Beaulieu to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Sinclair C5.

 The 30^th birthday of the Sinclair C5, one of the most unusual vehicles ever to be built in Britain, is being celebrated by the National Motor Museum.

First on display in the museum following its launch on 10^th January 1985, visitors can again see this electrically-powered tricycle, which was gifted to the museum by its manufacturer.

Despite failing to catch the public’s imagination at its launch, today the C5 is regarded as an icon of 1980’s design and a pioneer of alternative-fuelled transport, as well as an endearing British failure.

The Sinclair C5, masterminded by inventor and entrepreneur Sir Clive Sinclair, was designed to be an inexpensive and nimble alternative for one person to travelling by car, bus or bicycle. Marketed as ‘a new power in personal transport,’ it had a retail price of £399 and could reputedly be driven for five miles on just one penny’s worth of electricity.

However, the C5 was poorly received by the press and public alike. Its diminutive size – standing just 2’ 7” off the ground – made it vulnerable on the road, while the claimed range of 20 miles on one battery charge was modest, due to the limitations in contemporary battery technology. Even if the ‘weather cheater’ poncho, offered as an accessory, was worn by the driver, the C5’s lack of rain protection also ensured a short production life.

Although Sinclair had expected to sell up to 100,000 units per year, only 9,000 C5s had been built by October 1985, following the end of production and the collapse of the company that Sinclair had set up to produce it.

The C5 utilised both pedal power and an electric motor for propulsion, with the driver sitting exposed to the elements in the open plastic body shell. Handlebars, located beneath the driver’s knees provided controls for steering, braking and acceleration. The design of the three-wheeled backbone chassis, constructed from steel, had been extensively developed by sports-car experts Lotus Cars.

An electric motor powered the left-hand rear wheel, helping the C5 to reach 15mph – its top speed, as restricted by law. Anyone over the age of fourteen was permitted to drive one and no driving licence was required, with only one button needing to be pressed to make it move. Built by Hoover at the firm’s factory in Merthyr, Wales – prompting incorrect rumours that it was powered by a washing machine motor – each C5 was supplied to its new owners in a cardboard box.

By the time that the C5 was launched, Sir Clive Sinclair already had an impressive list of revolutionary designs to his name. As a pioneer of miniaturisation, the reduction in the size of electronic hardware, his creations included the ZX range of affordable home computers, the digital watch, the world’s first slim-line pocket calculator and the world’s first pocket television.

Sinclair had long been fascinated by electric vehicles and experimented with much larger designs before focusing on the single-seater C5. He later claimed that the C5 was intended to fund the development of a much larger, four-seat electric vehicle, which could travel at speeds of up to 80mph. However, the C5’s commercial failure meant that this never happened.

The C5 can be seen as part of a visit to the whole Beaulieu attraction, which also includes Palace House, Beaulieu Abbey and World of Top Gear. For more details, visit www.beaulieu.co.uk.

Wallace & gromit Van takes pride of place at Beaulieu TV display.

The Wallace and Gromit Anti-Pesto Van is the latest exhibit to arrive in Beaulieu’s On Screen Cars display. A plasticine version of this Austin A35 van was created for the film Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. 

Nick Park, creator of the Wallace and Gromit animations, used to own an A35 and thought it was the ideal model to use in the film because “the van needed to be big enough to transport Wallace’s invention, the Bunvac 2000, while slick enough to go on high-speed chases.”

In the film, Tottington Hall’s Giant Vegetable Competition is fast approaching and Wallace and Gromit are running a vegetable security and humane pest control business, Anti-Pesto. In order to cope with the increasing amount of captured rabbits Wallace invents a brainwashing machine, but a mistake during the operation creates a ‘Were-Rabbit’, a giant rabbit which eats vegetables of any size. It’s down to Wallace and Gromit to capture the rampaging beast before the competition!

The Anti-Pesto Van, which has been loaned to Beaulieu following a call-out for new vehicles for the exhibition, joins a host of other star vehicles.

The ‘flying’ Ford Anglia on display was used during the making of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.In the film, the enchanted flying car is stolen a number of times by Ron Weasley, on one occasion to rescue his friend Harry Potter from the Dursleys’ house, and on another to return to Hogwarts after the gate to Platform 9¾ is sealed by house elf Dobby.

Sharing the spotlight with the Anglia is TV favourite, Mr Bean’s lime green mini. This particular car was used in the character's third series and made its first television appearance on 1^st January 1991.

Another TV favourite on display is Del Boy’s beloved Trotter Van. Possibly the nation's most famous three-wheel vehicle, this Regal van featured in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was the sole transport for the Trotter family of Del, Rodney, Grandad and Uncle Albert, until Del Boy later went ‘upmarket’ and purchased a Capri Ghia.

On Screen Cars can be seen as part of a visit to the whole Beaulieu attraction, which also includes the National Motor Museum, World of Top Gear, Beaulieu Abbey, and Palace House and gardens. Visitwww.beaulieu.co.uk for further information.