A lesser-known electric vehicle called Electrek Uncar 2+2 is available on Barnfinds right now for an asking price of U.S. $40,000. Out of the 35 units designed and produced by a company named Unique Mobility in 1980, only 13 have survived to this day and only 3 have been actively driven – including this one.
The Denver-based carmaker prioritized weight reduction when designing its battery hatchback, giving it a space-frame and glass-fiber bodywork. A broad transmission tunnel, which housed the batteries, became an integral part of the frame and was responsible for much of the model’s structural rigidity.
32-horsepower (24-kilowatt) General Electric motor drove the wheels through a four-speed manual transmission borrowed from the Volkswagen Fox. The numbers ‘2+2’ in the name refer to the four-seat cabin; the Uncar was also produced in light commercial van body style.
The original owner of the car currently on sale was a U.S. firm that used it exclusively as a show car. An engineer from Unique Mobility bought it back after a while and kept driving it until its lead-acid batteries degraded past usability. He then put the car in storage, where it stayed for nearly a quarter of a century. Its current owner and seller bought it not long ago and completely refurbished it inside and out, replacing the batteries as well. As a result, the car is believed to be in the best condition among all surviving, still-drivable examples.