Go on, admit it. You are as in love with the bug-eyed Dutch-built Carice Mk1 as we are.
Your options are limited if you want a vintage car with 21st century innards and even more so if you want an electric powertrain underneath the hood. Actually, that is not strictly true as Dutch manufacturer Carice Cars has something called the MK1 up its talented sleeves.
The Carice MK1 is an all-electric convertible that seemingly borrows design elements from a 1957 Porsche 356, Shelby 427 Cobra and Ferrari 250 GT California. It has the trademark round lights, curvy body, miniature tail lights and, of course, no roof. There’s not even a fabric option so if the heavens open you are going to get soggy.
Somehow the two-seater Carice Mk1 weighs 772lbs (350kg) including the batteries, which is probably a good thing when it is powered by a small electric motor in either 5hp, 20hp or 53hp outputs. The 5hp, if you were wondering, is designed for 16-year-old drivers in the Netherlands and not for road use.
Opt for the 53hp motor and a top speed of 62 miles per hour awaits you, which would instantly make you enemy number one on a motorway. No word on acceleration, but we fear it may take some encouraging to pick up speed, even if the MK1 weighs virtually nothing.
Performance may be a weak spot, then, but the 124-mile range granted by the larger of two battery options is respectable for an electric vehicle. Our limited grasp of the Dutch language suggests a Range Extender option is available as well as even larger batteries if range anxiety is a concern.
The memorable styling carries over into the cockpit, which is a beautiful mix of red leather, analogue dials, plastic buttons and a steering wheel that escaped from an elderly car home. No plastic here.
There’s little out there to compete with the Carice Mk1 and perhaps for a good reason. Does the world need – or want for that matter – a beautiful vintage throwback with green credentials? We’re not sure, but it seems the all-electric Mini Superlegerra concept we recently covered suggests manufacturers are willing to sail into unchartered waters.
A Carice Cars MK1 can be yours from €22,000 (£17,500) if you have fallen for its bug-eyed charms. A production run of just ten has been touted so you better get in there quickly, Noddy.
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