An MC engine upgrade with a suspension upgrade has been of interest for many Freeway owners. Very few have had that, so you can get a 'Freeway' for about 50-75% of the price of a Elio, when you can find them. Once restored or upgraded the Elio will be cheaper, but ya all knew that. People who have or had a Freeway love the concept, even if not the execution. All the past and current owners I personally know(3), want an Elio.
-
Welcome to Elio Owners! Join today, registration is easy!
You can register using your Google, Facebook, or Twitter account, just click here.
Freeway 3 Wheeler
- Thread starter Dustoff
- Start date
Jeff Miller
Elio Addict
I haven't seen one in person but I understand the finish on the freeway is rather crude. Back in the early 80's I followed one until they stopped and told me what it was. I wanted one but never managed to locate one to buy before I got bored and moved on to other things. Luckily I'm older and more patient now and the wait for the elio will ultimately produce a much more refined machine.
The H-M-Vehicles Free-Way was a three-wheel microcar manufactured in Burnsville, Minnesota, from 1979 to 1982.[1]
HMV Freeway vehicles, 2010
These small commuter cars had a single seat and were powered by a 12 or 16 horsepower gasoline engine[2] or a 4 hp electric motor.[3] A diesel engine was offered,[2][3] but none were ordered with it.[2]
The 12 HP version was guaranteed to get 100 mpg-US (2.4 L/100 km; 120 mpg-imp)[2][3] when driven at a steady 40 mph (64 km/h).[2] The 12 HP version averaged 80 mpg-US (2.9 L/100 km; 96 mpg-imp), and the larger 16 hp averaged 60 mpg-US (3.9 L/100 km; 72 mpg-imp) to 70 mpg-US (3.4 L/100 km; 84 mpg-imp).[citation needed] The standard fuel tank had a capacity of 3 US gallons (11 L)[3][6] while a 9 US gallons (34 L) tank was optional.[3]
The motor was mounted behind the driver and was coupled to a snowmobile-style CVT belt drive transmission. Final drive to the rear wheel was by chain. The gasoline-powered Free-Way did not have a reverse gear in its transmission.[2][3] An electrically powered reverse drive was offered as an option,[2][3] but was never made available.[2]
Front view
The Free-Way had a welded tubular steel frame, with a secondary perimeter frame at bumper height to protect the driver from impacts. Suspension was fully independent, with two wheels in front and a single wheel in the rear. The fully enclosed two-piece fiberglass body was approximately 0.125 inches (3.2 mm) thick and had the colour molded into the material and was available in high-visibility red, yellow, or orange.[3] The lower body included a full undertray to reduce the drag coefficient of the vehicle.[3][6]
The Free-Way had a single headlight and per federal standards were intended to be licensed as a motorcycle, but in some states they were titled as cars.[7]
About 700 Free-Ways were sold before the company closed in June 1982.[8]
I have the only factory made CONVERTIBLE with a sporty 18 HP Tecumseh Motor !
the color was molded INTO the body panels, never needed waxing ! scratches just disappeared !
learn from the past !!
HMV Freeway vehicles, 2010
These small commuter cars had a single seat and were powered by a 12 or 16 horsepower gasoline engine[2] or a 4 hp electric motor.[3] A diesel engine was offered,[2][3] but none were ordered with it.[2]
The 12 HP version was guaranteed to get 100 mpg-US (2.4 L/100 km; 120 mpg-imp)[2][3] when driven at a steady 40 mph (64 km/h).[2] The 12 HP version averaged 80 mpg-US (2.9 L/100 km; 96 mpg-imp), and the larger 16 hp averaged 60 mpg-US (3.9 L/100 km; 72 mpg-imp) to 70 mpg-US (3.4 L/100 km; 84 mpg-imp).[citation needed] The standard fuel tank had a capacity of 3 US gallons (11 L)[3][6] while a 9 US gallons (34 L) tank was optional.[3]
The motor was mounted behind the driver and was coupled to a snowmobile-style CVT belt drive transmission. Final drive to the rear wheel was by chain. The gasoline-powered Free-Way did not have a reverse gear in its transmission.[2][3] An electrically powered reverse drive was offered as an option,[2][3] but was never made available.[2]
Front view
The Free-Way had a welded tubular steel frame, with a secondary perimeter frame at bumper height to protect the driver from impacts. Suspension was fully independent, with two wheels in front and a single wheel in the rear. The fully enclosed two-piece fiberglass body was approximately 0.125 inches (3.2 mm) thick and had the colour molded into the material and was available in high-visibility red, yellow, or orange.[3] The lower body included a full undertray to reduce the drag coefficient of the vehicle.[3][6]
The Free-Way had a single headlight and per federal standards were intended to be licensed as a motorcycle, but in some states they were titled as cars.[7]
About 700 Free-Ways were sold before the company closed in June 1982.[8]
I have the only factory made CONVERTIBLE with a sporty 18 HP Tecumseh Motor !
the color was molded INTO the body panels, never needed waxing ! scratches just disappeared !
learn from the past !!
Being an ex Minnesota resident during the production period ( 79- 82 ) I'm surprised I never heard of or saw one on the road. I would go metro Mpls, St.Paul about once a month and visit friends, so not like I wasn't in production area. Guess promotion advertising wasn't high priority!
zelio
Elio Addict
Interesting but the Elio is so much more attractive. :-) Z
And on the 'Freeway' looks; in that era 'sharp' angular looks were in fashion at the time, so that part of it is a bit dated at this point. It's beauty was always in the concept. Which did lack freeway performance. Which is an irony in relation to the name.
Our world is sooo very crowded with cars, there were plenty of people who didn't see a smartcar until years after it started selling, and they sold over 10k sales each year for a while. I saw my first 4 years after first imports to the US. I've never seen a freeway in person.
zelio
Elio Addict
I have seen a lot of freeways in person. They simply had a lot more wheels on them. Sorry, I could not resist that! :-) Z
Thanks for letting me know it was a fashion. I always interpreted it as companies getting cheap and not spending money to make things look good with complex curves.
Music Man
Elio Addict
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2014
- Messages
- 1,090
- Reaction score
- 2,941
Well, with all these "past failures" out there, I think it's time for a "succes
story."
Enter, stage right; the ELIO!!
