Sinclair C5 enthusiasts journeyed to the Palace this month to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the infamous eco-friendly vehicle.
The Sinclair C5 was the brainchild of renowned British inventor Sir Clive Sinclair, and was launched here at the Palace on 10 January 1985, to huge fanfare.
The launch was held in the Pavilion, a temporary structure in our East Court car park, which had been constructed to house events whilst the Palace was being rebuilt following the fire of 1980.
Having made his fortune in pocket calculators and home computing, Sir Clive’s environmentally-friendly vehicle was surrounded by huge intrigue, with the public keen to see the renowned inventor’s latest creation. An appropriately glitzy, press packed show was hosted in the Pavilion, attended by thousands. In truly theatrical style, six of the vehicles burst out of cardboard boxes driven by models to tour a purpose made indoor track. Giveaways on the day included hats, mugs and even a video game – very much the full-on promo!
National news coverage was extensive, but scepticism about the practicality of the C5 was soon rife. The steep hills and snow lying on the ground at Alexandra Park were unforgiving, which caused the batteries to overheat and fail. Even the celebrated racing driver Sterling Moss got into difficulties that day. The Sinclair C5 was arguably an idea well ahead of its time, but would ultimately be a commercial flop.
Forty years later, a passionate group of enthusiasts – along with designers and company staff – returned the exact spot of the launch, to commemorate the anniversary and the significance of this infamous C5. And just like 40 years previously, the event sparked huge interest among journalists from national television and newspapers.
Event organiser, and C5 owner, Bryan Griffin explains: “The Sinclair C5 was the first true attempt at bringing an electric vehicle to market for the general public. It was designed to offer environmentally friendly, cost-effective transport for use in urban environments. While the C5 was not a success in 1985, Sir Clive was firstly an inventor who bought many ground-breaking consumer electronics into our homes. He was our era’s Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. For that I believe we should acknowledge and recognise his vision and achievements.”
Kirsten Forrest, Alexandra Palace’s curatorial and interpretation manager added: “Ally Pally has such an eclectic history covering the weird and wonderful. The launch of the doomed C5 is another provocative chapter in the Palace’s story of entertainment, resilience and innovation. It was fascinating to meet Barrie Wills, MD of Sinclair Vehicles, designer Gus Desbarats and C5 owners, in this spot where the Alexandra Pavilion once stood. Hearing their recollections and stories behind a significant moment in our recent past gave a real insight.”
To discover more about the history of the Park and Palace, head to our stories on Google Arts & Culture.
