Photo: Old Cars on YouTube
This Monaco-based Fetish EV first appeared in 2004. Venturi says it is the “very first electric sports car anywhere in the world.” Step aside, 2023 or 2024 Tesla Roadster! This heavily modified Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 is a blast from the past that might soon be available as a contender. Here’s what you should know about this two-decade-old car and its chances to reemerge from the darkness.
The next-generation Tesla Roadster exists. We know how it looks. Elon Musk promised us we would see it in 2023 as a production model. Even if it comes in 2024, nobody’s going to be mad. That 2+2 EV convertible will surely be a blast to drive. Knowing what Tesla’s capable of today, we can’t anticipate a boring, bland car. It will be awesome, we’re almost certain of that. We can’t confirm it, but we’re extremely confident in the American automaker.
On the other side of the pond, a company called Venturi is slowly trying to make a comeback – or so it seems. Here’s how we reached this conclusion.
While randomly scrolling through Facebook’s newsfeed, we’re shown a sponsored post that contains Venturi promoting their “glamorous” EV called Fetish. It piqued our interest, as you can imagine. With all the things that happened in the last 20 years, we kind of forgot they even made a two-seater EV roadster at some point. For the past couple of years, the company has been known for its addiction to extreme things like setting a new land speed record in 2016 or exploring the Antarctic with a zero-emission vehicle. That might be about to change.
Venturi’s 2004 Fetish is a rear-wheel driven 300-hp EV, built entirely from carbon fiber, weighing just 1,125 kg (2480 lb), and is based on an Opel Speedster or Vauxhall VX220. It also has a 53-kWh Li-Ion battery that gave it a manufacturer-confirmed range of 340 km (211 mi). Don’t be disappointed yet! There’s a reason why we’re telling you all of this.
Opel, a European brand with a double identity, took inspiration from the Lotus Elise for its Speedster, and it even shared over 10% of its components with it. You know who else did that? Tesla! Its original Roadster was also a Lotus Elise-inspired car that used more than 10% of the same components.
It might give off some Smart Roadster vibes too if you remember that tiny car. In 2004, the industry wasn’t this focused on crossovers and SUVs. But there’s hope for change, as we realize that big electric cars are not necessarily efficient. Moreover, they need big batteries for a decent range. This makes them heavy and kind of hard to deal with when charging is involved on longer trips or even at home in countries like Germany.
Now, with the new Lotus Eletre Electric SUV leaked, there seems to be a lot of activity in this area. There might be a new EV coming from Venturi too, or even more. The auto industry is finding itself in a very effervescent period. EVs are really transforming the business.
But this is not all. We also saw Venturi answering one of its followers on social media. The company was asked if there were any plans to update the Fetish. The answer the fan got was “who knows.” So, they’re still pretty secretive with their plans. We’ve also sent our own inquiries, and they’ll be found here as soon as we get some clarifications.
Venturi had some other cars in its portfolio, like the America or the Volage, but it chose to show off the 2004 Fetish. This alone is a sign that something might soon happen. For now, we’ll have to wait. But it’s great to see that auto companies are once again racing to impress customers.
On the other side of the pond, a company called Venturi is slowly trying to make a comeback – or so it seems. Here’s how we reached this conclusion.
While randomly scrolling through Facebook’s newsfeed, we’re shown a sponsored post that contains Venturi promoting their “glamorous” EV called Fetish. It piqued our interest, as you can imagine. With all the things that happened in the last 20 years, we kind of forgot they even made a two-seater EV roadster at some point. For the past couple of years, the company has been known for its addiction to extreme things like setting a new land speed record in 2016 or exploring the Antarctic with a zero-emission vehicle. That might be about to change.
Venturi’s 2004 Fetish is a rear-wheel driven 300-hp EV, built entirely from carbon fiber, weighing just 1,125 kg (2480 lb), and is based on an Opel Speedster or Vauxhall VX220. It also has a 53-kWh Li-Ion battery that gave it a manufacturer-confirmed range of 340 km (211 mi). Don’t be disappointed yet! There’s a reason why we’re telling you all of this.
Opel, a European brand with a double identity, took inspiration from the Lotus Elise for its Speedster, and it even shared over 10% of its components with it. You know who else did that? Tesla! Its original Roadster was also a Lotus Elise-inspired car that used more than 10% of the same components.
It might give off some Smart Roadster vibes too if you remember that tiny car. In 2004, the industry wasn’t this focused on crossovers and SUVs. But there’s hope for change, as we realize that big electric cars are not necessarily efficient. Moreover, they need big batteries for a decent range. This makes them heavy and kind of hard to deal with when charging is involved on longer trips or even at home in countries like Germany.
Now, with the new Lotus Eletre Electric SUV leaked, there seems to be a lot of activity in this area. There might be a new EV coming from Venturi too, or even more. The auto industry is finding itself in a very effervescent period. EVs are really transforming the business.
But this is not all. We also saw Venturi answering one of its followers on social media. The company was asked if there were any plans to update the Fetish. The answer the fan got was “who knows.” So, they’re still pretty secretive with their plans. We’ve also sent our own inquiries, and they’ll be found here as soon as we get some clarifications.
Venturi had some other cars in its portfolio, like the America or the Volage, but it chose to show off the 2004 Fetish. This alone is a sign that something might soon happen. For now, we’ll have to wait. But it’s great to see that auto companies are once again racing to impress customers.
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