Photo: Alcraft
Most companies these days choose to start their EV adventure with a Sports Utility Vehicle. Mixing the moment's most successful body style with the least successful powertrain makes tons of sense, even though a battery-powered SUV doesn't sound exactly right on paper.
British coachbuilder Alcraft didn't receive the memo, so its plan for the company's first electric vehicle is a shooting brake. Essentially a coupe station wagon, the shooting brake is one of the least common configurations in today's industry, and that's despite producing some of the most beautiful designs.
The Alcraft GT makes no exception. The GT is nothing more than a 33 percent scale model at the moment, but the design is very encouraging. The company behind it, even though lacking the expertise, seems very determined to bring it to market, even though only as a low-volume halo car.
"We want to build a British car company which brings together traditional skills and high technology for the emerging low carbon car market," says Alcraft. "We're about combining great design, outstanding dynamics and the visceral thrill of electric powertrains to create products that are high in performance and desirability but very usable. We hope this will establish a niche for Alcraft Motor in Britain's renowned specialist low-volume car industry."
From the front, the Alcraft GT is strikingly similar to the yet unreleased Lucid Air - to the point where if you strapped a Lucid badge on, it wouldn't look out of place at all. But since that is one of the sexiest four-wheeled vehicles around, it should actually be seen as a compliment, rather than a critique.
The side profile also reminds of the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake, but to a lesser degree (besides, there are only so many ways in which you can design a shooting brake). The Alcraft GT comes with a few nice touches of its own: carbon fiber B pillars to highlight the safety cell, which is just as well since the A pillars are almost missing visually thanks to the wrap-around windshield.
The two-seater comes with an unspecified battery capacity, but it's said to enable the GT to cover 300 miles (483 km) on one charge. The powertrain includes three electric motors which give the EV four-wheel-drive and a combined power output of 600 hp and 841 lb-ft (1,140 Nm) of torque. The 0-62 mph (0-100 km/H) sprint is said to take 3.5 seconds, which sounds absolutely reasonable.
The estimated price of the Alcraft GT ranges between £130,000 and £145,000 ($168,500 and $187,950), but the company first needs to complete its Indiegogo fund raising. It has filed for £600,000 (US$777,840) to build a prototype, and if this design doesn't raise it, then we don't know what will. Here's to it happening.
The Alcraft GT makes no exception. The GT is nothing more than a 33 percent scale model at the moment, but the design is very encouraging. The company behind it, even though lacking the expertise, seems very determined to bring it to market, even though only as a low-volume halo car.
"We want to build a British car company which brings together traditional skills and high technology for the emerging low carbon car market," says Alcraft. "We're about combining great design, outstanding dynamics and the visceral thrill of electric powertrains to create products that are high in performance and desirability but very usable. We hope this will establish a niche for Alcraft Motor in Britain's renowned specialist low-volume car industry."
From the front, the Alcraft GT is strikingly similar to the yet unreleased Lucid Air - to the point where if you strapped a Lucid badge on, it wouldn't look out of place at all. But since that is one of the sexiest four-wheeled vehicles around, it should actually be seen as a compliment, rather than a critique.
The side profile also reminds of the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake, but to a lesser degree (besides, there are only so many ways in which you can design a shooting brake). The Alcraft GT comes with a few nice touches of its own: carbon fiber B pillars to highlight the safety cell, which is just as well since the A pillars are almost missing visually thanks to the wrap-around windshield.
The two-seater comes with an unspecified battery capacity, but it's said to enable the GT to cover 300 miles (483 km) on one charge. The powertrain includes three electric motors which give the EV four-wheel-drive and a combined power output of 600 hp and 841 lb-ft (1,140 Nm) of torque. The 0-62 mph (0-100 km/H) sprint is said to take 3.5 seconds, which sounds absolutely reasonable.
The estimated price of the Alcraft GT ranges between £130,000 and £145,000 ($168,500 and $187,950), but the company first needs to complete its Indiegogo fund raising. It has filed for £600,000 (US$777,840) to build a prototype, and if this design doesn't raise it, then we don't know what will. Here's to it happening.
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