Wikis V8 Trike Chauffeurs offer joyrides for charity

The Wikis are a close-knit family based in Northcross, New Zealand. They have decided to overcome the trauma of having a family member diagnosed with cancer and surviving the horrific 6.3 intensity earthquake that hit their hometown Christchurch last year by offering people rides in their new V8 trikes. At the moment, the V8 Trike Chauffeurs business owned by the Wiki family has only two V8 trikes but it is an idea that has already brought a smile on the faces of many people struggling with the illness and the aftermath of the quake.

Wiki's V8 Trike

Around the same time when the earthquake caused mayhem in Christchurch, Stephanie Wiki was diagnosed with breast cancer. The family’s home lay in the Eastern suburbs of the town which was one of the worse-hit spots in the country, though their house wasn’t badly damaged. Yet, the extent of damage caused to the infrastructure and the fact that Stephanie had to travel back and forth from Auckland for her treatment prompted the family to relocate to Northcross at the end of last year.

The V8 Trike Chauffeurs project, however, came into being when Stephanie’s Harley-crazy husband Warren bought home a V8 trike built in Rangiora and took her on a spin. The ride had such a positive impact on Stephanie that she prompted her family to try and offer such rides to other people who wanted to take some time off and take their minds off their problems even for a while.

Stephanie’s brother-in-law Kevin Wiki is also closely involved in the project. Named V8 Trike Chauffeurs, the family-run firm has two trikes already and they hope to get two more in the days to come.

At roughly $75,000 each, the trikes aren’t cheap but they company offers rides to community groups and rest homes and even plan to extend their services to help support a charity soon. Since the vehicles are classified as cars, riders don’t need to wear a helmet while riding them but they do need to have their seatbelts on. Though the rides may not seem an out-of-the-world experience to most of us, for people stuck in hospital beds and wheelchairs, it offers a certain degree of freedom and relaxation in a way that isn’t really possible with other modes of transportation.

Though these trikes are capable of doing well over 170kmh, V8 Trike Chauffeurs keeps it fairly below that margin to make the spins more fun and less heart-attack-inducing for their clientele. For now, the company runs its operations with the help of the Wiki brothers, their son-in-law Stuart Tafua and friend Gareth Jones. But they plan on expanding the business soon and even hope to create jobs for their community.

Via: Stuff