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The list of reasons for three-wheeled vehicles’ existence is quite short. They pretty much always serve to fill the gap for someone who can’t have four wheels for reasons economic or legal, but can’t cut it on two. But even that doesn’t seem to explain why a Chevrolet Silverado owner turned their truck into a trike.
This three-wheeled GMT800 Silverado has been spotted and shared online more times than I can count. However, the photos are usually taken in passing without getting any detailed, up-close shots. When Abrahn Gonzalez ran across it in Kilgore, Texas, he was finally able to observe its inner workings.
These images only explain so much, though, and Gonzalez told me he wasn’t able to chat up the owner. If being left up a creek as to why this truck exists wasn’t enough, photos of how the front wheel is attached raise even more questions, most of them beginning in why and ending in an interrobang.
Chevy Silverado trike | Abrhan Gonzalez
Chevy Silverado trike | Abrhan Gonzalez
Chevy Silverado trike | Abrhan Gonzalez
For starters, the wheel is mounted on a single, L-shaped extension on the front of the truck, protruding through where the bumper would be. It’s not clear from the photos if this is a suspension arm or merely an extension of the frame, but in either case, it’s subject to torsional forces that are probably way too hefty. It looks to be assembled from beams that are just multiple metal plates welded together, using welds best described as scabby.
Even if it were perfectly fabricated, it’s hard to imagine this drives like anything other than an oversized Reliant Robin—better off-road than you’d expect, but oh-so-tippy. Also, because of the reduced front contact patch, braking performance will suffer too. That apparently doesn’t stop the owner from towing with it.
Why anyone would build (and unironically drive) this would be beyond me, were it not for the filled-in, color-matched front fenders and yellow pinstripe. To me, those say the owner cares how their truck looks, and that they’re about the trike life.
Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com
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James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls “automotive cryptids.”
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