Longbow draws a dream team for its lightweight EV sports car

British electric startup Longbow is making a serious play, announcing plans in March for a sub-tonne electric sports car targeting a £65,000 ($125K AUD) price range.

But while an 895kg roadster with a 3.5sec 0-100km/h launch is compelling, the real story is the talent they’ve just enlisted.

Longbow has assembled what one co-founder dubbed the “holy trinity” for its advisory board: ex-McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt, former Alpine boss Michael van der Sande, and ex-Lotus executive Dan Balmer.

Flewitt, who championed lightweight engineering at McLaren, was drawn to the project’s ethos.

He told Autocar, "You look at [the Longbow] product... it emphasises lightweight. These are all the characteristics which, frankly, I feel are starting to be lost in the industry."

Obviously it's bloody hard to prioritise lightweight these days with all the safety requirements and expected features, but what a treat to hear a brand exec make such a point of it.

Crucially, Flewitt also brings a dose of commercial reality, stressing the need to build for a global market, not just for personal taste. "The number of times I had to say to Ron [Dennis] ‘look, we're not building cars for 60-year-old Englishmen...’"

Adding this level of talent and experience is the surest sign Longbow understands the difference between a great idea and a viable car company.

That's no guarantee it'll all come together, of course – and if it does, it'll likely be late and well over budget with higher purchase prices than originally hoped... so we should all start praying.