The Vintage Tritan A2 Vehicle Heads to Las Vegas Auction
About 40 years ago, Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan ordered 10 spaceship-esque vehicles to deliver hot pies to customers in Ann Arbor, Mich., where the pizza franchise is headquartered. That car, a Tritan A2, with a nose and cockpit cabin that resemble a small airplane, has seating for two people, one behind the other.
One of Monaghan’s 10 vintage Tritan A2s, now with its rear warming oven removed, is being auctioned in Las Vegas classic car on Nov. 10, according to a CNN Business report. The fiberglass-bodied, three-wheeled vehicle is built on a motorcycle platform and actually is rated as a motorcycle under the law. It has a canopy that slides forward for entry and exit from the seats… perhaps awkwardly.
A Couple of Caveats
The current owner concedes that the Tritan A2 isn’t exactly a pleasure to cruise around in, owner Chuck Sinnott tells CNN. It is so low that it’s pavement-hugging, and a pothole could spell disaster, says Sinnott, who lives in central California. If that’s not adequately discouraging, then the poor visibility could be a turn-off for most would-be drivers.
And yet even the most cynical observer will attest to its cool – dare we say groovy? – good looks. The Tritan A2 was designed by engineers James Amick and his son Douglas, CNN says; they devised a whole series of vehicles with a rear arch that aimed to use crosswinds to boost forward movement. The Tritan’s aerodynamic design can deliver 80 miles per gallon from its small engine, according to Bonham’s, which sold a Tritan A2 about four years ago.
Sinnott has mostly trailered his Triton to local car shows and periodically driven it around parking lots for oglers. (His Tritan’s custom trailer will be part of the auction package along with the car.) “This thing turns some heads. It’s a crowd-pleaser,” Sinnott tells CNN, “but my wife and I can’t jump in it and go to Monterey.”
What Might It Sell for?
Sinnott said he bought the car in 2021 for about $25,000 from a Domino’s franchisee. To help pay for the Tritan A2, he sold his replica of the canopy-topped custom Plymouth Volaré wagon seen in the long-running Fantasy Island television series.
Mecum Auctions, which will handle the sale of Sinnott’s Tritan A2, did not provide an estimate for what the car would fetch. The one that Bonham’s sold in 2019 went for $44,800.
Various Domino’s Vehicles
Throughout the decades, 63-year-old Domino’s has experimented with various customized delivery vehicles. Lately the pizza brand has rolled out electric cars and autonomous pizza delivery machines. In 2015, for instance, Domino’s debuted its DXP (Delivery Expert) car, a Chevy Spark-based vehicle with snappy-looking branding; the special Spark had a pizza oven sitting on the seat behind the driver, according to Hagerty.com.
Domino’s began rolling out an 800-vehicle nationwide fleet of custom-branded Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles starting in November 2022, according to Caranddriver.com. One can only hope that Oscar Mayer will someday sell off a Wienermobile or two. Those vehicles are among the few that might surpass Domino’s Tritan A2 in terms of attention-getting design. Oh, and in case you missed it, the deli meat brand gave its six marketing vehicles a new moniker last May. They’re now called Frankmobiles.
