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continuous attack from the media who criticised it for numerous reasons and said that it should be banned. The main reasons were that due to its low stance on the road it could not be seen easily by other road users, this also opened up the debate about C5 drivers being at the same level as exhaust pipes from larger vehicles and inhaling their fumes. In addition the C5's power performance was also criticised as it was stated that often during independent test the vehicle could rarely tackle a hill climb without manual assistance peddling. It was also claimed that the vehicle only ever lasted approximately 10 miles on one battery charge and not the 20 specified by Sinclair. In some case this was reduced to 6 - 7 miles in winter as the cold would affect the battery's performance. A high visibility mask was available for the C5 as an optional extra though many claimed it should have been standard. Despite most of these claims made by the media condemning the vehicle, RoSPA stated that they liked the C5 and that it should not be banned. As a result of these problems the Sinclair quickly gained a bad reputation and interest in sales plummeted. The vehicle had originally been planned as a mail order vehicle and was sold on the high street through Electrical retailers. Due to the lack of sales prices fell to just £199 from the previous £399 in a bid to sell surplus stock. On the 15 October 1985, Sir Clive Sinclair announced that Sinclair Vehicles had officially been placed in the hands of the receiver four days earlier and production of the C5 ceased. Later Sinclair unveiled plans that they may be modified to make a C10 ( a two seater version) and a C15 (a four seater version.). It was also rumoured during the 1990's that Sinclair was one of the People interested in the Reliant Motor Company when that went into receivership. Possibly with a plan to convert the Reliant Robin into an electric vehicle? |
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Supporting Documents: |
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None. |
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Related articles on this web site: |
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None. |
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Museums: |
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The National Motor Museum, Beulieu (UK) has a Sinclair C5. |
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The Stondon Museum & Garden Centre in Bedfordshire have a Sinclair C5. |
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Further Information and related Web Sites: |
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C5 Alive: http://www.c5alive.co.uk Sinclair C5: http://www.sinclairc5.com Sinclair Research: http://www.sinclair-research.co.uk/c5/ The Sinclair C5 forum: http://www.yourc5.com . |
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