John's banking on success with his Sinclair C5s

John Shaw, who owns an antiques business in Parkgate, has recently acquired not one, but two Sinclair C5s.

The delighted dealer bought the pair when out hunting for antique furniture in Doncaster two weeks ago.

The Sinclair C5 is a battery powered electric tricycle invented by Sir Clive Sinclair in the 1980s, which was dubbed a “commercial disaster” after selling only 12,000 units.

John (65), who has been running Shaw’s Antiques for more than 40 years, said: “I actually went to look for some old furniture from a private seller in Doncaster, so coming out with a pair of C5s was a bit unexpected.

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“I think they originally must have been in a theme park or something, because you have to put 50 pence in for them to work.”

The C5 suffered from problems in its life, among them the cold weather, which shortened battery life, and that it was too low to the ground, which raised doubts about its safety in traffic.

Reaching a top speed of 15 miles per hour, it sold for around £400 when launched.

John said that the C5s were attracting a great deal of attention from people passing by the shop on Broad Street because there were so few C5s about .

“We have had lots of phone calls about them with people wanting to know a bit more,” he said.

“It’s mainly from people driving past because it’s quite striking to see them today.

“I’m not quite sure what price to put on them just yet.”

The antiques dealer said he probably wouldn’t have a go at driving the vehicles himself but expected them to prove collectors’ items.

He added: “I don’t really advise having a go in them, not me anyway—today’s roads are too dangerous.

“I used to be in contact with a dealer in Holland who used to have a C5. And because he got run into so many times, he ended up putting a great big flag on the back of it.”