Elon Musk’s long to-do list contains plenty of projects deemed more important than the long-awaited Roadster, which still has no firm ETA. But a British startup hopes to capitalize on that delay by launching its own Roadster EV, and it’s already snagged some high-level car industry execs to help make it happen.

Related: Former Tesla Execs Debut New Electric Roadster Named To Taunt Elon Musk

Former McLaren CEO, Mike Flewitt, ex-Lotus Europe CEO Dan Balmer, and Michael van der Sande, whose resume includes stints at Lucid Europe, JLR’s special projects division, and as head of Alpine, have all joined the advisory board of Longbow. The company was co-founded by engineer Daniel Davey, who brings experience from Lucid and Tesla.

Two cars, one platform

Longbow is working on two similar cars built around the company’s own aluminium EV architecture, the first of which is scheduled to start production in the UK in 2027. Called the Speedster, it’s a two-seat, rear-wheel-drive EV with no windshield, a target curb weight of an incredible 1,973 lbs (895 kg), and a promised zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) time of 3.5 seconds.

Launching after the $110,000 Speedster is the related Roadster – and yes, that name is a deliberate dig at Tesla, whose own Roadster was originally mooted to carry a $250,000 price tag.

Costing just $84,000 if things go to plan, the removable-roof fastback is a tenth slower to 60 mph than the Speedster due to a 220 lbs (100 kg) weight penalty. Though even with the extra ballast, it still weighs less than a 15-year-old Lotus Elise, and half as much as most modern EVs.

“You have plans and you have ideas, but what you need to be able to do is sense check each of those with people who’ve done it before,” Davey told Autocar, explaining his rationale for bringing Flewitt, van der Sande, and Balmer on board.

Flewitt, who resisted calls for McLaren to produce an SUV and resigned abruptly in 2021, told the magazine he saw qualities in the Longbow cars that are no longer evident at other carmakers.

Veteran insight

“You look at [the Longbow] product, it’s a compact sports car; it’s built around driver engagement;  it’s a good size; It emphasises lightweight,” Flewitt said.

“These are all the characteristics which, frankly, I feel are starting to be lost in the industry. And to see somebody coming in with leading edge technology, but with those attributes at the forefront, is quite novel, and it really stood out to me.”

Longbow