Zagato, known for much more aggressive designs, produced this fiberglass-bodied EV in the mid-1970s it was the Zele in some markets and the Elcar in the US. Only an estimated 500 units were built; so this sale includes 0.4% of all production!
While these were originally built the same, these two are very different. The grey car is an almost complete project and is powered by a Suzuki GSXR600 engine, which should be good for 100HP or more – plenty in this car. The seller says it only needs a few parts to finish, but one always wonders why sellers don’t handle those final steps when they claim they’re so easy. Regardless, it does look like most of the work has been done and the seller offers to provide videos of it running.
The black car appears to be closer to original, but in much rougher shape. The seller says it was going to be an EV with more modern powertrain. That makes sense, as 70s EVs were rudimentary at best.
The good news with both is that the chassis comes from a Fiat 500; so many mechanical parts are readily available. Whomever picks these up will have two of something highly unusual and which serve as interesting reminders of he 70s fuel crisis days.
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The Colony, TX, USA (yes, I know where that is!)
$2,500 with ZERO bids and six days to go
This grey one has recent paint, new custom wheels and most work done. This one was supposedly orange when it left the factory. For a tiny microcar, it has a rather mean look, and the bike engine backs that up!
Rear view is pretty much what you’d expect, except this one has a tail pipe. Note the missing door hinges on this side – we’ll bet those are not easy to source, but maybe something could be fabricated?
The radiator is hidden underneath (see photos in the eBay ad); so this keeps the flat-faced EV look.
Here’s another rear view. Does the stripe qualify as sporty?
Interior features racing-type seats with harnesses. Motorcycle-based controls might require some instruction from the seller!
Here’s the Momo wheel and simple dash.
We assume this engine is under the driver. Watch for fires!
Here’s the engine before installation.
This is car #2, AKA the black car. Apparently, it was originally blue.
Yes, this one has a wheel off, waiting for work. Apparently, the door is available.
This interior is rather more rough! We guess this is closer to original, however (?).
Ad text:
I am selling two (2) 1974 Zagato Zele Elcars. Here is the story. I bought both of these cars three years ago as project cars and hauled them both home from East Texas.
The silver car (was orange when I got it) was in worse shape than the black car so I chose to use that car as the starting point for a custom build. I then stripped the car all the way down to the chassis and completely rebuilt it from the ground up. The Silver car: (Zele 1000) It has a coilover suspension, 07 GSXR 600 engine with full working instrument cluster, custom wheels and tires, new brakes, new ball joints, new suspension bushings, new stainless brake lines, new battery, all new wiring. Exterior: New LED headlights and tail lights. New Dark Grey Metallic paint – semi gloss on the bottom 1/3rd and flat on the upper 2/3rds New side marker lights Custom machined wheel adapters to allow new 4 lug rims Interior: New carpet New racing seats w/ Red seat covers 4 Point Racing Harness Seatbelts Momo Steering wheel w/ Quick Release Aluminum fuel cell New switches Custom Bluetooth remote start via your phone Engine/ Drivetrain: 07 GSXR 600 – engine has about 3500 miles on it since new Direct chain drive – no reverse – 6 speed Rear differential is zegato original with custom modifications to accept chain drive This car is running and driving and only need a couple things to be ready to show / cruise the neighborhood and upset your neighbors. Being that these cars are so rare it needs 2 right side hinges for the passenger door. Only other thing would be to complete the installation of the e-brake assembly which I have. This car was featured on SpeedHunters website and I have multiple videos of the car running and driving. Message me for the link to the videos.
The Black car: (Zele 2000) This car was started at about the same time but is farther from completion. It needs a right front ball joint and it will be a roller again. It will need the brakes gone thru and all the parts are readily available. I have the majority of the original parts for both of these cars and in some cases I have extras. The plan for this car was to install a digital PC based dash and make it electric with a new set of batteries and a new golf cart controller. The original wiring and electrical configuration in these cars was not the best and todays technology makes completing this project even easier. My guess is about $800 – $1000 would have this car rolling through the neighborhood as well. I have tons of documentation, articles, and info on these cars as well as sources for the parts that I have used to complete the projects to this point. These cars are being sold with a bill of sale only. Both have clean VIN’s that are legible. They could both be titled via the bonded title process if you wanted to take them out on public roads. I have too many projects and these need a new home. Thank you for looking and happy bidding. This auction is for both cars and all the information and parts that I have for them.