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The Zagato Zele 1000, 1500, 2000 (sold in the United States as the Elcar) was an electric microcar with a fiberglass body manufactured by the Italian design company 
The Zele employed a 4 position speed selector and a 2 position foot pedal providing six forward speeds, two reverse speeds and a range of approximately . The Zele 2000 also featured a boost switch which, once at top speed, weakens the motor's magnetic fields in the field coils to produce less torque but a greater top speed. Its top speed was between 25 and 30 mph.
The American importer for the vehicle, Elcar Corporation, also created an elongated four-seat prototype called the Elcar Wagonette.
Zagato Elcar 1000 at MotorbaseZagato History document
Microcars Cars of Italy 1970s cars Battery electric vehicle manufacturers Production electric cars Electric car models Electric vehicle manufacturers of Italy {{Modern-auto-stub
Zagato
Zagato is an independent coachbuilding company and total design centre located northwest of Milan in Terrazzano, a small village near Rho, Lombardy, Italy. The company's premises occupies an area of 23,000 square metres (250,000 sq ft)- 11,000 of ...
. Produced 1974–1976, the Zele was an unusual departure from Zagato's famous designs, which had long been known for their beauty and performance. The Zele, however, was high, square cornered and had a low top speed. They were produced in 7 colors (Orange-red, Brown, Dark blue, Pastel blue, White, Green and metal flake Blue) and the chassis and suspension were derived from the Fiat 500 and Fiat 124
The Fiat 124 is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat between 1966 and 1974. The saloon superseded the Fiat 1300 and was the basis for several variants including a station wagon, a four-seater coupé ( 124 Sport Cou ...
. The 1000, 1500, and 2000 stands for the wattage of the motors respectively. Approximately 500 were made.
The Zele employed a 4 position speed selector and a 2 position foot pedal providing six forward speeds, two reverse speeds and a range of approximately . The Zele 2000 also featured a boost switch which, once at top speed, weakens the motor's magnetic fields in the field coils to produce less torque but a greater top speed. Its top speed was between 25 and 30 mph.
The American importer for the vehicle, Elcar Corporation, also created an elongated four-seat prototype called the Elcar Wagonette.
See also
* List of modern production plug-in electric vehiclesReferences
* * * *External links
Zagato Elcar 1000 at Motorbase
Microcars Cars of Italy 1970s cars Battery electric vehicle manufacturers Production electric cars Electric car models Electric vehicle manufacturers of Italy {{Modern-auto-stub