On This Day

Thursday 10th January 1985

35 years ago

British entrepreneur Sir Clive Sinclair unveiled the Sinclair C5, his answer to Britain’s traffic problem. Weighing just 99 lbs, the C5 used a 33-lb lead-acid battery to power the 250-watt Hoover electric motor. With a top speed of 15 mph, the fastest allowed in the UK without a driving licence, it had a range of 20 miles between charges. The body of the C5 was made of self-coloured lightweight polypropylene. Standing only 2ft 6ins high, the vehicles suffered from poor visibility on the road, and their 12-volt battery offered a range of just 20 miles. Drivers were also uncovered and open to the elements.It also raised a number of safety concerns: the body was lightweight and offered little protection in a crash, and drivers were not required to have a licence or even wear a helmet. The British Safety Council issued a highly critical report on the vehicle.Sinclair’s expectations were soon shown to be wildly over-optimistic. Due to poor sales the price quickly fell from £399 to just £199 in a bid to sell surplus stock. By the end of July, only 5,000 had been sold. Production was halted the following month, with most of the other 7,000 of the tricycles built remaining unsold.