Automotive

Olympian Model 01 brings a touch of old-timey class to the world of EVs

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The Olympian Model 01 will ultimately sell for US$80,000
Olympian Motors
The Olympian Model 01 is being offered in over 50 color combinations
Olympian Motors
The Model 01's interior definitely isn't cluttered
Olympian Motors
The Olympian Model 01 will ultimately sell for US$80,000
Olympian Motors
The Olympian Model 01 is said to tip the scales at 4,510 lb (2,045 kg)
Olympian Motors
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When most people think of electric cars, they probably picture futurist-looking things with dashboards full of buttons and screens. The Olympian Model 01 takes a very different approach, with a classic design and a minimalist interior.

Manufactured by New York-based Olympian Motors, the Model 01 is a four-door, four-passenger, rear-wheel-drive electric sedan, sporting a military-grade carbon fiber and titanium body set atop a Super Board "skateboard chassis" made by Chinese electric mobility company U Power Tech.

The car's 310-hp (228-kW) motor delivers 305 lb ft (414 Nm) of torque, taking the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in a claimed 5.7 seconds.

It reportedly has a top speed of a whopping 160 mph (257 km/h) – that said, assuming the Model 01 isn't being driven quite that fast, one charge of its 400V/82-kWh lithium-ion battery pack should be good for a range of approximately 305 miles (491 km).

The Model 01's interior definitely isn't cluttered
Olympian Motors

Carrying the whole classic-car thing inside, the vehicle's cabin features "sustainably and responsibly sourced" materials such as exotic woods, steel, cashmere and silk.

What it doesn't feature, however, is much in the way of buttons, switches or screens. Olympian states that 80% of these have been replaced with a combination of a HUD display on the windshield and a voice-command system, the latter of which is used to control the infotainment system, heating/air conditioning, seat adjustment, lighting and other functions.

Safety features include up to nine airbags along with laminated glass in all the windows and the roof canopy.

The Olympian Model 01 is being offered in over 50 color combinations
Olympian Motors

Olympian Motors is now accepting refundable $500 deposits – from prospective buyers in the US, Canada and China – on an initial Founders Edition of the Model 01, the total price of which will be US$80,000. We're told that test-drive events in various American cities will start in April, and that first deliveries of the Founders Edition should follow in May.

In the meantime, you can see the vehicle in action, in the video below.

The company is also building a retro-futuristic open-top EV called the Model 84, which we'll feature in an upcoming article.

Source: Olympian Motors

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13 comments
Spud Murphy
Is it just me, or are the proportions all wrong? It doesn't work for me at all, even though I feel it should.
Chase
I was really interested until they decided to replace the infotainment system not with good old buttons, knobs, and gauges but rather a stupid voice control system and a HUD. Ruined the whole aesthetic.
sunfly
Probably OK in Europe, but tiny by US standards. Just looks odd.
WONKY KLERKY
From the Snaps and The Vid', and The Blurb:

ref Proportions:
I concur with Mr Murphy.
+
ref Ride Attitude:
Distinctly 'judderry' even at the low speeds of illustration and relatively even ground conditions.
Turning circle looks, from limited illustrations, wide with suspension responses not quite marrying with turn.
At a guess at the root of it all, I give you the case against the rigid chassis.
+
ref That Dashboard:
Naff to snaps; absolutely no concurrence with the blurb.
+ + +
Recco' (highly):
Read the pub' spivs blurb before you publish it.
DavidB
I love it.

I’m not sure I can afford the $80,000(US) price, but this is the best combination of retro styling and modern driver tech that I’ve seen yet.

I’ll test drive one as soon as it’s possible.
ash
why did they make it so fugly?
Miro
Probably OK for US, but pretty ugly for Europe.
EUbrainwashing
Form doesn't follow function
RRLA
First glance impression looks to me like the Jaguar XK120's classic sweeping fenders have been exaggeratedly slapped onto a VW Beetle midsection tapering to an Auburn Speedster boattail. Anyone remember "Fast 'n' Bulbous"?
Aross
To me all I see is a volkswagon beetle that had sex with something bigger. Not worth 10% of the asking price.