A Grand Monday: Sinclair C5

Fancy an iconic British classic with a Lotus tuned chassis for just £350? Well, your dreams may have just come true.

Buried in the classifieds this week, we came across this wonderful rarity, and you don’t even need a licence to drive it. It’s safe from Ultra-Low Emissions Zones, too, as it’s fully electric.

The brainchild of personal computer magnate, Sir Clive Sinclair, the Sinclair C5 was an icon of the Eighties, famous for being an irritating obstacle in the ‘Paperboy’ video game, as well as being a marketing and engineering failure that really should have deserved to succeed.

Marketed as a ‘personal vehicle’, the C5 is classed as an engineless tricycle, which means you don’t need a license to drive one, nor does it need to be taxed or MoT’d. You simply lower yourself into the cockpit, get to grips with the contortionist-friendly hands-under-your-bum ‘driving’ position and off you go…

This example isn’t immaculate – the vendor is quite upfront about that – but it’s also only £350 and comes with a complete spare bodyshell, should the crack in the front bodywork bother you. If you’ve never piloted a C5 before, though, we’d recommend you stick with the scruffy body for now until you get to grips with it. Quirky, classic inexpensive fun. What’s not to like?