The MonoTracer was the 2006 development of the Peraves Ecomobile, the Swiss cabin motorcycle. It kept the enclosed two-seat shell and the retractable support wheels but moved to the BMW K 1200 RS engine, and it was built until the company’s bankruptcy in 2014.
Peraves MonoTracer at a glance
| Maker | Peraves AG, Winterthur, then Brno-Medlanky, Czech Republic |
|---|---|
| Production | from 2006 |
| Engine | BMW K 1200 RS four-cylinder |
| Power | 85 kW (114 hp) standard, up to 130 hp in the range |
| Turbocharged cars | up to 190 hp (140 kW), claimed 315 km/h |
| Length | 3.65 m |
| Width | 1.25 m |
| Height | 1.52 m |
| Curb weight | 485 kg |
| Drag coefficient | 0.19, frontal area about 1 m² |
| Top speed | over 240 km/h standard |
| Fuel consumption | 3.6 l/100 km at 90 km/h, 4.4 l/100 km at 120 km/h |
| Built | 58, of them 12 with electric drive |
The MonoTracer is described in a section of the single Wikipedia article on the Ecomobile, which exists in English and German; this page uses both versions of it. Because the material is one source, the article is shorter than usual.
History of the Peraves MonoTracer
From ECO to MonoTracer
The Ecomobile, Peraves’ first cabin motorcycle, had been built in Winterthur since 1984 and reached 91 cars by 2005. In 2006 the company brought out its development, the MonoTracer, with the engine of the BMW K 1200 RS. Individual cars with turbocharging and up to 190 hp are said to have reached a top speed of 315 km/h.
Production and the end of Peraves
From 2009 vehicle production was partly outsourced to the joint venture Bohema Mobil and Peraves CZ in Brno-Medlanky in the Czech Republic. In October 2014 Peraves AG filed for bankruptcy and the court at Uster dissolved the company for insolvency. The technology continued to be offered from the Czech Republic; for trademark reasons the vehicle was renamed from MonoTracer to Monoracer. At the end of 2016 the production of the petrol model was to be discontinued, and from 2017 only a battery-electric version was to be offered. In 2023 only the electric version was still available, together with spare parts for all vehicles built since 1987.
The support wheels
Because the cabin is closed, hinged support wheels are mounted on both sides. They are lowered or raised with a switch on the handlebars, and a computer blocks wrong commands according to speed and lateral acceleration, so the wheels cannot retract at a standstill or deploy at high speed. Green lights show the driver when the supports can be raised or lowered. The supports take about 0.5 seconds to extend; if they are not extended at walking speed a warning tone sounds, and a driver who ignores it lets the vehicle tip onto its side, where the retracted wheels catch the fall without damage. At 52 to 55 degrees of lean in a fast corner the inner support wheel can be put on the ground and the corner taken on three wheels.
Design and features
- Aerodynamic shell: a drag coefficient of 0.19 and a frontal area of about one square metre, against 0.29 for a Porsche Cayman and about 0.7 for an unfaired motorcycle.
- Two seats in line: driver and passenger sit one behind the other with three-point belts, and a luggage area sits in the tail.
- Composite body: aramid fibre reinforced plastic with laminated steel tube or cast aluminium reinforcement parts.
- Four forward gears: the five-speed motorcycle gearbox was altered to give four forward gears and one reverse.
- Registered as a motorcycle: a Class A licence is required in the EU, and the small silhouette makes the car easy to overlook in traffic.
Peraves MonoTracer versions
- MonoTracer with BMW K 1200 RS: the standard petrol car from 2006, 85 kW and over 240 km/h.
- Turbocharged MonoTracer: individual cars with up to 190 hp and a claimed 315 km/h.
- MonoTracer-MTE-150: the electric version, 12 of the 58 cars built.
- Monoracer: the name used from the Czech Republic for trademark reasons, offered only as an electric car from 2017.
The MonoTracer grew out of the Peraves Ecomobile, and its electric branch is described in the article on the e-Tracer. More vehicles of the marque are in the Peraves collection.
Video: Peraves MonoTracer
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Ecomobile, English Wikipedia: history, dimensions, performance, support wheels
- Ecomobile, German Wikipedia: production numbers, bankruptcy, Monoracer
