January 10, 2026
From ZX hero to EV zero?
Sinclair C5
Tiny electric trike: visionary ride or faceplant machine
TLDR: The 1985 Sinclair C5 was a tiny electric trike that bombed but later became a cult icon. Commenters clash over whether it was visionary yet hampered by old batteries or just dangerously designed, with nostalgia for Clive Sinclair fueling a lively debate about e-bikes and bike-lane futures.
The Sinclair C5, a one-person electric trike unveiled in 1985, just rolled back into the spotlight—and the comments are a battlefield. Some fans are calling it way ahead of its time, dreaming of a rain cover and bike-lane rebirth. Others are roasting the design, saying the recumbent cockpit with under-knee steering is a recipe for a faceplant meme. One user basically shouted, “Form over function!” and the thread nodded in fearful agreement. The history is wild: launched with glitz, flopped hard, then became a cult collectible—some even bolting on jet engines and hitting insane speeds. Golf-cart truthers showed up to remind everyone 1980s batteries were trash, so even genius ideas were doomed. Meanwhile, nostalgia surged for Sir Clive Sinclair, the ZX computer legend, with folks crediting him for literally changing their lives and forgiving the C5’s quirks. The real split? Visionary concept vs. dangerous execution. Some see an early e-bike ancestor; others see a plastic sled waiting for a pothole. And yes, someone asked if this was basically a bike-lane go-kart. The mood is half reverent, half roast: “Make it waterproof, flip the wheels, and try again,” vs. “Nice museum piece—please don’t drive it.”
Key Points
- •The Sinclair C5 is a one-person battery electric recumbent tricycle produced by Sinclair Vehicles in 1985.
- •It featured a 250 W electric motor, a 12 V lead-acid battery, and a range of about 20 miles, with a maximum speed of 15 mph.
- •Developed after a legal change enabling an electrically powered tricycle, with a polypropylene body and a Lotus Cars-designed chassis.
- •Launched on 10 January 1985, it faced poor reviews, safety concerns, limited weatherproofing, and delayed retail availability.
- •Production halted by August 1985; of 14,000 units made, 5,000 sold; later became a collectors’ item with modified versions achieving extreme speeds.