Meet the Carver One.
Timaru motorcycle enthusiast Dave Jackson and his futuristic machine have been turning heads in Dunedin this week.
The vehicle has a unique hydraulic mechanism, which allows it to lean into corners at an angle of up to 45deg.
"They're a hell of a lot of fun to drive, but there's definitely a knack to driving them. They're not hard to drive, but it takes quite a while to learn to drive well," Mr Jackson said last week.
"There's no lateral movement, so it buries you in the seat as you go around corners. It will outdo most motorbikes on corners. You can go 45deg on one side then 45deg on the other side in 1sec. It's almost frightening, it sticks so well. It's like flying a plane on the road.
"They're pretty dramatic in first and second [gear]. In the low gears, she's quite hard to hold back."
The Carver One had a new sticker price of $95,000 in New Zealand, but Mr Jackson said he bought his model second-hand six months ago "for a lot less than that".
The machine is nudged along by a 660cc Daihatsu four-cylinder engine, wed with a five-speed manual gearbox. It has a top speed of 185kmh, although it is no speedster, with its acceleration of 0kmh-100kmh in 8.2sec comparable to a Toyota Camry.
The Carver was developed in the Netherlands and built in Germany after studies which showed 90% of cars were only occupied by one or two people, Mr Jackson said.
"The Carvers were designed for two people and two briefcases and that's about it."
The Carver One was launched in 2007 and manufactured by Carver Europe before the company failed in 2009.
"They didn't make many. That's why there are only 210 on the planet. The company that was making them went bankrupt when the global economy collapsed," Mr Jackson said.
"This is the only one in the South Island. There are only two in New Zealand."
The vehicle has plenty of creature comforts, with a removable roof, leather upholstery, electric windows, stereo, cup holder and an LED display which indicates when cornering is too acute.
It also has central locking - as the vehicle only has one door.
"It basically has everything a car has, except air conditioning. It certainly gets attention. Every time you stop a mob forms. And it's fun. It's got the reputation of turning hard men into giggling 7-year-olds."
Mr Jackson will display his Carver One at the Auto Spectacular at the Edgar Centre on October 1.
