DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN HAVE A POLARIS SLINGSHOT FIDDLED WITH BY ROUSH?
The Polaris Slingshot is as weird as it is cool. It’s a motorbike, but it’s not. The part that makes it like a motorbike is that you don’t drive it, you ride it. You don’t sit on a motorbike-like seat, instead, there’s a pair of bucket-style seats and the steering isn’t like on a conventional trike with controls on a handlebar, there’s a legit steering wheel. Like a trike, there are three wheels in the mix, but in this configuration, there’s a pair of wheels up front with a rear end like a motorbike. The front side is very car-like and it even has headlights and power comes from a single wheel at the rear on a swingarm. The regular Slingshot is a rather good-looking thing, and not being able to call it a car or a bike makes for great conversation. They’re proper attention-grabbers, and you don’t need to wear a full leather riding suit to stay alive, not that can fall off one. There are a few of these in SA and when they pop up I never have my camera with me, which sucks a fair bit because no one ever believes me. Yeah, I could snap a quick phone pic, but they usually pass by at speed because the driders (yeah, I made that up) open the gas to show off and they’re usually past before a phone camera activates. They’re mad popular in the US of A, you can see Slingshots starring in popular rap videos by the likes of Chris Brown, DMX and the Ruff Ryders and they’ve been seen in movies like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadow, Free Guy and Jumanji. Not forgetting TV appearances in Hollyoaks, Black-ish and even the Tiger King documentary.
The 2023 line-up features the Slingshot S, Slingshot SL, Slingshot SLR and the range-topping Slingshot R, and they feature new options, colourways and accessories that can be configured to suit individual tastes and budgets. “Whether you’re looking to elevate your everyday, escape on an epic adventure, or utilize the three-wheel canvas for self-expression, the 2023 Polaris Slingshot delivers limitless possibilities to design your perfect ride,” said Chris Sergeant, Polaris Slingshot Vice President. “Each year we continue to evolve the lineup by listening to our riders, and this year is another example of thoughtful additions and enhancements that answer the call and serve our passionate owners.” While the Slingshot R is the range-topper, during the year another model was added, and it’s the coolest one ever. One of the appeals of the Slingshot is the open roof making it feel like you’re on a bike, but this latest incarnation features a roof, which means it can be driven in all weather conditions. Well, most. The Slingshot R uses a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder powerplant with 130 kW on tap, but thanks to well well-known Ford tuner, Roush, that’s been bumped up to 150 kW. That’s because this is a special run called the Slingshot Roush Edition. This is why it has the Slingshot Excursion Top, Brembo calipers with slotted discs, a fat 305 mm rear tyre, Sparco pedal covers, a race-spec steering wheel with colour accents, a special edition colour-matched design for the instrument cluster, and paddle shifters on the auto version. We love it, it’s just too damn cool. It’s not cheap, well let me rephrase that. It’s not bad in the US with a sales price of $38,149.00. Directly transplated that’s around R710,000. Bugger.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off the already cool Polaris Slingshot, but with some extra tweaking from the house of Roush Performance. Yes, that same Roush that became a household name thanks to tuning Mustangs and Fords properly: Introducing the Slingshot ROUSH® Edition | Slingshot | Polaris Slingshot
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