The electric car that was years ahead of its time
Earlier this year Nissan began production in Sunderland of the Leaf, the first electric car to be mass-produced in the UK.
But 40 years ago a factory on the Isle of Wight built around 100 electric cars to a design that was years ahead of its time.
The Enfield 8000 emerged out of a competition run by the United Kingdom Electricity Council in 1966 and as this clip from the 1970s shows it was thought to be a herald of the future.
Blue Peter presenters Valerie Singleton and John Noakes gave it a drive around the studio.
But sadly production of the car stopped in 1976.
Listen to The Enfield Thunderbolt on BBC Radio 4 on Saturday 30 November at 10:30 GMT or catch up on the BBC iPlayer.
29 Nov 2013
- From the section Magazine