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"Electric cars are slow and dull? The Wrightspeed X1 is the second-quickest car I&amp;#039;ve ever driven in my life \u2014 bettered only by the Benetton-BMW B186 F1 car.   New Zealander/Californian Ian Wright began with an Ariel Atom (think Lotus Seven with the unnecessary bits left off) and exchanged its conventional powertrain for an electric one designed by AC Propulsion. The X1 isn&amp;#039;t for sale; rather, Ian sees it as a test bed for his integration of battery technology and EV hardware into an already quick and nimble plaything.   You cannot drive the Wrightspeed without a giant smile on your face. Indeed, were it not for the removable steering wheel, I couldn&amp;#039;t have driven it at all. (Its tubular chassis isn&amp;#039;t really amenable to bear-like physiques.)   Once nestled/crammed in place, though, I had a ball. The Wrightspeed&amp;#039;s peak torque is modest, a mere 190 lb.-ft., but remember that electric motors produce peak torque from their first twist. One can argue editorially whether it&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;at 0 rpm&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;from 0 rpm,&amp;quot; but either way it&amp;#039;s right now! Eventually air resistance defeats the Wrightspeed&amp;#039;s power, but by that point you&amp;#039;d best be wearing taped pants cuffs and a full-face helmet.   The Wrightspeed&amp;#039;s Hoosier A6 tires pick up everything but loose women, and they grip to an astounding 1.19g around our skidpad. Its steering has a quick 1.5 turns lock-to-lock. The car reminds me of an inexplicably quiet Formula Ford as experienced from a leftward-skewed driving position. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/videos/a20481/eclectic-electrics-wrightspeed-x1/>