China's first mid-engined sports car will reach the UK in April 2027, priced at around $50,000. The SC-01 is a dedicated spaceframe chassis with a battery mounted behind the two seats and an electric motor on each axle. The 60kWh battery pack provides a range of approximately 194 miles on the US test cycle.
The SC-01 was created in China by Feng Xiaotong, who around a decade ago set up a firm called China Car Custom, specialising in restoring and upgrading modern classics. Feng spotted a gap in the market for a true electric sports car that majored on handling joy, offered the right level of performance, wasn't too heavy and represented simple, accessible fun - hence the comparison to Lotus's historic output.
View Price on AmazonMark Cotton is the founder, boss and for now, sole employee of the Small Sports Car Company. The former BMW, Bentley, McLaren and RML executive has acquired the UK import rights for the SC-01 and is close to securing three dealer partners to sell and service the car, as well as other partners to manage all distribution, financing and aftersales.
The SC-01 weighs 3,042 pounds, some 1,102 pounds more than an Elise but about in line with what the upcoming Alpine A110 EV is expected to weigh. Crucial to minimising weight is a simple interior that features only a small driver's display, drive selector buttons and a manual handbrake.
The suspension is bespoke and manually adjustable, while the driver can switch between the two motors powering the car for either front- or rear-wheel drive, or combine them for four-wheel drive. The motors are identical and produce combined peaks of 429 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque to give a 0-60mph time of 2.9 seconds - as quick as the Ferrari 296 GTB.
Source: autocar.co.uk
