William Shatner’s ongoing partnership with American Wrench to create the V-8-powered Rivet One art deco tricycle is now on its last stages as the partners get close and closer to the start of Captain Kirk’s 8-day journey across the United States with the admittedly one-of-a-kind machine that has also taken in the description of a “landjet.”

The journey, which has been billed as “The Ride,” is scheduled to kick off on June 23, 2015 straight from American Wrench’s own shop just outside Chicago, Illinois. Shatner will be piloting the Rivet One on this 2,400-mile journey, most of which will take place in the iconic Route 66 highway that starts in Chicago and ends in Santa Monica, California.

While it would seem like a lonely trip if he’s riding on his own, Shatner will actually have the company of a team from American Wrench and members of The American Legion Riders. In fact, the legendary actor will use the trip to meet with members of the Legion along the route in an effort to raise awareness for the charitable efforts the country’s largest wartime veteran organization does all over the US.

Also, such an adventure wouldn’t be complete without documentation, would it? To the surprise of no one, The Ride will be documented for an upcoming television show, details of which are still being kept under wraps. What we do know is that the show will follow Shatner and his ride mates throughout the entire journey as they travel from city to city until they reach Santa Monica on June 30, 2015.

Continue reading to read more about William Shatner's 8-day adventure with the Rivet One.

Why it matters

News of William Shatner’s plan to ride the Rivet One three-wheeler first gained traction back in January 2015 when it was announced that he was planning to take one of these high-powered three-wheelers for a cross-country trip in the US.

What we didn’t know then was that Shatner and American Wrench were deadly serious about their plans. So now that the start of the trip is less than a month away, I think it deserves a second round of news attention from media outlets like this one.

If you need a little refresher, the Rivet One is a three-wheeled bike that has a front wheel that can be steered with a single-sided swing-arm, linking it to some rather unusual handlebars. It also has a single-sided front suspension and steering system in the front and a traditional V-8 engine, or as Kevin Sirotek, the VP of marketing for Illinois Auto Electric (American Wrench’s parent company, once said, a plethora of other engine options, including “a hybrid, a mix of a Corvette, a Harley and a hot rod.”

Once it’s ready to hit the open road, Shatner will be one of the first to experience the feeling of riding such a unique three-wheeler. It should make for a lot of publicity, not only for American Wrench, but more importantly, the American Legion.

I for one am excited to keep track of how Shatner and his ride group will fare in what’s shaping up to be an epic adventure.