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The Sinclair
C5 is a
small one-person battery
electric vehicle, technically an "electrically assisted
pedal cycle". (Although
widely described as an "electric car", Sinclair
characterised it as a "vehicle, not a car".) It was the
culmination of Sir Clive
Sinclair's long-running interest in electric vehicles.
Sinclair had become one of the UK's best-known
millionaires and earned a knighthood on the back of the
highly successful Sinclair
Research range
of home computers in the early 1980s. He now hoped to
repeat his success in the electric vehicle market, which
he saw as ripe for a new approach. The C5 emerged from
an earlier project to produce a Renault
Twizy-style electric car called the C1. After a change
in the law prompted by lobbying from bicycle
manufacturers, Sinclair developed the C5 as an
electrically powered tricycle with a polypropylene body
and a chassis designed by Lotus
Cars. It was intended to be the first in a series of
increasingly ambitious electric vehicles, but in the
event the planned development of the follow up C10 and
C15 electric cars never got further than the drawing
board.
On 10 January 1985, the C5 was unveiled at a glitzy
launch event but it received a less than enthusiastic
reception from the British media. Its sales prospects
were blighted by poor reviews and safety concerns
expressed by consumer and motoring organisations. The
vehicle's limitations – a short range, a maximum speed
of only 15 miles per hour (24 km/h), a battery that ran
down quickly and a lack of weatherproofing – made it
impractical for most people's needs. It was marketed as
an alternative to cars and bicycles, but ended up
appealing to neither group of owners, and it was not
available in shops until several months after its
launch. Within three months of the launch, production
had been slashed by 90%. Sales never picked up despite
Sinclair's optimistic forecasts and production ceased
entirely by August 1985. Out of 14,000 C5s made, only
5,000 were sold before its manufacturer, Sinclair
Vehicles, went into receivership.
The C5 became known as "one of the great
marketing bombs of post-war British industry" and
a "notorious ... example of failure". Despite
its commercial failure, the C5 went on to become a cult
item for collectors. Thousands of unsold C5s were
purchased by investors and sold for hugely inflated
prices – as much as £5,000, compared to the original
retail value of £399. Enthusiasts have established
owners' clubs and some have modified their vehicles
substantially, adding monster wheels, jet engines and
high-powered electric motors to propel their C5s at
speeds of up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h). |
