eBay Find of the Day: 1995 Renaissance Tropica electric car
Click above for more shots of the Renaissance Tropica EV
Back in the mid-nineties, a small company known as the Renaissance Car Company built a two-seat electric vehicle known as the Tropica. Unfortunately, as is so often the case the company wasn't able to stay afloat and production of the car stopped after just twenty-two vehicles were made. Therefore, the Tropica is little more than an interesting footnote in the bigger picture of alternative vehicles. Still, it is a cool machine and they don't show up for sale very often. So, when we spotted this one on eBay Motors, we thought it was worth showing our readers. You may recognize the Tropica from the T.V. show Nash Bridges, where Yasmine Bleath's character drove one.
Twin DC electric motors run on seventy-two volts each, with twelve deep cycle six-volt batteries coming from the factory. According to the current owner, all the batteries in this particular example were replaced earlier this year. Additionally, the rollbar was removed and the interior received a minor refurbishing. Top speed is about sixty-five miles per hour and the range, when new, was somewhere between sixty and eighty miles.
Gallery: 1995 Tropica on eBay
[Source: eBay Motors]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phil L. 2:12PM (7/11/2008)
Yet another interesting EV design that didn't make it.
They were aiming for the higher-end sports car market, a' la Tesla, but were too early for Li-ion.
I'd love to find an EV conversion that's doable for my short commute, but this won't be it. Looks like a fair amount of orphan technology in there that would be difficult to repair. Will the car still work if the digital dash dies? Looks like a fun open-top runner for a sunny day, but not a daily driver (does it come with a hard/soft top?). The windshield look is cool, but I suspect it would require $$$ at a custom glass outfit to replace it.
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Joseph 1:18AM (7/12/2008)
I don't blame you guys for just using the specs that the seller provies (65mph, 60-80 mile range) but on a mailing list, someone commented on this, saying that the car can only really go 55mph. Just a warning to buyers.
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Phil L. 8:57PM (7/17/2008)
After 36 bids, it went for $15.9K. I hope the new owner gets it on the road.
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