UK-based Longbow launches first ‘featherweight’ electric sportscars

British startup Longbow has officially unveiled its first two models, the Speedster and Roadster, creating what it calls the world’s first Featherweight Electric Vehicle (FEV) category. Both vehicles weigh under 995kg, offering a modern interpretation of classic British lightweight sportscars.
The open-topped Speedster weighs just 895kg and accelerates from 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds with a 275-mile range (WLTP), while the closed-cockpit Roadster follows at 995kg, reaching 62mph in 3.6 seconds. Production will be limited for both models, with special Luminary and Autograph editions available.
Longbow was founded by automotive industry veterans Daniel Davey and Mark Tapscott, who previously worked with Tesla, Lucid Motors, and BYD, alongside Jenny Keisu, former CEO of electric marine company X Shore. The trio brings experience from automotive, technology, and finance sectors.
The vehicles use a bespoke aluminium chassis designed for minimal weight and maximum stiffness. According to the company, their lightweight construction allows for lighter motors and batteries while maintaining performance. Both models will be designed, engineered, and hand-built in the UK, leveraging the country’s high-performance engineering expertise.
“There are only a few places in the world where you can hand build a sportscar,” says Tapscott. “Here in the UK, British engineering and automotive craftsmanship have a long history of developing lightweight sportscars with great commercial and competitive success. Longbow is the next chapter in that story, harnessing those same ideas to create the greatest drivers’ cars of the modern era.”
The company’s motto Celeritas Levitas – the speed of lightness – reflects its focus on combining lightweight construction with electric performance.
“Amidst the e-mobility revolution, we have lost something important,” said Davey. “Many modern ‘sportscars’ tip the scales at 1,500kg and BEVs can reach almost double that. There is a need for a more driver-oriented, featherweight, electric sportscar – one that is attainable and accessible, for those who love driving and the places it takes them. Our first two cars, Speedster and Roadster embody everything a modern driver’s car should be: agile, balanced, electric, and exhilarating. We are reviving an icon, the lightweight British sportscar.”