My wife first saw a Vanderhall at Sturgis. She was smitten. Deeply. So we found her one, in the exact color scheme she likes best. White on the outside, red on the inside. The Venice has no doors, just low stepover side walls. The Carmel has actual doors, but suicide doors - the hinge is at the back, not the front. What is it? Some states regulate it as a motorcycle, some as a car. It has a roll cage of sorts, and seatbelts, so at least in New Mexico you don't have to have a motorcycle license to operate one. But it has a motorcycle-sized license plate.
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It's pulled around by a GM turbocharged three cylinder engine, mounted up front between the front wheels. The front wheels are the drive wheels, and in this vehicle that's a really good thing. The weight is on the drive wheels, and you have twice the gripping surface that you would if the rear wheel of your trike were the drive wheel. The engine makes 194 HP (142.784 KW) @ 5700 RPM. Redline is 6500 RPM.
We test drove two of them at Sturgis, a Carmel and a Venice. Now, I'm pretty acceleration jaded. In fact, this thing taught me that I'm more used to fairly impressive acceleration than I'd realized. It's a 4.5 second vehicle. I realized it was fast, but I woudn't have guessed it's that fast! It does have a crazy turbocharger symphony. It pops, it hisses, it's chudders, it really lets you know that it's got a lot going on under there. You hear more from under the hood in front of you than you do from the exhaust behind you. The chrome exhaust does look darned good though.
The brakes. I've never been in a four wheeled vehicle that has anything like the braking force this vehicle can produce. Just amazing in my book. Given the amount of grip, I wonder how many motorcycles could out brake it.
Grip. Lots. No idea how it handles once you lose grip, and I'd rather not find out, really. But it has traction control, and you can turn it off if you'd like to find out for yourself.
Now, the interior is a bit cramped. Our Mini Cooper has much more room inside. You can't both put on your seatbelts at the same time. Shoulder space is at a premium. But there's plenty of legroom, and plenty of room for the operator to use the controls. It's old school two-person racing in feel. It's a very simple interior. You pull a loop of strap to open the doors. There are no windows. Don't even think about a sealed cabin - you are more in the wind than anything a major car manufacturer has made since before WWII. No windshield wipers either. If you watch racing video from the days when every car had a driver and mechanic, you'll get what this vehicle is selling. My wife loves the look of the front end in particular - it reminds her of a 1950s Formula 1 car. There is a small glove compartment, and two cupholders, one just inside each door. There is also a storage compartment behind the seats, a bit bigger than the top case of a touring bike.
The roof is easy to remove - couple of thumbwheels up front, two velco straps in the back, and viola. Make your decision in the garage, because there is no way on earth you can store it or secure it if you want to go topless in the middle of a drive.
The dashboard is very classic. Round gauges set into a completely flat panel. It does have a gauge I've never seen on a car - a transmission gauge that has a big needle that shows if you're in reverse, park, 1st, 2nd and so on up to 6th gear (which is top gear for this vehicle). The central gauge is the speedo, with the tach to the left. Here's how it look. Id had a red faux leather dashboard, but my wife found some zebrawood that looks far, far better.
![Image]()
The zebrawood goes well with the wooden steering wheel. As you can see, the brake and gas pedals are stainless. There are rubber disks in the circles punched in the stainless. Those are good looking seats, but personally I wish they were shaped a bit different. More lumbar support would be great. Honestly they are the worst shaped seats I've encountered, but my wife likes them. My wife says it reminds her of an Indycar (she worked on Emmerson Fittipaldi's team for a while inventing what we now know as data telemetry). She says she gets the vehicle-and-driver-are-one feeling from the Carmel.
My biggest wish is for a different shape to the seat, hers is a central rear view mirror. It has two small round mirrors mounted just forward of the doors. If you're wondering if they are power-adjustable, you aren't paying attention. It is a bit awkward getting in and out of it.
It's fun to watch the front wheels' suspension respond to bigger road inputs. The ride is sporty, but not too harsh IMHO.
I was pleasantly surprised at how well that very, very open cockpit protects you from the cold. Call it halfway between a regular motorcycle and a conventional car in that respect. You don't feel the cold airblast nearly as much in the Carmel as you do on a bike, even a bike with a good front fairing.
There is no headlight switch. Just high beams on the stalk. I think that's because of the states that treat it as a motorcycle.
![Image]()
You're low, you're in the elements much more than even a more conventional convertible, you're narrow, and you're constantly hearing the music of the engine. And watching passers-by react. My Indian gets a lot of stares, lots of turned heads. It can't hold a candle to the Vanderhall. "What is that!?" is a very common reaction, or just a huge grin and a big thumbs up.
So there are some facts. They are hopefully informative, but they don't tell the whole story at all. This is a very unique vehicle. It's simple in all the ways you want it to be, but with modern advantages like traction control and modern era reliability (from what we've read). And it's got features I've never seen in any other vehicle I've owned, like the suicide doors. Driving it or riding in it is so different than anything else. You're very immersed in the world around you compared to anything on four wheels. Somehow knowing there aren't even windows to roll up changes the experience. You don't dress for the weather quite as much as you do on two wheels, but almost. Add to that the sound track, the simple but well executed interior (coughthatseatcough), it all just adds up to a very unique experience that is sooo much fun. My wife and I have a serious soft spot for convertibles. This is next level - very fast, light, very confidence inspiring cornering, that sound track... It's one of those fun-at-any-speed vehicles that defies statistics and categories. We've never seen one besides this one in New Mexico.
![Image]()
Obviously this picture is from before I put the zebrawood panels in.
Hope someone finds this interesting. We sure have fun with it!
It's pulled around by a GM turbocharged three cylinder engine, mounted up front between the front wheels. The front wheels are the drive wheels, and in this vehicle that's a really good thing. The weight is on the drive wheels, and you have twice the gripping surface that you would if the rear wheel of your trike were the drive wheel. The engine makes 194 HP (142.784 KW) @ 5700 RPM. Redline is 6500 RPM.
We test drove two of them at Sturgis, a Carmel and a Venice. Now, I'm pretty acceleration jaded. In fact, this thing taught me that I'm more used to fairly impressive acceleration than I'd realized. It's a 4.5 second vehicle. I realized it was fast, but I woudn't have guessed it's that fast! It does have a crazy turbocharger symphony. It pops, it hisses, it's chudders, it really lets you know that it's got a lot going on under there. You hear more from under the hood in front of you than you do from the exhaust behind you. The chrome exhaust does look darned good though.
The brakes. I've never been in a four wheeled vehicle that has anything like the braking force this vehicle can produce. Just amazing in my book. Given the amount of grip, I wonder how many motorcycles could out brake it.
Grip. Lots. No idea how it handles once you lose grip, and I'd rather not find out, really. But it has traction control, and you can turn it off if you'd like to find out for yourself.
Now, the interior is a bit cramped. Our Mini Cooper has much more room inside. You can't both put on your seatbelts at the same time. Shoulder space is at a premium. But there's plenty of legroom, and plenty of room for the operator to use the controls. It's old school two-person racing in feel. It's a very simple interior. You pull a loop of strap to open the doors. There are no windows. Don't even think about a sealed cabin - you are more in the wind than anything a major car manufacturer has made since before WWII. No windshield wipers either. If you watch racing video from the days when every car had a driver and mechanic, you'll get what this vehicle is selling. My wife loves the look of the front end in particular - it reminds her of a 1950s Formula 1 car. There is a small glove compartment, and two cupholders, one just inside each door. There is also a storage compartment behind the seats, a bit bigger than the top case of a touring bike.
The roof is easy to remove - couple of thumbwheels up front, two velco straps in the back, and viola. Make your decision in the garage, because there is no way on earth you can store it or secure it if you want to go topless in the middle of a drive.
The dashboard is very classic. Round gauges set into a completely flat panel. It does have a gauge I've never seen on a car - a transmission gauge that has a big needle that shows if you're in reverse, park, 1st, 2nd and so on up to 6th gear (which is top gear for this vehicle). The central gauge is the speedo, with the tach to the left. Here's how it look. Id had a red faux leather dashboard, but my wife found some zebrawood that looks far, far better.
The zebrawood goes well with the wooden steering wheel. As you can see, the brake and gas pedals are stainless. There are rubber disks in the circles punched in the stainless. Those are good looking seats, but personally I wish they were shaped a bit different. More lumbar support would be great. Honestly they are the worst shaped seats I've encountered, but my wife likes them. My wife says it reminds her of an Indycar (she worked on Emmerson Fittipaldi's team for a while inventing what we now know as data telemetry). She says she gets the vehicle-and-driver-are-one feeling from the Carmel.
My biggest wish is for a different shape to the seat, hers is a central rear view mirror. It has two small round mirrors mounted just forward of the doors. If you're wondering if they are power-adjustable, you aren't paying attention. It is a bit awkward getting in and out of it.
It's fun to watch the front wheels' suspension respond to bigger road inputs. The ride is sporty, but not too harsh IMHO.
I was pleasantly surprised at how well that very, very open cockpit protects you from the cold. Call it halfway between a regular motorcycle and a conventional car in that respect. You don't feel the cold airblast nearly as much in the Carmel as you do on a bike, even a bike with a good front fairing.
There is no headlight switch. Just high beams on the stalk. I think that's because of the states that treat it as a motorcycle.
You're low, you're in the elements much more than even a more conventional convertible, you're narrow, and you're constantly hearing the music of the engine. And watching passers-by react. My Indian gets a lot of stares, lots of turned heads. It can't hold a candle to the Vanderhall. "What is that!?" is a very common reaction, or just a huge grin and a big thumbs up.
So there are some facts. They are hopefully informative, but they don't tell the whole story at all. This is a very unique vehicle. It's simple in all the ways you want it to be, but with modern advantages like traction control and modern era reliability (from what we've read). And it's got features I've never seen in any other vehicle I've owned, like the suicide doors. Driving it or riding in it is so different than anything else. You're very immersed in the world around you compared to anything on four wheels. Somehow knowing there aren't even windows to roll up changes the experience. You don't dress for the weather quite as much as you do on two wheels, but almost. Add to that the sound track, the simple but well executed interior (coughthatseatcough), it all just adds up to a very unique experience that is sooo much fun. My wife and I have a serious soft spot for convertibles. This is next level - very fast, light, very confidence inspiring cornering, that sound track... It's one of those fun-at-any-speed vehicles that defies statistics and categories. We've never seen one besides this one in New Mexico.
Obviously this picture is from before I put the zebrawood panels in.
Hope someone finds this interesting. We sure have fun with it!
