Meet Longbow – EV mission statement: lightness

They said they would do it, and, fair play, they have. This is the Longbow Speedster and Roadster – two lightweight electric sports cars from the first ever all-electric British sports car manufacturer. When they were first announced, you could’ve been forgiven for thinking ‘Yeah, like that’ll happen’ but these guys apparently mean business. They’re at the ‘orders open’ stage today. And while they look like two more unaffordable exotics, they’re not. Well, not completely unaffordable, at least. Prices for the Roadster start at £64,995, which is smack bang in MG Cyberster territory, and likely cheaper than the forthcoming Porsche Boxster and Polestar 6. The Speedster starts at £84,995.

Longbow is also announcing the birth of the FEV category, which has nothing to do with some frumpy SUV PHEV, by the way. It stands for Featherweight Electric Vehicle, and if Longbow meets its aims that’ll be the reality. Indeed, the company’s motto is ‘Celeritas Levitas’ or ‘the speed of lightness’ and it’s dedicated itself to filling a gap in a market that’s right up PH’s street: the sub-tonne electric sports car. We can get behind that, can’t we?

The roofless Speedster, we’re told, weighs 895kg. The Roadster’s weather-tight roof and windscreen add 100kg to that tally, but it’s still, just, under the magic tonne. And that means only a single motor, producing an expected 322hp and driving the rear wheels, is enough to get the Speedster from 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds, and the Roadster 3.6 seconds. The WLTP range is 275 miles.

Obviously, for £64,995, this is not some carbon-tubbed McLaren equivalent. The chassis is aluminium, which is still stiff and light, and it’s hand built in the UK. The motor and battery, on the other hand, are not necessarily built here. That’s because Longbow is going about this the old-school way. Small, British sports car manufacturers have tended to buy in expensive components, like engines, from known suppliers, and that’s the ethos here.

Because they’re not trying to offer insane, hypercar performance, but instead usable performance for the enthusiast, there’s no need to invest heavily in bespoke battery chemistry designed to extract every last volt possible. That means an off-the-shelf battery and motor can be used. And they’ve engineered flexibility in, too, so if one supplier runs into trouble, or they want to change supplier to one that offers more power or range, that’s easily possible. Think Caterham Seven, when it swapped Rover K-Series for Ford Duratec power.

So, who are the people behind Longbow? That’s interesting, too. They’re not dreamers, they’re doers. The founders are Daniel Davey, Mark Tapscott, and Jenny Keisu. Davey’s and Tapscott’s CVs include stints at Tesla, Lucid, Polestar, and Chinese manufacturers, including Lucid Motors and BYD. Keisu has commercial and investment experience, and is a pioneer in the electric marine industry. The engineering team they’ve assembled boasts experience working with Formula E, Lotus, Aston Martin, Ariel, as well as Tesla. Speaking of Tesla, the Roadster name is a little swipe at Musk’s unfulfilled promise to build the Tesla Roadster MkII. Davey has stated that Longbow will welcome anyone who’s been waiting since 2020 for one of those. Davey also said this about the new models:

 “Amidst the e-mobility revolution, we have lost something important. Many modern ‘sportscars’ tip the scales at 1,500kg and BEVs can reach almost double that. There is a need for a more driver-oriented, featherweight, electric sportscar – one that is attainable and accessible, for those who love driving and the places it takes them. That is why we have created Longbow. Our first two cars, Speedster and Roadster embody everything a modern driver’s car should be: agile, balanced, electric, and exhilarating. We are reviving an icon, the lightweight British sportscar.” Amen to that.

Deliveries of the Speedster will start first in 2026. Only 150 will be made, with 10 Luminary 1st Editions and 25 Autograph Editions. After that, the Roadster, which is the mainstay of the marque, will go into production. It’s also available to order now, with 50 Luminary 1st Editions and 100 Autograph Editions up for grabs if you’re quick.