The man who dreamt about his own electrical sports car

A case of meningitis is responsible for the most surprising electrical car of our time. And not only because of its spectacular design or functions, but the way in which it was designed. Car brands have armies of engineers specialised in developing their models. The only person behind this one, Pure Car, is a physical education teacher from Cartagena. But with enormous motivation, capable of achieving what appeared impossible.

 

“I became ill just at the time when I was organising a sculpture exhibition, Carlos Rodríguez, a jovial 54-year-old, tells us. “I was in a very serious condition and when I recovered I reconsidered many things. “To begin with, life is short, and I increasingly had less time to fulfil my dreams.

One of these was to create his own car. Rodríguez has two passions: cars and design. As for the latter, he had studied a distance industrial design course at the Spanish Open University. “They did not teach us any engineering so I had to read a lot about the chassis, suspension, engines, etc.”

 

This entrepreneur was clear about what the creation had to be: a sports and convertible bodywork and an electrical engine. “I wanted my car to have a future and for that reason, I went for electrical mobility. Although my friends insisted time and again that I should use a powerful gasoline engine I had a broader vision”. Without a doubt, Rodríguez was a visionary: just six years ago when electrical cars were still seen as something remote and a niche market. The man from Cartagena hit the nail on the head with his choice.

First, he drew the body work on paper and later in 3D on the computer. “I drew inspiration from BMW and Aston Martin models. “But although some people remember these brands, everything has a balance which gives it its own personality. Next, it was manufactured in real size “on an enormous piece of 10 m³ of porexpan, with a saw, as if it were a sculpture”, he recounts. He also designed the inside of the two seater himself.

He bought the engine from a US company offering kits to convert gasoline cars into electrical cars. “This is a 70 CV engine with 40 kWh batteries”, he explains. He also bought components for the chassis on the Internet, one very simple component consisting of a longitudinal tube and some suspension based on a very popular sports car, the Mazda MX-5.

When Rodríguez was about to finish his car, he received a call from the CEO of Marnys, a cosmetics and parapharmacy company. The entrepreneur, who is passionate about cars, had seen him in an interview on local television and offered him a 1000 m² warehouse and everything needed to finish his car.

The result is Pure Car, an attractive sports car which is still a prototype. “It’s just a sample, but although we will preserve the bodywork it will change completely inside, Rodríguez explains. The final model will have a 100 kWh battery with an advanced cooling system based on Tesla’s and a 300 CV engine. The range will be up to 600 km and it is expected that the car will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in under three seconds. The chassis will be completely new with carbon components.

The two entrepreneurs are now seeking financial partners to give the project the final push forward. “Our market for the time being, is the luxury segment. We cannot compete directly with generalist brands and what is true is that today, apart from Tesla, there is no electrical convertible roadster”, Rodríguez explains. “Now, if the experience works out and we are successful we will of course extend the range. “So driving an electrical car will not be something for just a few. The entrepreneur concludes: “And if we are not successful, speaking for myself, I have more than fulfilled my dream”.