The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
A three-wheeled prototype Domino’s delivery car from the 1980s, looking more like the space shuttle than a typical car, is going to auction in Las Vegas next month.
The car is one of 10 Tritan A2 Aerocar prototypes commissioned by Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan as a higher-speed delivery vehicle for operation in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Domino’s is headquartered and where now-defunct carmaker Tritan Ventures was also based.
The car is being sold by Mecum Auctions in Las Vegas on Nov. 10. A value estimate was not provided, but another one of the prototypes was sold in 2019 by the Bonhams auction house for $44,800.
The Tritan A2 Aerocar still has the Domino’s branding, and its design shows its futuristic inspirations, including an arch at the back to act as a sail for stability and fuel efficiency and a sliding cockpit roof akin to a fighter jet.
The aerodynamic design and light fiberglass body — only 900 pounds — also gave the three-wheeler less than half the drag of conventional cars at the time, according to car news site Autoevolution.com.
The cars used to include pizza ovens to keep delivery pizzas hot, but those were subsequently removed before Domino’s got rid of the prototypes, according to car news site Autoevolution.com. Only seven of the cars still exist.
Driving the car, however, was not that fun, according to current owner Chuck Sinnott. It has space only for two people, one behind the other, and is therefore a motorcycle for regulatory purposes. It also rides low to the ground, making potholes and obstacles even more hazardous.
“This thing turns some heads. It’s a crowd-pleaser. But my wife and I can’t jump in it and go to Monterey,” Mr. Sinnott, a Californian, told.
