IDRIVEACLASSIC reviews: Sinclair C5

[@Parknest]

RIP Sir Clive Sinclair. I remember these back in the day. They cost exactly the same brand new as a BBC Model B and the QL (another SInclair product) at £399. I had a 48K ZX Spectrum back in the 1980s. I still have a +2A which has been featured on my channel. These days, I get my fix on an emulator.

[@tdp2612]

Sadly there is no emulator for the C5 experience, other than sitting in the middle of a busy road and hoping you don't get hit :)

[@Parknest]

Matt of Furious Driving owns a C5 and Steph of "idriveaclasic" has featured one on her channel.

[@alastairwatson3201]

Wow! A product before its time. If only it had had the benefit of today’s battery tech.

[@99cachorro]

The weather was also a problem. Make these a little bigger, enclosed and modern battery technology and you will have something

[@Phiyedough]

I used to repair washing machines for a living and these were built at the Hoover washing machine factory.

[@dodgywheelsandropeywiring5697]

It was an 80's suicidal death trap that a bicycle could beat on any terrain, you couldn't jump out off it like you could with a bicycle either, nor could you mount a curb etc. etc. etc. It was an invention with no redeeming qualities and harder to store away.

[@kaitlyn__L]

There’s a reason modern electric bicycles just look like mountain bikes.

[@kyle8952]

@@kaitlyn__L A decent electric bike looks nothing like a mountain bike. What would you want knobbly off road tyres and tree stump climbing suspension on a bike for the elderly?

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@kyle8952 I mean the frame. Though the wheels are much thicker than road bike tyres, approaching motorbike territory, they’re generally not knobbly.

[@Stephenb033]

A kid at school had one of these, it was just the coolest thing ever.

[@Musician-Lee]

A friend of mine was one of a group of ladies who drove three C5s from Marble Arch to Paris for charity. They replaced the nylon drive gears with steel ones and carried spare 12v batteries in the support vehicle. They made it and raised thousands for a cancer charity. She still has her C5.

[@petersimpson5859]

These would make a lot of sense where there is decent cycling infrastructure like the Netherlands, especially with modern battery and motor technology. A suspension fork would aid comfort and braking too. I'd love a go in one.

[@dodgywheelsandropeywiring5697]

Nah mate, a bicycle was faster, more controllable, and easier to store away, you couldn't even mount a curb with one. They were catastrophically poorly designed and when we're talking about modern tech, a simple E-bike would completely destroy it in everyway... Still, a go on one would be fine but you wouldn't catch me on a road in one, maybe an empty carpark at best.

[@lasskinn474]

The part where it falls apart is that an ebike thats in bike form factor is better in every single way(speed, visibility, cargo, ease of pedaling etc), even around a track, if you're not disabled in which case the c5 still sucks.

[@petersimpson5859]

Not to mention the price. £400 in 1985 is about 1.5k now, which buys a lot of better alternatives. It was a brave move by Sinclair but I remember seeing them when new on TV and thinking how hazardous they seemed.

[@robertlambert8719]

I remember these little machines coming out! I've only ever seen one in use once when they were current. Sir Clive Sinclair was a genius in many ways, perhaps a little ahead of his time with electric transport. How he must be laughing from Upstairs when he looks down at all the e-bikes, scooters etc! Very brave, Steph, for having a go in one on the road!👍👍

[@timpearson5086]

When they were newly released in 1985 a local shop in Leicester, where I was a student, sold them and also bought one which could be hired by the hour. For a dare with my mates I hired one for an hour and drove it around the city centre. Probably a a bigger head turner than a Ferrari would have been.

[@michaeltreadwell777]

well Steph, you NEVER cease to amaze the world ! What a great little video and it looks like you had great fun. Take special care X X

[@RichardMaguire110]

I bought one new in 1985. I enjoyed it and owned it for 20 odd years. It is a bit limeted in town and I found riding a bicycle more practical and versatile.

[@kieran1844]

Love the C5. Such a great review Steph and looked like you had a lot of fun.

[@neilbedford5082]

I clearly remember these when they were new. As youngsters into fast Mini's, Escorts & Capris, we never regarded the C5 as anything but naff (even then). It was a piece of history though - a well-intentioned novelty item and doubtless decades ahead of its' time, but a decent push-bike was a much better all-round deal. I don't blame you for keeping the test drive so short - but you can at least now say that you've driven one - and very few people can do that - Well done Steph!

[@EVguru]

15mph is the legal top speed for an ectrically assisted bicycle/tricycle (pure electrics are not currently legal). Tricycles were alowed to have more power than a bicycle, 250 Watt (1/3hp) rather than 200 Watt for a bicycle. In reality, the Hoover made motor (I had a Hoover brand motor on my old drill press), was more like 325 Watt continuous and double that peak. The British Standard for a motor said that it could not producess LESS than it's rated output, whilst the power assited regs just specified a power limit, a typical British regulatory ballsup. Harmonisation with European regs brought a small power increase, which was the continuous rating of the motor, not the peak.

[@tdp2612]

Yeah the motor is actually pretty good, even on the sticker it says '250w' and yet '12v 29a' which doesnt exactly add up. If you have a look at the enthusiast created manual, the instant peak power can be up to 1000w for a second before stalling, which is why the gearboxes rip themselves apart on slow starts. Good old bureaucracy and a little incompetence mixed in

[@stephenberry1205]

This Aussie was privileged to have an English friend in Bristol in 1990 with two Sinclair C5s. We explored parks and back roads having great fun and huge interest everywhere we ventured. I felt very vulnerable. I believe it was powered by a washing machine motor. It was rather feeble in power, speed and range. Limited battery needed pedal assist on hills. My friend Stephen said an enthusiast had souped one up getting 30 mph out of it... scary to contemplate.

[@richardhowlett9424]

I remember the Sinclair C5 when it came out , I actually wanted one !

[@simonmayes7074]

Great video Steph as always 😁 was great to meet you at the practical classics show at the NEC as well 😊

[@grayfool]

Sir Clive was a great British eccentric and maybe even a genius, no question. The C5 was just nuts. Well done for having a go, I don't think I would have!

[@TPerry2828]

At the Aviemore Centre in the mid 1980s they had a fleet of C5's (I say 'fleet' but when I visited half of them were out of action awaiting motor repairs) and I was fortunate enough to hire one for an hour. To be honest I spent more time actually peddling the thing than I did under electric power, the electric motor struggling with the hilly terrain at Aviemore. Being at / below car bumper height can be pretty terrifying in traffic. Despite the C5's many flaws it really was ahead of its time in many ways, and could be great fun on the flat and downhill. Bravo to the late Sir Clive for being brave enough to believe it might work.

[@geoffdundee]

they would be brilliant if launched today however the potholes on roads would have to be sorted first

[@NGiggles]

My Sunday just got a lot brighter after watching you have such fun driving the c5 lol. Hope you are enjoying the spring!

[@andyarmstrong1493]

You and Matt should have a race!

[@alistairshaw3206]

I remember a local school teacher used to drive a C5 to his School. He was a technical teacher. He must have had a big heart to drive that!

[@gazp2194]

Wow, you certainly vary your content Steph. Please never change.

[@Markustajahoyrylaiva]

greetings from Poland

[@Tawny6702]

I actually saw one of these in use around 1986 in Leeds and the guy was wearing a suit going round city square, and in the age of the Yuppie it didn’t look that out of place! Clive Sinclair was certainly a visionary and sadly i think way ahead of his time by about 20 years!

[@philipeaton3102]

had a go in one when they first came out was terrifying

[@trevorlack6565]

I was 14 at its launch and really desperately wanted one especially after you could pick them up for less than £200 shortly after launch. Sir Clive was a brave man who brought computers to the masses and hoped he could do the same with the C5

[@PaulinesPastimes]

Good on you for trying it, particularly in the cold and rain. As an invention, very close, but no cigar. It's great that they exist though and top marks to the late, great Sir Clive Sinclair for the forward thinking. ✔

[@fishrecharge]

Love my C5's! Fitting it with gears is a great idea. Great video!

[@blackpool321]

I remember when these came out , I'm sure there is an age limit of 14 yrs to drive /ride one of these powered bikes .

[@manofthehour6856]

When I first saw this, I questioned it's presence here, but of course Sinclair was a well-known eighties icon, and it demonstrates how something from nearly 40 years ago shows the early thoughts regarding contemporary travel. And yes, well said when you say you were aware of your own mortality in this. This would be undriveable in the USA where people would either not see you from 8 feet off the ground in a lifted pickup, or distracted by handheld mobile phone / texting (illegal, but common), or just general indifference to other vehicles on the road. I can certainly see the concern just among the "small" vintage British cars like the white 1100.

[@edwardgwatterson1618]

Got to credit whoever used one of these with huge courage, Todays Lorrys wouldn't even spot it even with the flag up. Well done again Steph for bringing the weird and wonderful to the channel

[@iivaridark6850]

Nice! And, I couldn't believe it - it is snowing here while I watched this video and when I looked closely, it looked like it is snowing at Your place too! Best Regards from Finland!

[@davidmartin6735]

Thank U for this Wonderful Impulsive review 😍 .. I think, 😉 the C5 is the 4runner to the EVs that are available now .. .. however I am sticking with my Issigonis babies and thank U for making me Smile this morning. Take Care and Stay Safe.

[@lasskinn474]

Its a forerunner to mobility scooters except its unfriendly to the disabled.

[@LiveSteamMad]

I was more interested in that Westfalia VW T2 pop top roof Campervan behind you in the opening shot... lovely thing, would love to see a review on that one.

[@11carbuff19572011]

Hiya Steph. I saw one of these Sinclair C5s turn up on the TV series Dickinson's Real Deal, driven out of the location building by dealer Mark Stevens who bought it from someone who had it almost 40 years ago. Mark paid the seller only £300 for the product, this was in 2016, the show came from the City Hall in Sheffield.

[@TheClockwise770]

Well done for sharing this remarkable little car with us Steph. I wouldn't attempt to fdr one even if paying

[@bondbug73]

I remember two sales people driving these around Harrogate desperately trying to flog them for the original price of £399. They were selling for £99 by mid 85. Thirty years too soon. I read Sir Clive once owned a Bond Bug, hence the similarity of the shape.

[@ptonpc]

The idea behind the handle bar position was your hands would naturally fall there when seated. Making it less tiring to steer. The electric motor was serviceable by Hoover (I believe). If it hadn't been the 80's with the expectation of what would happen to the C5 in traffic, it could have succeeded.

[@CaseyJonesNumber1]

I think the electric motors were actually made by Hoover.

[@Markycarandbikestuff]

It's basically a recumbent bicycle with bodywork and electric assist.

[@ptonpc]

@@CaseyJonesNumber1 I think so :) I remember a big part of the marketing was how simple the servicing and repairs were.

[@lucythemoggy1970]

love the green outfit steph! reminds me of a certain 70's british leyland hue

[@tomdodds3876]

A few mods starting from basic chassis /revision and some charging development would likely make this a solid urban runabout. Quality effort and video as always .

[@robsterbob580]

I seem to remember at the time Sinclair's plan was to launch the C10 and later the C15, which were bigger electric vehicles that were more like proper small cars.

[@MGBetts1]

Nice MG 1100/1300 in the film. 👍🏻 Anyway, I'm glad a few of these C5s have been saved, they're part of automobile history and the development of the electric car!

[@kaitlyn__L]

I always wondered if they’d started with the planned high-end full-size car models rather than starting with the low-end electric bike whether they’d have had a different fortune. Even a few niche sales of the high-end model might’ve been enough to keep it going financially?

[@hujiproductions8457]

Did you see the brand new in box C5 at Beaulieu today?

[@drwho534]

As usual Steph surprises us with something completely different and Steph is looking fab!

[@OXOtwo]

Certainly didn't expect to see that !

[@johnjtm1097]

An unusual one there Steph. I must say I was pleasently surprised to see this on the channel.

[@Mortimer50145]

OK, Steph, next vehicle to road test is a Segway! They are great fun once you get the hang of balancing. I hired one in La Corunna (Spain) where it is legal to ride them on cycle tracks and on (quiet) roads around town. But the killjoys in the UK won't allow them to be used *anywhere* in public - neither on a cycle track nor a road.

[@tonygiraldes7848]

You’re one brave person 😊 I wouldn’t enjoy taking this out into traffic one bit! Just the greatest channel 😊❤️

[@chrispenn715]

Good fun! Must say that white Honda Key car (4min24) looks much more exciting tho! 🙂

[@philtaylor9038]

Short & Sweet Steph, just like the video ha,ha. I remember the first time I saw a C5 it was passing a double-decker bus picking up passengers. Driver would never of seen it had he pulled out was smaller than bus wheels.

[@peterriggall8409]

Good one Steph. but I think I would prefer that MG ADO16 I saw on the road. 😍

[@bladesofdestruction5405]

Will you make also videos of classic oldtimer motorcycles?

[@arunchakkaravarthi9554]

I am in India...my language Tamil but i regular watching ur video...mam...

[@allanmollison6971]

When I first saw that thing. I thought it was a large waterblaster. 😆👏

[@johnhiggin7424]

There's a blast from the past. I remember when they came out as you rightly said they were supposed to be the future but bombed. OMG they look vulnerable you're a brave lady, I'd have definitely stayed in the car park!! Well done 👏

[@iana6713]

I have always wanted a shot of one of these! Brave of you to go on the road with it, but it looks like you had fun nonetheless... Way, way ahead of its time in some ways, and I am a little jealous of the young man who bought it!

[@argonaut6386]

Blimey....I remember my classmates at primary school talking about these as one of them was talking about getting one. I remember them being featured on John Craven's Newsround and everyone was extremely concerned about the safety of using one. It was only battery technology at the time that stopped him making something smaller like today's ebike or scooter.....and to think he was laughed at back then. Total genius in my eyes.

[@carstenweiland7896]

There is even a picture with young Ayrton Senna driving it in a JPS style. Awesome strange thing.

[@georgeratcliffe7752]

Yes yes yes yes, Great video, I have been waiting for this, Thank you

[@michaeltutty1540]

Definitely an oddball. The first time I heard of these was when Matt at Furious Driving bought one and had it on his channel. Strange wee beastie, but definitely fun!

[@alansharp1528]

Another great vid Steph. Well done for accepting the challenge of a C5. You are more suited to a Bentley for sure.😎

[@p24hrsmith]

I think the biggest cause of it's failure was the steering under the legs it was a step out the box to far

[@JessShanahan]

This is the crossover we should’ve made together! 😃

[@ScubaSteveM45]

Why did they make this an open vehicle without at least a roof cap or even a windshield given all the rain in the UK?

[@fruitychink]

What a fascinating review . Brilliant

[@michaelhalsall5684]

Always something different getting revued each week! So different to the Bentley reviewed recently!

[@knifetrain3118]

It looked like Steph was giving a friendly wave to other people on the road but I think it was more of "I'm down here please don't' flatten me" !!!

[@Darwinion]

The biggest drawback is how vulnerable most will feel. So low down like a recumbent cycle. Hardly any cyclist chooses one of those, so there you have it. Other than that, as you say, with decent modern batteries it could be improved a lot. I did consider one to upgrade and take to car shows where I could chuck it in the back of a van or estate. Never did it though.

[@briforks7681]

Was terrible how media turned against him,ok the C5 and zike weren't successes but he tried to help the environment decades before it became fashionable instead of doing the easy thing and buying land and sitting on it till a supermarket or developer wanted it like some of his contemporaries did.

[@Markycarandbikestuff]

Even more terrible how Sir Alan Sugar bought his company for peanuts and left him with nothing, Sir Clive was a very clever man but not good at business.

[@georgegaming1182]

I want one it looks so cool

[@lrs3]

Would love a C5

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Love it Steph, I have these on my watch list on eBay just in case one comes up at a reasonable price!

[@CarputingYT]

Thanks for the video!

[@jurivlk5433]

I love these weird vehicles! I'm not sure I would dare to drive a Sinclair C5 on a road or even a city street!

[@stephenricketts7764]

I think it was ahead of its time. I also think that if lithium batteries were available back then it could have been a best seller for light recreation. Sir Clive was always an adventure and he did acknowledge that he made some mistakes. He wasn't pretentious in any way quite humble I would say, so RIP Sir Clive Sinclair. I saw somewhere that these have a club or at least an advisory group not that there is much to go wrong, just change the brushes every so often and you are good to go! Thanks Steph for bringing us a snippet of UK history which some would prefer to forget. 👍👍

[@manfacilitymetalworks1296]

These things were awesome but were 35 years too early. Launch them now and they would sell well.

[@keviemac]

Check out the "Cautionary Tales with Tim Hartford" pod cast. he does a great run down on the story of the Sinclair C5.

[@plunkervillerr1529]

I like your jacket it`s very colorful .

[@jonnycando]

I wonder what Sir Clive thought folks would do when the weather was….British…..or possibly one needed a ton of groceries?

[@tdp2612]

Wear the official C5 poncho and install the side panels. Have a google of them, you couldn't look any sillier while wearing them. Also very rare now and worth some real money

[@prep0wer]

These types of cars only need decent roads.

[@edwardsp1916]

Lovely stuff!

[@Saskue78]

Interesting but possibly the most dangerous to use compared to the other stuff you have on the channel. Cool video. 🙂

[@theoriginaljc-j]

Couldn't get a bigger contrast against the Bentley you tried last week with the C5. Still think the Bentley suits you, but ultimately the Rolls-Royce 😉

[@neilsradios]

Sinclair was a legend, for many years I dismissed him as an "ideas man" who couldn't deliver, but in retrospect he was better than that. I still like reading his early books like this one : worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Author-Groups/Clive-Sinclair/Practical-Transitor-Receiver-Book-1-Bernard-148-Clive-Sinclair.pdf And this is an excellent docudrama: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jomlqYlsYt-Uo68 . But on the car itself, I salute your courage in driving it, even for that short distance, on a public road :-)

[@adeh503]

😂😂😂 you were definitely enjoying that Steph

[@MrPlanetman]

Love it!

[@MartysWhiteSuit]

I wish I'd been there to give you a wave.

[@absinthedude]

I remember when they came out, thinking the C5 will either be a flop or the roads will be full of them. The concept would probably have done better in today's world with better range and a redesign of the body to give some basic protection from the elements and light shunts. Though it's certainly no more dangerous than the electric scooters which are proliferating today. Just wasn't made for the 1980s. Too big to easily store in the house or porch, too small and flimsy to actually replace a car. You could perhaps go to work in the town in which you lived but you couldn't risk going any further and it didn't have sufficient space to store your shopping.

[@kyle8952]

They do better for safety than an ordinary push bike cos you can't fall off. And if you crash into something, you're going feet first. I do agree on the build quality and the crap weather protection. Sinclair spent millions to shave pennies off manufacturing cost, thinking they'd make the investment back in volume. We know how that went.

[@absinthedude]

@@kyle8952 One problem compared to a typical bicycle is that the C5 rider sits lower. You have trouble seeing one in a 4x4 or lorry. That's why people put those flags on the back but still there were lots of concerns over being seen.

[@tristanpage6805]

Dangerous, slow, impractical. Do I want one still? YES

[@Stevieweevietv]

Ha looked like fun!. Although driving in busy traffic in a city with buses and lorries going past possibly wouldn't be...the look on your face might be different! A quirky invention, with a few flaws 🤣

[@johnf3326]

In theory great, in practise a no-go

[@paullacey2999]

Make it a little bigger you could sell it today!Sir Clive was decades ahead of the curve.....Imagine if he had a foresighted government give him some help to build these instead of a dodgy DeLorean....

[@robertlloyd7493]

Well done....more nerve than me!

[@yggdrasil9039]

Was invented in England and yet has no roof or any rain protection

[@kjeldlarsen912]

Thx

[@philipdavis5572]

You're brave

[@markc1921]

I think the Bentley suited you better. 😃