Drag racing is the most popular and exhilarating way to tell which car is fastest in a straight line. Simple rules, no fuss or amendments: line up, floor it, get to the finish ahead of the other guy. Literally, the race is over in a blink of an eye. However, there are some most intriguing drag races out there, and here is one of them.
First, it's as fair as it can get in terms of means of propulsion: electric-only vehicles. So no more of that internal combustion embarrassment. This is pure socket-sucker power and might be right there! Secondly, they are all very sports-like vehicles, with a maximum of two seats allowed in each. That's pretty much the end of the rules list. Let's meet the racers. The Citroen Ami, the Estrima Biro (Winter Classic), the Scooterpac Cabin Car, and a Sinclair C5. Two things worth mentioning about the Biro: the presence of doors on both sides of the car (hence the Winter badge); and the removable carry-around troller-like battery (click the video to also see how to take out the power cell).
As far as we can tell, The Ami and the Biro are straightforward cars, albeit they can easily fit in the same parking spot simultaneously and still leave some space for a motorbike. The mobility scooter, however, is a scooter with doors, a roof, a windscreen wiper, and a box for luggage at the back. Except for the number of tires, it bears no other similarities whatsoever with its inspirational electric Aston Martin. As for the Sinclair C5, it was way far ahead of its time when it came out. So far, in fact, that it didn't catch on at all, and the production was terminated in the same year it was launched.
And now the hot stuff: all four contenders have an abrupt 10.5 kWh of power put together. With a total weight of 2.400 lbs (1.100 kg) in between them, the vehicles weigh roughly as much as a Tesla Model S... sawn in half. Naturally, a quarter-mile drag race is a perfect habitat for these phenomenal machines. As you can see in the latest video from What Car?, things are pretty much settled within the first 3 seconds of the competition, with the almighty five-and-a-half kWh Citroen Ami whizzing across the finish line after a mere 35.5 seconds. Just three seconds behind it, the Estrima Biro took an honorable second place, leaving the battle for third to the Aston Martin Vantage-inspired mobility scooter and the quirky hybrid-powered tricycle Sinclair C5.
After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads. Full profile
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