The Vanderhall Venice has gained a lot of popularity amongst celebrities
Jamie Foxx goes by many titles, he’s an actor, singer, comedian and producer, it just depends on which day you ask him. The performer is like an entertainer ‘Jack of all trades’, he’s an all round talent. Foxx is probably most known for his roles on the silver screen in films such as ‘Django Unchained’ and ‘Ray’, a biography of the legendary musician, Ray Charles, which gained him many awards.
Foxx also fancies himself as a petrolhead, “I’ve been really getting into cars these past few years,” he says. The actor seems to have an acquired taste in cars as he is proud owner of the beastly Rezvani Tank and now, the Vanderhall Venice Speedster. Those are some interesting cars!
“these cars are something different, in a word, Vanderhalls are fly,”
Foxx, though, has gotten some attention with his interest in the Vanderhall manufacturer, who make retro sports cars with a peculiar twist. The three-wheeled roadster is an ode to the past and which has fascinated both enthusiasts and celebrities alike. Since Foxx bought one in 2018, and showed it off on his instagram, he has worked with the small Utah manufacturer to promote it, “these cars are something different, in a word, Vanderhalls are fly,” he says.
From its beginnings in 2012 and until the association with Foxx, the Utah manufacturer had made modest sales but after Foxx came along, the manufacturer has had to triple the size of factory to keep up with the backlog of orders. Now, Hollywood stars like Jeremy Renner and Shaquille O’neal have each bought one, bringing yet more publicity to this humble maker of cars.
Venice Features
The Venice Speedster has a very low centre of gravity, sitting just 4 inches above the ground, but that didn’t stop the 7 foot giant basketball player falling for it, ”It’s got class, it’s retro but still hits you with exotic flair at the same time,” he says. And does Renner like it? “It’s killer fun!”
The three-wheeled Venice is unique, and certainly is peculiar, but rest assured, these alternative sports cars are more than just a gimmick. The electric powered drive chain produces 180 horsepower and with its light and durable carbon-fibre body, this thing sounds like a lot of fun to drive. The turbocharged 1.4 litre, four cylinder gas engine is combined with two electric motors that have a lithium battery pack. It can hit 170 km/h and 200 miles in one single charge.
The Venice is a minimal sports car, somewhat, although that might be an understatement because there is no roof, trunk or doors, not that but it really needs these things as thats not what this car is meant for. It is the perfect car for country road driving on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, feeling the wind in your face and turning heads everywhere you go. At $30,000, the Venice is a great second car for those recreational kind of drives.
In some circles, The Venice is nothing but a toy or a gimmick but that is not really fair as the three-wheeled Speedster has about it everything drivers should love. It may look like an 8 year old boy designed it, but it has the sportiness, the video game like driving experience and the downright outlandishness. It has it all!
If nothing more, the Venice series has given us something to write and talk about. It has given a fresh twist to the alternative sports car category and displayed ingenuity with its electric technology and thee-wheeled whackiness. Most of all though, the Venice Speedster is car that takes us back to our childhood where anything was possible.
