Zele is a project of the famous Italian design house Zagato. This company gained fame for its work on the exterior of Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Maserati models. However, in the mid-1960s, Zagato also decided to produce several of its own cars – under its own brand, with a technical base from passenger cars of other manufacturers. In the early 1970s, the world talked a lot about electric cars – especially against the backdrop of rising oil prices due to the fuel crisis. And Zagato became one of those who decided to "hype." As a result, in 1972, the Italians already presented the prototype of the Zele electric car, and at the end of 1973 – its production version.
The highlight of the Zagato Zele, besides, in fact, the unusual power plant, was its small dimensions and weight. The car was only 2.13 m long, 1.34 m wide, and 1.63 m high (wheelbase – 1.3 m, which made it extremely maneuverable in urban conditions). The electric car weighed only 450 kg – thanks to the body made of lightweight fiberglass.
The car was produced in two versions - 1000 and 2000. The numerical names indicated the power of the electric car in watts, and in terms of understandable metrics, the output of the modifications was 1.36 and 2.71 hp, respectively. The Zele 2000 accelerated to 56.3 km/h, and the Zele 1000 – about 40-42 km/h. The range of the older modification was 48 km, the younger – 80 km. This difference is due to the fact that the "2000" version consumed more energy due to higher performance. From a European outlet, the micro-car was fully charged in 4-5 hours, and from an American 110 V outlet – in 8 hours.
But no matter how innovative this car was, it did not achieve commercial success – only 500 copies of the Zagato Zele were produced and sold until 1976. Even the affordable price did not help: for the top version they asked 3,500 dollars then.
That is why such an electric car is now highly valued among collectors. That Zele, which is now being sold in Europe, underwent restoration four years ago and received new batteries. Its mileage is 2052 km. It is planned that the car will go under the hammer for about 21-23 thousand euros.
By the way, the last time the Zagato Zele "surfaced" for sale was in 2018 – then a copy from Britain went to a new owner for 11,500 pounds (about 13 thousand euros).
