What is a ‘triporteur?’

In France, triporteurs are viewed fondly as an invaluable part of 20th Century history. The name describes any 3-wheel vehicle, including un-motorized 3-wheel delivery tricycles and ordinary pedal tricycles; motorcycle and scooter pick-ups and vans; the later style of closed-cab vehicles (such as Lambretta/ Vespa/ Piaggio Ape); and 3-wheel microcars.

Three-Wheelers were the first cars, often known as ‘tri-cars.’
In many Western countries, mass production of 4-wheelers almost made 3-wheelers obsolete. They’ve now mostly disappeared from UK roads. When you use the term ‘three-wheelers’ these days in UK most people think of a Reliant.

In Italy they’re called ‘motocarro.’ In Spain and South America ‘Moto-furgone.’ In Germany, ‘dreirad’ and across the Channel they are ‘triporteurs’ – a ‘three-wheeled carrier.’

The French were the first to develop them around the turn of the 20th Century. While we’ve all but forgotten them, in France there’s much more acknowledgement of the triporteur and its history.

As it’s so much more poetic, I’d like to share the name ‘triporteur’ with you.

My oldest motorized three-wheeler commercial is this 1914 Warrick Motor Carrier.

To see its website PLEASE CLICK HERE

You can travel around the various museum websites

through the links on the right

and link back to this website at any time