If you woke up one morning in 1985 to see the Tritan A2 Aero Car driving towards you, you might think that you had time traveled into the distant future. But actually, you were just about to receive some pizza. Which is also pretty cool.
Neither a rocket ship nor a car, the Tritan A2 Aero Car is actually considered a motorcycle for regulatory purposes. And thanks to its highly aerodynamic body, and its impressive fuel economy, it was trialed as a delivery vehicle for Domino’s Pizza in 1985.
As the brainchild of James Amick and his son Douglas, the Tritan A2 was actually the latest iteration of a concept they had been working on since the late ’60s. Like the Nissan Deltawing, it had a low frontal area to cut through the air, giving it a coefficient of drag of just 0.15 (similar to the VW XL1).
Read: How The World Of Motorsport Killed One Of The Most Innovative Racing Cars To Date
The big wing at the back was inspired by the Amicks’ “Windmobile” from 1969. It was supposed to also catch cross breezes and turn them into forward propulsion, further improving its aero efficiency.
Thanks to all of these clever aero tricks, honed at the University of Michigan’s low-speed wind tunnel, the Tritan A2 Aero Car didn’t need much power. At the back, it has a 30 hp (22 kW/30 PS) Syvaro rotary engine that could reportedly get it up to a top speed of 95 mph (153 km/h), while also delivering 80 MPG (2.9 L/100 km).
Despite all of those on-paper advantages and an oven in the back to keep pizzas warm, it wasn’t all that good at delivering pizzas. This particular model’s seller told CNN that, contrary to what you might think, outward visibility is actually pretty bad.
It’s also quite low to the ground, hampering its usability on rough roads, and the three-wheel setup makes it hard to avoid potholes. Meanwhile, its forward-sliding canopy makes it hard to get in and out of, especially for its current owners, who say that’s why they’re selling it.
However, as one of just 10 ever made, it not only looks cool, it’s also extremely rare. After they failed out of pizza delivery school, the cars had their pizza ovens removed, meaning that they’re now technically two-seaters.
This example is being sold at Mecum’s Las Vegas 2023 auction, which runs from November 9 to 11. The auction house doesn’t provide an estimate for the vehicle, but one of these cars sold for $44,800 in 2019.
