The Alcraft GT is Britain's answer to Tesla

Morgan, still a shareholder of the company his grandfather started but no longer managing director since a boardroom bust-up in 2013, is one of a team of British motor industry professionals behind the start-up electric car firm, Alcraft Motor Company. The company is named after its main backer and managing director, the pharmacy company chief and lifelong car enthusiast David Alcraft.

The car has been designed by another former Morgan employee, the designer Matt Humphries. The team’s first effort – seen here as a model – is a two-door shooting-brake style car that aims to combine sporty electric performance with a 300-mile range and plenty of luggage room for touring. It is not just another electric supercar, asserts the firm.

“We’re about combining great design, outstanding dynamics and the visceral thrill of electric powertrains to create products that are high in performance and desirability but very usable,” says David Alcraft. 

“We want to build a British car company which brings together traditional skills and high technology for the emerging low carbon car market.”

They hope to get the car into low-volume production at their base in Silverstone with finance raised through crowd-funding. Alcraft Motor Co is not short of motor industry experience to do so. Apart from Morgan and Humphries, the team has on board the former chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders, Christopher Macgowan, and has as engineering partner Silverstone-based electric powertrain specialists, Delta Motorsport.

The GT’s design features ultra-clean surfaces and visible structural elements such as exposed carbon-fibre B-pillars. There’s a wraparound front screen and a roof made largely of glass. The car reminds us of how a cross between a Saab concept car and the Bristol Fighter might look: in a word, chunky. With what appears to be a light-filled and spacious cabin and what Alcraft says is a 500-litre luggage area, there’s no denying its potential practicality. The firm says it could also be made in 2+2 form.

The Alcraft GT is envisaged to have a three-motor, all-wheel drive powertrain with the batteries stored in a T-shaped pack between and behind the seats. Expected performance targets are 600bhp, 840 lb ft of torque and 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds.

Alcraft says the next step is to build a running prototype ahead of production which is targeted to start in 2019. It is offering Goodwood Road & Racing followers a chance to play a part in the car’s development through a rewards-based crowdfunding scheme. 

Contributions range between £10 and £25,000 in return for which you get rewards that include VIP days at Silverstone, rides in the first GT development mule and electric bikes by Cyclotricity and wrist watches by Matthew Humphries Design. For more go to https://alcraftmotor.com