Students from the University of Bedfordshire are embarking on a project to restore the record breaking Sinclair C5 electric motorcycle, powered by Lynch Electric Motors, which was adapted to reach speeds of up to 150 miles per hour in its heyday over 20 years ago!
As part of the restoration, the 2 Lynch motors used to power this record breaking brainchild of Alan Harper, have been back to Lynch Motors to be stripped down and fully serviced. The light weight, pancake style, DC electric motors, have now been sent back to the eager students, good as new!
The C5, owned by Luton businessman Paul Andrews, was adapted to reach 150 miles per hour and planned to make it into the Guinness World Records for the fastest electric vehicle. Though the attempt was thwarted by regulations, there is a video out there somewhere of this 80’s icon of an electric road vehicle, reaching over 120 miles an hour on a Rover test track. We’d love to see this video again if anyone has it!!
The restoration is being filmed as part of a documentary by AUK Studios, an independent media company, with the hope of reaching mainstream television.
We were very proud when Adam Harper used our Lynch electric motors to power the Sinclair C5 ‘Alien’ over 20 years ago, to showcase what our electric motor can achieve. And we are equally as excited to see this memorable electric vehicle restored and hit the tracks again!
The Sinclair C5 was brought into production in 1985, by Sir Clive Sinclair, an inventor famous for electric inventions such as the first LED electronic pocket calculator and the famous ZX Spectrum…..Ahhh I can recall those high pitched sounds as my spectrum ZX 48k whirred into action and my hands hovered over the rubber keys in anticipation (it took a while)!
The iconic electric invention was brought to market as an accessible electric vehicle for all, with a price of £399! Sadly, the initial popularity of the Sinclair C5 waned quickly, as users of the 3 wheeled, low slung electric motorcycle, reportedly felt vulnerable on the UK roads.
For anyone who wants to wallow in a bit of nostalgia, there is even a documentary of the C5 story on Blu Ray, from AUK Studios.
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