For the past 35 years, a small Quebec company called Campagna has specialized in weapons-grade three-wheelers, the most famous of which is named after one of the most fearsome dinosaurs to roam the planet. If you’ve ever wondered what Canada’s homegrown car industry looks like, say hello to the Campagna T-Rex RR. Not only did Campagna bring a complete T-Rex RR to the 2025 Canadian International Auto Show, it also brought one without its bodywork or interior, and this pared-down demonstration model really helps illustrate what’s going on beneath that unusual skin.
The T-Rex has always featured bike power, and this latest version is no exception. Right behind the driver sits a 1,441 cubic centimeter four-cylinder engine from a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R. Best of all, it hasn’t been detuned, making the full 208 horsepower at 10,000 RPM just like you’d get in its two-wheeled application. Sure, 208 horsepower doesn’t sound a whole lot by modern standards, but the T-Rex RR also doesn’t weigh a whole lot, clocking it at 1,098 pounds. That’s just 5.28 pounds per horsepower, and Campagna claims zero-to-60 mph in 3.9 seconds.
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As for the handling, the Campagna T-Rex RR sports double-wishbone front suspension and swingarm rear suspension with remote reservoir two-way adjustable dampers, and while instinct may lead you to believe that a three-wheeled setup might not be the best for outright grip, Campagna claims 1.3 lateral g on the skidpad. For context, the outgoing Porsche 911 GT3 generated 1.11 g of lateral grip in Car And Driver instrumented testing, which gives a little context on just how wild this thing is.
Is the Campagna T-Rex RR safe? By the standards of the three-wheeler market, it practically seems like a Volvo. In addition to the tubular structure with front and rear roll hoops, this thing has anti-lock brakes, four-mode traction control, LED headlights, and reasonably beefy brakes for something so light. It even comes with a backup camera, which is nice because the view behind is pretty much filled with intake ducting.
As you’d expect, the cockpit of the T-Rex is pretty spartan. It doesn’t even have an indicator stalk. Before any complaints arise, Campagna claims that people were breaking the old column-mounted lever trying to enter and exit the vehicle, and moving the indicator switches to the steering wheel was a way to ensure that wouldn’t happen. However, there’s an extra bit of craziness to these indicator switches beyond being wheel-mounted — because the steering wheel is on a quick release, the latest T-Rex doesn’t use a traditional clockspring. Instead, all of the steering wheel switches operate via infrared beamed through the quick release, a clean-looking and unconventional way of making everything work.
If there’s one big downside to the Campagna T-Rex RR, it’s cost. This sort of lunacy isn’t cheap, with a base price sitting at a niche $68,999. That’s nearly double what a Polaris Slingshot R costs, which means the audience for this three-wheeler is exceptionally small indeed. Still, it’s quicker and lighter and grippier and revs higher than the top-dog Slingshot, and it still looks like a piece of alien technology after 35 years on the market. In some ways, it seems about as close as you can still get to the insanity of Wheeler-era TVRs, and that’s a rare thing indeed.
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I can’t believe these guys are still round making essentially the same product for this long. I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty awesome but that’s a crazy run on it. I remember seeing one of these forever ago on Rob and Big I think?
There is something about the Quebecois and three wheelers….
I like the green, but I’ll be the first to admit it looks like an exasperated Kermit the Frog.
So that’s where I’ve seen that face before!
In my eye, the metal flake green makes it look dated. But the bright oranges, and yellows make these really pop.
IMHO, these are what the Slingshot should have been.
I agree that this is the model the Slingshot should have followed. I have had friends who work in design and engineering at Polaris, starting in the early days of Victory. I always mean to send them a note to see how the Slingshot ended up like it is.
I drove one of these while on a trip to southern California about 5 years ago. It was an absolute blast and made my Miaita feel like a land barge. For years, I have been going back and forth on finding a Caterham, and the T-Rex was the first thing that made me think there might be a good alternative. The Caterham is still my preferred option, but when I pull the trigger on a new toy, I am sure I will check the prices on these.
I have been lusting after one of these for decades! What’s crazy is how much they still sell for used. I love everything about it and desperately need to drive one some day.
It’s been fun to follow them over the years too because they started out with the Kawasaki engine, then shifted to BMW engines for a while before going back to Kawasaki. I would be looking for one with the BMW I-6 because who doesn’t want that?!
Increasingly, these three:-wheel cycle cars (?) are becoming my go-to choice for an old-fashioned roadster thrill with new-fashioned capabilities. Someday…
Of course it has amazing grip; Frogs can climb vertical surfaces, horizontal ones should be no problem at all.
One will occasionally see these around the Eastern Townships (roughly, south-east of Montreal), which makes sense considering they’re made there. The area is fantastic for drivers & motorcyclists and is infested with that other local three-wheeled hero, the Can-Am Spyder. I strongly encourage anyone interested in excellent driving and excellent hospitality to pay the region a visit.
Needs more storage space for all the cheese that you’ll inevitably want to accumulate.
I saw a few of these a year or so ago on the way back from the cottage in Havelock of all places. Had to look up what they were, I’d never heard of them before.
Holy cow, they still exist!
That explains where all the ZX14R frames keep coming from.