Toting cargo is often a headache with compact cars, but a lightweight sport-performance trailer (SPT) offers a solution. Intended for bicyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts, the rugged SPT from Let's Go Aero, Colorado Springs, Colo., weighs only 235 lb with a 25-lb tongue-weight. It's airtight, water resistant, and won't fade or become brittle at temperatures from -50 to 170°F, according to the company.
The trailer's aerodynamic hard shell consists of a coextruded, thermoformed sheet of Centrex and Lustran plastics. The Centrex exterior is a weatherable polymer that withstands extreme temperatures and weather conditions, and Lustran acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) 752 resin forms the high-impact substrate. Both are supplied by the Plastics Div. of Bayer Corp., Pittsburgh. The SPT's neutral-colored shell can be painted to match a car finish.
The standard model features 86 ft3 of cargo space -- large enough to handle five bicycles. The company also produces a soft-top version and an all-terrain model with beefier wheels and suspension for off-road enthusiasts. For more information, see the companies Web sites at www.letsgoaero.com and www.bayer.com/polymers-usa.
-- Kenneth Korane