What's all this about?

Venturi has announced a new, er... car (sort of), in the form of the America electric vehicle.

Venturi? The French car firm?

Well, Monegasque now, as the 'old' Venturi company - which made vehicles like the 300 Atlantique - was purchased by millionaire Gildo Pallanca Pastor in 2001 and moved to his native Monaco. It now makes tiny production run bespoke products, which are all electrically powered.

Of which the America is one?

Yes, this little convertible crossover looks like a beach buggy and has an interior that features a few bits of Renault switchgear. But it is totally electric, making 407hp and 480Nm, which all goes to the rear wheels.

It should be quick, then?

We'll say. Venturi is claiming 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds, 0-124mph in 14 seconds and a top speed of around 137mph. It can do 155 miles on a single 3.5-hour charge and has a chassis made of carbon-Kevlar and aluminium honeycomb to keep the weight down.

Sounds like fun - can I buy one?

You can, but it's likely only 25 Americas will be built at Venturi's Monaco HQ and they'll cost in the region of £300,000. Which isn't cheap. It's therefore quite an expensive way to get some zero-emissions, wind-in-your-hair thrills.

Matt Robinson - 4 Oct 2014