The glorious Sinclair C5 Bio-Electric Vehicle
Everything about my sinclair c5... yes ! it's another C5 entusiasts site ! my little story, tech details, downloads, photos and repair timeline. Here, alone in Italy, with no expert advice, no help, no spares, nothing of nothing lost in a 800 souls rural village, with an Electronics diploma, a useless Telecom Eng. degree (meanwhile getting another..., do you hire? here's 
my CV) and very-very little mechanics background.. it's going to be way hard to get the C5 back on track ! ...but i won't desist ! the bigger the quest, the better the reward you get !
I Fully restored IT !! A new star is back in the sky - 1st July 2007 :D
What !? what is that ?? It's the Sinclair C5! a 1985 Bio-Electric Vehicle, made by Sir Clive Sinclair, a genius in microelectronics (yes, he made the Sinclair ZX, the Spectrum and the first compact Tv...). It's a vehicle to keep you moving in town in a seated position, pedalling, using an electric motor, having a trunk and with an unique style.
Get to the 
Complete description page.
Woorraayy !! with my C5 at school it looks like i made it into the Politecnico di Torino team for the Shell EcoMarathon !! more details to come !
More ! I'll be with my C5 at the Autoeco the big ShowRoom about Eco-Cars (and more in general Eco-vehicles) at the Ovale Lingotto, Turin during 7-8-9 September ! i'll be in the stand of my school Politecnico di Torino dedicated to out racing Team "H2Polito - Molecole da corsa" that is developing a vehicle to compete (and win) in the Shell Eco Marathon, Nagaro - May 2008.
I found IT !!! Wwoooaahhh !!
My little story (i live in Italy). I found this C5 at a 2006 exchange fair of scrap, old and, in general, pieces of motorbikes in Milan (Italy). The night before the trip I was not even sure to go (i don't have a big passion for old motorbikes), it was just a trip to Milan after period of school exams, you know, just to change air, nothing special.
Read the Blog to get the current status of restoration, and look at the long history of repairs or get to the driving impression page if you are impatient on results.
No, at that time i was not in specific search of a C5, i knew about it in 2001 when there was much hype about "IT" or "Ginger"... the Segway! So people was wondering and making comparison of various experiments in the history. Among all the words Ii read (the Sparrow, GM-EV1...), the C5 took a special place in my heart! i wasn't dreaming it in the night, BUT i knew of it existance...
At the fair, i was turning a corner, there was a lot of mud, water and it started raining too... then i saw IT ! and it was easy spotting its plastic stylish front section in between hundreds of scrap material :D.
I saw it, touched it, drove it, i fell in love! and never let it go away anymore ! I didn't ask the prize, i bought it. I don't know how it got there, what incredibily story it may have to tell... but now happy times ahead !
Why do you have to burn 2 liters of gasoline to buy one liter of milk? why not using a Sinclair C5 ? What is ?
What's this site about
This site is reporting what i'm doing with my C5:
Story page - A brief (as possible) resume of C5 story and conception and description.
Repair blog - All the long steps taken to restore mine;.
Download section - I'll collect someusefull files and photos.
Tech section - pictures and details of (almost) every pieces of the C5.
And then, if everything works... also driving impression ;)
If you feel something is not right or i did a mistake (and i'm wrong sometimes..) or whatever reason, just 
contact me and, friendly, we will find a solution, ok? :D
Read the C5 repair blog |
Download/photo section |
driving impression |
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A dream lasted since 2001...
Mine looks like a late model, according to plate number.
V1000 = C5 vehicle code, 5 = 1985, 10 = october, 01422 = 1422th produced that month.
It's body was really covered by scratches, dirty, no craks, original tires, front weel covers (not mounted), battery charger, ignition key system (but broken), original instruction booklet (!), no chain tensioner (spring in place), broken front brake, digital-brake rear brake problem, no oil at all (meaning dry mechanics...), some issue to the electronics box... but it is here, in my garage, in my hands !
One particular thing about the C5 that i like
There is one particular thing that i like of every C5... just take a look at the right picture... don't you see it?
Com'on !
Well, all right, don't laught but... It's his orange strip ! that is flashing every time, in every picture (photos taken with a flash, obiouvsly) and is saying, is screaming: "Hi !! i'm here !"
... lol, this guy must be mad... no, i don't ! but, every time i see a flashing object in a picture it reminds me about my shining C5 ! :D
Want to read more? go to the Story Page
Read the C5 repair blog |
Download/photo section |
driving impression |
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