Dodge. A brand renowned for producing cars with power outputs in the 700-850 PS range and then giving them menacing names like Hellcat and Demon. Exactly the sort of brand you’d expect to do something a little bonkers. And so they did, 17 years ago, by taking the fire-breathing 507PS 8.3-litre V10 motor from the Viper supercar, and putting it in a... motorcycle.
Yep, you read that right. Attendees at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show were as gobsmacked as you are reading this right now, when they first laid eyes on the Dodge Tomahawk concept. Even without the ludicrous engine specs in the picture, the outlandish appearance is enough to make you stop in your tracks.
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Once you’ve lifted your jaw off the floor and take a closer look, you’ll notice that there are actually 4 tyres: 2 at each end. So, is this a bike at all? Well, experts differ in opinion, but we certainly think it is. Two double-tyre wheels, swingarm at either end and hub-centred steering, so this baby leans over and counter-steers just like a motorcycle.
This really is just an engine on wheels: an 8,285cc V10 motor encased in an aluminium housing with a swingarm mounted at either end. Thrown in a seat, footpegs and a handlebar, and you’re good to go. Needless to say, this deathtrap wasn’t street-legal, but it did very nearly go into production. The man behind the concept, RM Motorsports president Bud Bennett, admitted that Chrysler told him it would inject money into the production of 100 units if he could find 20 serious buyers for the Tomahawk.
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Fortunately or unfortunately, common sense prevailed and this didn’t happen. Only a handful were built, and some of these were sold as ‘rolling sculptures’ to well-heeled collectors for the princely sum of half a million dollars. It’s only after you’re done looking at the more outrageous bits that you notice the relatively more sober attractions: the gargantuan circumferentially-mounted brake discs, exquisite control levers and LED headlights long before they became a mainstream affair.
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