Threewheeler anno 1955
03/27/2011
The heyday of the English Threeweeler was long gone by 1954. But not for Jakob Keller from Zurich. In addition to a Formula 3 weighing just 250 kg with a Gilera engine (500 cc/approx. 35 hp/185 km/h), he also brought this streamlined three-wheeler to the starting line.
The photo shows Keller at the 1954 circuit race in Regensdorf near Zurich. According to traffic and motorsport laws, three-wheelers were considered motorcycles. Keller used 500cc engines in his own designs - whether Formula 3 or three-wheelers: JAP, Norton and Gilera. They were installed in the rear of his vehicles. They were driven by chains on the rear axle.
Jakob Keller was characterized by ideas, craftsmanship, boundless confidence in his own designs and driving skills. He had been a member of the "500 Club" since the start of Formula 3 after the Second World War. In 1960, this became the Formula Racing Club of Switzerland. Today, the abbreviation JKZ is also used, standing for Jakob Keller Zurich.
As far as I know, the Gilera engine has survived from Jakob Keller's designs. In 1952, Jakob Keller personally converted an OHV Saturno engine into an OHC twin-cam unit. Karl Dengler from the Albis Racing Team restored it and today this engine is used by the well-known motorcycle racer Jo Kaufmann in historic races on his Gilera Saturno.
P.S. Morgan presented another three-wheeler at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, perhaps heralding a renaissance.
