple pleasures of speed and handling back to the fore and that was it - off the market. Theses cars are really very special in every way. Jez.

I owned a Grinnall Scorpion 3 for a year. It was without doubt the most fun I have ever had in a vehicle. However, I found that I was driving faster and faster, until one day I nearly caused a serious crash due to speed madness, mine not the other guy's!

I then decided to sell it on, and I now regret it! I had a JZR, which was excellent, but no match on performance. Sorry John Ziemba.

Well, now I have a small legacy to hand, and I want another Grinnall. But even in these difficult times, I can't find one at sensible money. Are there any out there? Please contact me if you have one. The only problem I had was with an incorrectly fitted clutch. Phone Patrick on 07906821862 if you have one for sale. Ta, and drive carefully.

If I decide to sell mine I will let you know. To be honest I don't drive it that much but when I do it's such a buzz I know I'd miss it if I did and it would be admitting to be being a grown-up.

I have have been wondering if I could fit a large Japanese bike engine in there (maybe a ZZR1100, Blackbird, etc) which sounds fun but nobody seems to have done this. Be interested to hear if they have.