Brothers who thrive in their Sinclair C5s
IT was supposed to catapult Sir Clive Sinclair to even greater global fame.
But his attempt to revolutionise road travel in 1985 with the now infamous Sinclair C5 single-seater scooter bombed – along with his legacy.
Having already invented the ZX Spectrum home computer, the slimline calculator and the pocket TV, the C5 became an unexpected and unprecedented disaster.
But for one Scots father, the Sinclair C5 is anything but obscure and obsolete.
John Igesund, 37, rediscovered his youth thanks to buying three of them six months ago.
The purchase has provided great entertainment for him and his two sons, Jack, ten, and six-year-old Olly. The trio can often be seen scooting around their home in Tarves, Aberdeenshire.
Mr Igesund said: ‘The boys and I take them round the village or up to the park. They are great fun.
‘You have to be over 14 to drive them on the road so we normally stick to the park or pavements.
‘I was born in the Eighties, so I’m just reliving the youth I never got to have.’
He added: ‘You do occasionally get funny looks and people staring. Some people know what they are and are just surprised to see one in real life.
‘Others think I made them myself or they are a new invention. They are surprised when we tell them they are 33 years old.’
With a top speed of 15mph, the pedal-powered Sinclair C5 also had an on-board battery to aid acceleration.
But only 5,000 of the 14,000 vehicles ordered made it off the production line.
Mr Igesund said: ‘The main criticism was the safety issue, due to the size of it compared to all the other vehicles that were on the roads at that time.
‘The adverse British weather was a factor too.’
Today, the C5 enjoys a cult following, much like fellow Eighties motoring faux pas the DeLorean DMC-12. It flopped on release but is now a collectors’ item thanks to the Back to the Future franchise.
But for Mr Igesund, the C5s just represents a way to spend some fun time with his children.
He said: ‘You don’t really need to use the battery on the flat, you can just pedal.
‘A full battery charge takes about eight hours overnight. It’s a bit like a car battery.
‘It can be used to aid the pedalling but you really don’t need it when you are going downhill.
‘They may have been a bit of a flop at the time, but they are great fun to drive. The boys love them.’