The Tryon Viper was an American 3-wheeled custom car which was created by car builder Rick Murphy. Its design represented a cross between the space fighter from "Battlestar Galactica", of the same name, and any one of a number of 1970's and 80's vintage trike kits such as the Morton or RQ Riley's Tri-muter. Murphy's creation would certainly be the ultimate ride for any Trekkie or Sci-Fi nut!
It combined fiberglass and plywood construction on a ladder frame with VW power at the rear, of course. The trike measures 15' long, 46" high, and is 76" wide, at the aft end. Its rear suspension is from a VW Micro-bus, with torsion bars. A trailing arm and coil-over shock assembly is used up front. Steering is accomplished through a VW steering box and a custom drag link to the 8 X 18" wheel.
 |
| Tryon Viper - body and chassis illustration |
As said, motivation came from the Volkswagen Type 3. The motor features dual Solex carb's and is mated to a 3 speed semi-automatic transmission. The car also uses a modified electrical system consisting of a 60-amp Nippon alternator in order to provide power for the extensive electronics on board.
Inside is an array of switches, gauges, and LED bar graphs to indicate the state of things to the driver. The seats are done in silver leather and feature futuristic looking inlays. Seating is tandem, one behind the other. In the back, there is a backup computer, radio, and CB. The whole system uses 16 fuses and a 19 microswitch relay set-up. As an added touch, the driver must first enter a 5 digit code to start the car.
The first of Murphy's Vipers was completed in the early 90's and was used as a daily driver. As it is with many kit-builders, Rick was not satisfied to build merely one and soon refined his idea into two increasingly sophisticated further incarnations. The first two were sold to make way for the last iteration. With molds and jigs made during the construction of that one, the Viper was eventually offered in kit form, by a company called Glass Masters in Mesa, AZ. Sadly, that endeavor was unsuccessful.
 |
| Tryon Viper - interior |
In the end a total of 5 examples were built. Rick Murphy went on to produce a number of other custom cars and continues to be involved in the community of fellow kit builders of the Southwest USA. Murphy also operates a distribution business that sells scale models and kits of various types, with a focus on agricultural and construction vehicles.
Note: A version of this article originally appeared on the now defunct Rare Component Cars Archive, once hosted by Shannon Larratt of Priceofhistoys.com.
 |
| Tryon Viper |
 |
| Tryon Viper - entry hatch open |
 |
| Tryon Viper - tandem seating |
 |
| Tryon Viper - engine bay |
 |
| Tryon Viper in profile |
 |
| Tryon Viper pair |
 |
| Tryon Viper, front |
 |
| Tryon Viper, at rear |
Comments
Post a Comment