Lightning at the London motor show 2008

By Guy Bird and CAR reader reporter asp

Motor Shows

24 July 2008 09:03

The previous GT revealed by the Lightning Car Company two years ago was a conventional 4.8 V8 petrol sports car but then the firm decided to start again from scratch and become a pure electric car brand. The result – claimed to be Britain's first all-electric sports car – was shown at London…

What’s new on Lightning’s London motor show stand?

The completely redesigned 2008 GT – only the windscreens are common – is a pure electric vehicle with a claimed 700bhp equivalent of power on tap. It’s a dream machine in every sense: 100 percent electric with four in-wheel motors, slick sports car styling, 0-60mph in under four seconds, a 180-mile range and claimed 10-minute recharge.

At circa £120k, it won’t be cheap and there’s still further investment needed for development work on the battery technology before hoped for production in very late 2009.

CAR’s Lightning highlight

This is a green car that doesn’t look like a kid’s toy. Its curvy but muscular lines – courtesy of principal designer Daniel Durrant – look great and there are some neat details like the blue back-lit filler cap behind the B-pillar that changes colour – as an Apple Mac laptop does – when it’s fully recharged. There’s also room for golf clubs in the back.

What were they thinking?
 
Probably something along the lines of 'We can’t wait to start making this car…'

In a nutshell

Great idea and fantastically packaged prototype but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating: let’s hope we really will be able to drive this car by late 2009/early 2010.

Click here to go to CAR's London motor show A-Z homepage

To read CAR's reader
reporter's verdict
on the Lightning stand,
click 'Next'

To read CAR's reader reporter's verdict on the Lightning stand click 'Next'

By Guy Bird and CAR reader reporter asp