- Longbow has completed its first prototype in just six months.
- The Speedster weighs only 895 kg and hits 62 mph in 3.5 seconds.
- Deliveries will evidently begin in 2026, with prices starting at £84,995.
Look around the EV landscape, and one thing stands out: these cars are heavy. Even relatively compact models like the Kia EV6 tip the scales at more than 4,000 pounds (1,814 kg).
British startup Longbow, founded by two former Tesla engineers, Daniel Davy and Mark Tapscott, together with the ex-CEO of an electric boat company and a few others who joined later, wants to change that in the name of performance.
Read: Ex-Tesla Alums Debut New Electric Roadster Named To Taunt Elon Musk
Taking guidance from Colin Chapman’s ethos of “simplify and add lightness,” the Longbow Speedster and and its upcoming closed-top sibling that cheekily, and perhaps not coincidentally, called the Roadster, aim to offer blistering performance without being overweight.
Now, just six months after announcing the two cars, the company has developed its first dynamic demonstrator based on the roofless and windowless Speedster.
Pursuing Lightness
Longbow calls this the first-ever “Featherweight Electric Vehicle” (FEV) – a name that’s fully justified as the Speedster weighs just 895 kg (1,973 lbs). The production version will sprint from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 3.5 seconds and still offer 275 miles of range (per WLTP).
Pricing for the Speedster will start at £84,995, or $111,732 at current exchange rates (incl. VAT), while for those preferring a roof, the upcoming Roadster will follow with a lower £64,995 ($85,438) base price.
Built From Scratch
Those are attractive stats considering that they’re basically unmatched (as a group) in the EV world. The Speedster rides on a unique aluminum chassis with a light, compact electric motor and “module-to-chassis” battery design aimed at maximizing stiffness and minimizing weight.
Longbow states the car was engineered entirely from a clean sheet, representing a “spiritual successor” to icons like the Lotus Elise and Jaguar E-Type.
Co-founder and CEO Daniel Davey said the Speedster “seems to have struck a chord with enthusiasts,” adding that its creation was “no truer illustration of our Speed of Lightness approach.”
The prototype, called an Aesthetic Dynamic Demonstrator, was revealed in London to a crowd of early customers and collaborators, with first deliveries planned for 2026.
Weight is a huge issue for any car with high-performance goals. Longbow highlighted that when it announced that it would build this car. “Weight invites complexity, blunts agility, and dulls the senses,” it said.
More: Ex-McLaren And Alpine Bosses Join Ex-Tesla Alums To Build EV Roadster Before Tesla Does
The dynamic demonstrator will be a major piece of development as the brand aims to deliver production cars next year. If it pulls it off, it could really dampen the part Tesla says it’s throwing for the (extremely delayed) Roadster later this year, especially if the latter doesn’t enter production until 2027.
Adding some extra weight to its ambitions, Longbow hasn’t been shy about stacking its deck with industry veterans. Former McLaren boss Mike Flewitt, ex-Lotus Europe chief Dan Balmer, and Michael van der Sande, whose CV meanders through Lucid Europe, JLR’s skunkworks, and the top job at Alpine, now sit on its advisory board.
