Miserable, slow & draughty: Best for British Holidays

[I.K.Brunel]

We've had a few electric oddities recently, so I thought I would quickly include this thingy.

This is the 'Rickshaw', manufactured by a company called Electraction - some google-fu throws up a company in existence today though not in the same location, and listed as founded in 1976, which I am not sure tallies with this little electric thing, unless it was one of their first products... http://www.electraction.com

Anyway, the Rickshaw was apparently aimed at the leisure market - golf courses, holiday parks etc, although I don't think that Butlins of skegness ordered them by the thousand.


Electraction Rickshaw 1 by SherpaVanFan, on Flickr

Allegedly could do 55miles per charge and 30mph (both of which sound a little optimistic given it's probable forklift rootes). Also note that parts were available through GM - anyone car to spot which bits? [Aside the obvious Viva rostyles]


Electraction Rickshaw 2 by SherpaVanFan, on Flickr

Burning question - did any survive? YES!
here is one that was road registered and is still alive....


Electraction Rickshaw by anachrocomputer, on Flickr

I think that one of these would make a pretty interesting piece for car shows, and fun for summer pottering by the sea - Eco-moke, anyone??

[start]

Interesting ! I have had a thought wandering around in the general swill. Get good small car bodies (good body ruined mechanicals etc) and replace with electrics and say 6-8 standard 12v batteries and sell to the commuter market. I have no idea of costs !!!!. It sounds like a good idea. But reality can be different. Would anyone buy a small commuter/ shopping car like this sold at a reasonable price ?

[Barrett]

Great! These things are indeed forklift-based, they use Lancing-Bagnall engines. Lancing-Bagnall also built our Bradshaw economy car prototype, and I'll be rooting through their entire surviving archive for info on that one at some point soon, so I'll keep an eye out for any Electraction related information too.

They actually did a whole 'range' though I think the Rickshaw was the only one that ever saw production


This 'sports car' model was called the Tropicana. Looks like the premature offspring of a TX Tripper and a TR7 (and not in a good way)


There was a small light van called the E700 of which at least one was built (cause I've seen a picture of it) but all I can find online to confirm its existence is this tiny ebay photo


This Rickshaw appears to be wearing the correct wheels. Perhaps the pair in your shed can form the basis of a replica, IKB? Is that an MGB windscreen?



(photos from the ever-useful allcarindex )

[start]

Yes it is an MGB screen. the same plate on both 'shaws too. What would the mgb screen one be like to ride in with those hoods up ?

[Seth]

D'you think the screen in the one in IKB's original post is the rear hatch one from the same MGB?!

Either way this is clearly an absolutely hopeless vehicle. In fact its a hopeless range of vehicles destined to fall into the obscurity of the galaxy with only a glimmer of a memory held in small, unimportant parts of the internet like this one. Well done!

[Jon]

Hmm. I read the title and prior to reading, thought you'd bought the brown Sherpa camper off Ebay! Oh well. I 'know' of these through a forgotten cars book by Giles Chapman (is he still a motoring journo?) and I'm sure he mentioned that a survivor was found abandoned in a hedge somewhere years later, which I'm guessing is this one. I wonder how legit the registration number is though, as it seems that an awful lot has changed, from minor bits like colour, seats, indicators and windscreen to stuff like no doors and LHD. All do-able of course but why the latter? Regardless, it looks brill but in a wouldn't-want-to-own sense.

Also, slight pedant mode but I reckon those wheels are more likely Chevette rostyles not Viva ones, as the alloys seen on some images are Chevette GLS ones. Or maybe they featured on both models and I've shown myself up.

[I.K.Brunel]

Does seem improbable that both are the same vehicle, but not impossible I guess.
It's likely that some re-hashing may have occurred to enliven interest in the project.

That van-type creation looks to have been an opportunity missed - given the number of electric MEGA vans you now see whizzing about the capital, it would seem that particular offshoot would have worked, had they not been 30 years too early to the party.

Point taken re. the wheels - though the Cosmics on the JYO in the early shot would still suggest Viva (imperial 4" fitment vs 100mm metric of a chevette...)