Not everything that is rare is priceless. However, rare things can be, and usually are, quite the talking point. The Electrek Uncar is one such example of answering who, what, when, where, and how with “Why?”
A little bit of a cartoon car with a dash of Popemobile and a face that only a Volkswagen mother could love, the Electrek Uncar was built by Unique Mobility in the late 1970s until maybe 1982. The history of the Englewood, Colorado-based company, including its production timeline, is a bit of a mystery. However, registered vehicles appearing on a website of the same name dedicated to the oddball EV show model years during that timeframe.
It’s not an extensive list, but for a cool six grand, you can be part of this exclusive in-but-out crowd by buying one of your own! A Facebook Marketplace post highlights a white-on-white 1982 model that was “revolutionary then and still is today.” Located in San Diego, the electric car features a manual transmission and has just 5,000 miles on the odometer.
Back up, Braga. Did you say a stick shift? In an EV? Kinda, but also yes. The Electrek Uncar is equipped with a four-speed gated manual. Gated! But the shifter is also positioned on the dash, making it “impossible to change gears,” according to YouTube Channel Aging Wheels. The transmission is highlighted at the 5:41 counter of the video review and is said to be sourced from a Volkswagen Fox. Even better (? or !) is that you can actually rev the thing and enjoy (? or !) a faint hint of engine whine.
Aging Wheels says when driving the Electrek Uncar, simply leave it in second gear and treat it like a single-speed gearbox, which is what today’s EVs are. In actuality, the owner’s manual lists the recommended speed ranges for each gear. The Unique Mobility website says those ranges are 0-20 mph for second gear, 20-40 mph for third, and 40+ mph for fourth. However, Aging Wheels argues that using all the gears is “pretty absurd” (6:36) because shifting is innately difficult.
Yeah, man, this thing is weird.
Per the Marketplace listing, the Electrek Uncar for sale is equipped with a 17.5 kWh lithium-ion battery mated to a 32 kW GE brushed DC shunt motor. Its range is estimated to be 50 to 70 miles, with a top speed of about 70 mph (110 km/h). What’s the 0-60 mph time? Well, um, autoevolution says it takes 9 seconds to reach 30 mph. So, you might get to that school zone speed bump before even reaching the neighborhood speed limit. I’m not sure if that’s a win or not.
Anyway, the 2+2 bucket seat-outfitted Uncar EV also has a sunroof, LED headlights, stow flat seats, and a suede/leather interior with white accents. Handcrafted with a fiberglass body, the Electrek Uncar also uses bits and pieces from other vehicles, including a Chevy Monza, a VW Rabbit, a Triumph TR4, and its rear glass still carries the Mercury logo. The end result is a vehicle forever trapped in a pre-pubescent state.
Awkwardly proportioned in all the unnatural places, the vehicle was priced at $25,000. When accounting for inflation, those 1979 dollars translate into almost $109,000 today. With an estimated 50 built (and likely fewer in existence), this clean-titled, excellent-conditioned example available in rust-free SoCal could be your cheap ticket into the “Why?” section of automotive history and a highlifht at any Concours d’Lemons.
Ever seen one of these in person? Drop us a line at tips@thedrive.com.
