British firm Longbow shows £65k, sub-tonne EV sports car for 2026

A new British company has revealed a sub-tonne electric sports car that it aims to start selling next year for the same price as a mid-rung Alpine A110.

The first model from EV start-up Longbow is a compact, two-seat rival to the likes of Caterham’s upcoming Project V coupé and the promised electric Alpine A110.

Available as either the open-roof Speedster or the Roadster coupé, the Longbow is promised to weigh less than 995kg – lighter than even the Mazda MX-5. 

Longbow refers to its first car as a spiritual successor to the likes of the Lotus Elise and Jaguar E-Type, “with a focus on beauty, lightweight construction, impeccable engineering and meticulous hand finishing”.

The company was founded in 2023 by Daniel Davey, previously of Tesla and Lucid; Mark Tapscott, who worked at the two US EV firms as well as BYD; and Jenny Keisu, who was previously CEO of electric speedboat manufacturer X Shore.

The brand’s Latin motto ‘celeritas levitas’ translates to ‘the speed of lightness’ and reflects its ambition of “establishing an all-new vehicle category: the Featherweight Electric Vehicle”. 

To which end, the Longbow Speedster and Roadster have been developed on a bespoke aluminium architecture with a “relentless” focus on keeping weight down, which, the company says, has made them “striking, light, nimble, balanced and engineered for an unparalleled driving experience”. 

Precise technical details remain under wraps, but Longbow promises a 0-62mph time of 3.5sec from the open-roof car, which, it says, will tip the scales at just 895kg – an especially remarkable figure in the context of its claimed 275-mile range, though Longbow has not confirmed battery chemistries or capacities.

That car is open to order now from £84,995 ahead of production starting next year and only 150 examples are set to be built. 

The 995kg Roadster will enter production when all the Speedsters are finished, bringing the price down to £64,995 – in line with the 296bhp version of the Alpine A110 and the Porsche 718 Cayman S, for reference.

Longbow has not yet confirmed a factory location but says its cars will be designed, engineered and hand-built in the UK. 

It has also not disclosed specific details about the powertrain but says it is a “state-of-the-art” package that “optimises weight, performance, efficiency and range”.