While I often find any number of fun and strange electric vehicles for this Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week series, today’s entry takes us on a detour toward the finer things in life. So straighten your fedoras and do up your most dashing six-button vest, because we’re going for a cruise in a classically inspired electric roadster, chaps! And we’re going to do it on budget, too.
I’m not entirely sure what vintage we should call this little motorcar. But it’s giving me something close to late Gatsby-esque vibes, so that’s what I’m going to go with.
This glam electric two-seater may come from Zhejiang, China, but it’s got early Americana written all over it.
From the giant sweeping fenders to the gold embellished grille, this spirited specimen is ready for a cruise down a long since forgotten Fifth Avenue. Just imagine the hoo-ha I could be raising as I roll up to my favorite clip joint in style, just as soon as I call for my butler Baxter to bring me my driving shoes.
I may need them too, because with a top speed of 65 km/h (40 mph) this little EV actually has more pep in its step than most of the Chinese electric cars we’ve seen.
Just don’t get too carried away, old sport, as the lack of seat belts seems to imply a similar crash-test rating to the very vehicles that inspired this knock-off time capsule. I’m not sure if the seat belt-less design is a nod toward authenticity or a cost-saving measure, but we’ll give the factory the benefit of the doubt that it’s all about throwing the driver back in time (and not through the air into a stop sign).
The dandy little roadster sports a 72V and 50Ah battery that offers 3.6 kWh of capacity. The factory calls that good enough for around 100 km (60 miles) of range.
There’s even an 1,800 W motor hidden under the lively bodywork somewhere, though the 70A controller seems to imply that the motor is going to get a bit toasty with nearly 5,000W of electrical power.
A mere 2.5 horsepower might not sound like much, but our debonair test driver in this factory video seems to take it on a sprightly ride up a moderate hill just fine.
True to form for any self-respecting quasi-vintage electric roadster, this motorcar comes full of fancy features.
A cupholder conveniently finds its way in between the two bucket seats, surely ready to hold your driving whiskey after the recent repealing of Prohibition.
A pair of tail lights blinks yellow for some reason, and their dazzling appearance in every product video seems to imply that their flashing isn’t a choice.
There’s even a spare tire adorning the rear of the car, though I’m not sure if a pair of white gloves is packed away with a gentleman’s jack for roadside repairs.
But with a shockingly low price of just $2,800 for the car, you can surely afford to add the gloves yourself. The price feels giddily vintage, just like the car. And the shipping cost of $200 seems to defy logic in the same way the vehicle defies Father Time himself.
As much fun as something like this would be, I’m going to sit this one out while I wait for the last Chinese electric car I bought from Alibaba to arrive.
And despite my lively sales pitch, I’m not actually suggesting anyone plop down three grand for their own fantastical vintage roadster.
Alibaba can be a tricky place to navigate. Some readers have actually purchased the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicles of the Week that I’ve covered, but it’s an exercise solely for the brave.
Instead, it’s probably a better idea to just window shop like the rest of us and stick to cruising around in a snappy little electric two-seater in our dreams.
If you need any other fun and odd electric vehicles to daydream about, consider checking out some of my other weekly finds. And feel free to send me any interesting finds of your own (contact info in my author bio below). They may just make it into one of these features!
Other fun Alibaba EVs I’ve found:
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