Renaissance Tropica
| Renaissance Tropica | |
|---|---|
 1995 Tropica EV Roadster, as designed by Jim Muir. Image from original Renaissance Cars company records. | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Renaissance Cars |
| Also called |
|
| Production | 1995 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | Roadster |
| Layout | Rear-motor, rear-wheel drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Electric motor | |
| Transmission | Direct drive (separately for each rear wheel) |
| Battery | 11.2 kWh lead-acid |
The Tropica or Tropica Roadster is an all-electric car made by Renaissance Cars in the 1990s. It was introduced for the model year 1995 and built in a limited number of units, but never entered series production due to financial issues.[2]
Overview[edit]
Renaissance Cars was founded by Bob Beaumont, who previously founded the company which produced the Citicar in the 1970s. The company was headquartered in Palm Bay, Florida.[1]
The Tropica Roadster was designed by Jim Muir.[1]
Specifications[edit]
The car was to use an ABS body on an aluminum backbone chassis.[3] Although the first prototype had a fiberglass unibody,[1] later vehicles used an aluminum chassis and a plastic body.[4][5] The total weight was about 2,200 lb (998 kg) at the prototype stage, with plans to reduce it by a further 400 lb (181 kg) in the production version;[1] the manufacturer ultimately specified the weight of the car as 1,960 lb (889 kg).[3]
The battery capacity was about 11.2 kWh, coming from twelve 6V lead-acid batteries, each with a capacity of 156 Ah; the batteries were removable. When a prototype was tested by the Car and Driver magazine,[1] the urban range was about 38 mi (61 km). Later owners of pre-series vehicles reported a range of about 52 mi (84 km).[6] In 2008, a car with about 20,000 miles on its odometer had a range of 35 mi (56 km) on the freeway.[7]
The vehicle would take 6-8 hours to fully charge, but as explained by one owner, "I can get an 85% charge in about 90 mins. The remaining 6-7 hours is used to trickle charge the rest of the battery."[6]
The vehicle had two DC motors,[7] one for each of the rear wheels, which eliminated the need for a differential. The vehicle had no gearbox. The maximum power output was 49 bhp, however the maximum continuous power output was merely 15 bhp,[1] which resulted in a top speed of about 60 mph (97 km/h).[8][5] It was 57 mph (92 km/h) in the Car and Driver test,[1] while another user reported 72 mph (116 km/h).[6]
Production[edit]
The car was introduced in 1995 (although prospective customers were able to reserve it earlier).[9] Approximately 16 pre-series Tropica Roadsters were completed with two additional near completed [but finished by successor owners],[5] and exhibited in showrooms, with at least some of them finding customers. According to another source, the company made 25 vehicles overall, including prototypes and pilot series vehicles [three of them are frame/driveline, only].[10] The car did not enter series production because the second financing round failed.[5]
In 1996, the company went into receivership[11] and most of its assets went to a newly founded company called Zebra Motors, based first in Novato and then in Alameda, California.[12] The company announced two models, the Model Z Roadster (which was a renamed Tropica Roadster)[5] and the Light Delivery Van (the latter featuring a swappable battery), but these did not enter series production. The company was then bought by a group of investors reportedly including actor Don Johnson and renamed Xebra Motors.[12] Though the group planned a limited production of the Roadster,[12] the company ultimately failed in 2001.[13]
The slightly modified Tropica #18 appeared as the Xebra EV starting in episodes of Nash Bridges[12] (season 4, episode 13) through (season 5,episode 21).[14]
One Tropica Roadster is in possession of the Route 66 Electric Vehicle Museum in Kingman, Arizona.[15]
Pricing[edit]
One user reported buying a new Tropica for $18,000.[6] The manufacturer expected to sell it profitably for $12,500.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Car and Driver, March 1994. Text by Frank Markus, photography by Bob Costanzo. Available here
- ^ "The 1995 Renaissance Tropica is the Electric Roadster You Didn't Know Existed". 15 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Tropica. The World's First Affordable Electric Sports Car. Product brochure (2)". www.nogas.org.
- ^ "Tropica Roadster Window Sticker". www.nogas.org.
- ^ a b c d e "The 1995 Renaissance Tropica Is The Electric Roadster You Didn't Know Existed". HotCars. September 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "The Answer Page". Archived from the original on 2008-10-18. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
- ^ a b "Steve Bischoff's Tropica". www.evalbum.com.
- ^ Strouhal, Peter (September 8, 2020). "The 1995 Renaissance Tropica is the car nobody asked about". DriveTribe.
- ^ "The Tropica/Zebra Saga". www.nogas.org.
- ^ "Where are they now???". www.nogas.org.
- ^ "The (now defunct) Renaissance Cars Home Page". www.nogas.org.
- ^ a b c d "Don Johnson plugs into electric vehicle maker". San Francisco Business Times. Archived from the original on 2007-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- ^ "Auction ends run of electric car maker". East Bay Business Times. Archived from the original on 2006-02-09. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- ^ "Zebra Model Z Roadster in "Nash Bridges"". IMCDb.org.
- ^ "Acquisitions & Arrivals | Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation". hevf.org.