This is one of just 10 examples of the Tritan A2 that were ever made, it’s a highly unusual vehicle powered by a Wankel rotary engine and designed with aerodynamic efficiency as a primary target – resulting in a three wheeled layout and an aircraft-like side profile.
The A2, also known as the “Aerocar” became famous as part of a Domino’s Pizza promotion back in the 1980s, and some were fitted with pizza warmers in the back and used during the popular though ill-fated 30 minute pizza delivery guarantee.
Fast Facts: The Unusual Tritan A2
- The Tritan A2 Aerocar is an extremely rare three-wheeled vehicle, with only 10 examples ever built. It was designed in the early 1980s for optimal aerodynamic efficiency, using a fiberglass composite monocoque, tandem seating, and an aircraft-like profile intended to minimize drag and maximize fuel economy.
- Power came from a 440cc single-rotor Wankel engine producing 30 bhp. Performance was modest, with a top speed near 95 mph and slow acceleration, but efficiency was exceptional, reportedly reaching up to 80 mpg thanks to a claimed drag coefficient of just 0.15.
- The A2 became famous through a promotional partnership with Domino’s Pizza during its 30-minute delivery guarantee era. Several A2s were painted in Domino’s livery and fitted with rear pizza warming units, intended to help drivers meet strict delivery time targets.
- Domino’s ultimately abandoned the project, and only the original 10 A2s were completed. Most were donated to museums, with a handful surviving today. The example described retains its original rotary drivetrain, low mileage, and period details, making it one of the most intact survivors.
Domino’s And The 30 Minute Guarantee
Fortuitously, Domino’s Pizza and Tritan Ventures would both be founded in Michigan in towns right next to each other, with Domino’s in Ypsilanti and Tritan in Ann Arbor. For those interested in weird car history, it would be a match made in heaven.
This is one of just 10 examples of the Tritan A2 that were ever made, it’s a highly unusual vehicle powered by a Wankel rotary engine and designed with aerodynamic efficiency as a primary target – resulting in a three wheeled layout and an aircraft-like side profile.
Domino’s Pizza actually started out as DomiNick’s, but the name was changed after the business was bought by Tom Monaghan in 1960. The company originally had three locations, which is why the domino in the Domino’s logo has three dots.
The original plan had been to add a dot for each new location, however this plan was quickly forgotten as the company grew at breakneck pace, opening 200 stores in just 10 years.
The company became famous for its 30 minute pizza delivery guarantee which debuted in 1973. It was a wildly popular promotion that offered people free pizza if their order took more than 30 minutes to arrive after it had been placed by telephone.
As a result of this guarantee, the company was always looking for an edge when it came to cutting time off deliveries, and this is possibly why executives got in touch with aeronautical engineer Douglas J. Amick of Tritan Ventures, Inc. of Ann Arbor, Michigan after they saw the first prototype of the Tritan A2 Aerocar.
History Speedrun: The Tritan A2
The Tritan A2 Aerocar debuted in 1984, it was a wildly futuristic design with a fiberglass composite monocoque chassis, seating for two in tandem, a forward-sliding canopy for entry/exit, a mysterious rear loop that was claimed to generate power from the wind, and it was powered by a 30 bhp 440cc air-cooled rotary engine made by an Israeli firm called Syvaro.
The A2, also known as the “Aerocar” became famous as part of a Domino’s Pizza promotion back in the 1980s, and some were fitted with pizza warmers in the back and used during the popular though ill-fated 30 minute pizza delivery guarantee.
The outright performance of the A2 Aerocar wasn’t particularly impressive, though it could reach speeds of up to 95 mph thanks to its slippery aerodynamics that had been perfected in the University of Michigan’s wind tunnel.
The 0 to 62 mph sprint took 17 seconds, a pace best described as geological in its speed, but the good news was that the A2 offered up to 80 mpg thanks to its remarkably well-designed aerodynamic body with a coefficient of drag of just 0.15.
To put that into meaningful context, lower numbers mean less drag – a baseball in flight has a drag coefficient of 0.30, a Ferrari Testarossa comes in at 0.36, and a Toyota Prius beats them both with a 0.27.
Fuel efficiency, rotary engines, and fighter jets were all the rage in the 1980s, and the Tritan A2 Aerocar embodied all of them. The only thing that was missing according to Domino’s, was a pizza oven in the back.
Domino’s struck a deal with Tritan for 10 prototype A2s, this was then planned to be followed by orders for at least 180 more which would be used at various Domino’s locations around the United States.
Once the 10 initial vehicles arrived they were given their distinctive Domino’s paint jobs, and the rear seat was removed and replaced with a square pizza oven that could hold multiple pizzas in their boxes stacked vertically to keep them warm en route to their final destinations.
For reasons unknown, Domino’s decided not to proceed with the plan to expand the A2 Aerocar program. As a result just the original 10 were made, Domino’s then donated them to automotive museums across the country once they had removed the pizza warming ovens from the rear.
Today it’s believed that just seven of them survive, almost all still in museums, with at least two now in private hands – one of which is available to rent for shows on Drive Share.
The Tritan A2 Aerocar Shown Here
The Tritan A2 you see here still carries its period Domino’s Pizza livery, and thankfully it retains its original Savkel SP-440 single-rotor 440cc Wankel engine and automatic transmission – some have had engine swaps over the years which makes sourcing parts easier, but does impinge on originality.
The Tritan A2 you see here still carries its period Domino’s Pizza livery, and thankfully it retains its original Savkel SP-440 single-rotor 440cc Wankel engine and automatic transmission – some have had engine swaps over the years which makes sourcing parts easier, but does impinge on originality.
This A2 has just 3,300 miles showing on the odometer, and inside you’ll find a blue and white vinyl seat, an AM radio, a wood instrument panel, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The pizza warmers that were used in-period were all removed when the vehicles were retired on safety grounds.
It’s now being offered out of Newbury Park, California with Domino’s promotional materials, correspondence from Domino’s, and a Montana title. If you’d like to read more or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
