Mark Szeliga Szolkowski's Blog

There is an interview with the big man on the Independent's web site.

Sounds like he is trying to find a backer for a revamped C5 - hurray!

Labels: Sinclair C5, Sir Clive Sinclair

Interesting interview with Sir Clive looking back at the C5

Labels: Sinclair C5

I've not had time to watch all of this video but here it is for your delight and delectation

Labels: coast run, Sinclair C5

I've got some of these on order now.

Labels: missiles, Sinclair C5

We took Chitty to the park the other week and got some "admiring" looks!

Labels: Sinclair C5, Worthington Park

I popped into Sale on "Chitty" (as Lucy calls it) to pick up a couple of kebabs for supper.

At the traffic lights near the swimming baths, two blokes wound down the window and asked me how much they cost. When I pedalled away from the lights, they said, "I thought it was electric?" Shows how much they know about 22 year-old plastic gearboxes.

While I was waiting for the kebabs, a gang of pleasant-looking youths started walking past followed by a 36 year-old man who wanted to shake my hand and tell me all about his friend who was famous for writing music for games for the Commodore 64 (hawk-spit). Apparently, a few weeks ago one of his friends said to him, "You'll never guess what I saw in Worthington Park this week - a Sinclair C5!"

I wonder whose that could have been...

Labels: Sinclair C5

There's an article in the Daily Echo about a student who's got a C5, along with a video

Labels: Sinclair C5, Sir Clive Sinclair

I got round to fitting the kit to my C5 this afternoon before my Dad came over. Here are some pics of the job in progress:

Labels: C5 Martin, Motor cooling fan kit, Sinclair C5

My Dad came over in his C5 tonight to watch the return leg of Man Utd v Lille in the Champions' League. Afterwards, I rode up to the top of my road with him on my A-bike. The original lights on his C5 look plenty bright enough. He'll probably get some LED bulbs from Mark at C5 Alive as spares, but with a leisure battery and the range he gets out of it I don't think he'll be in any major hurry to upgrade.

Labels: Man Utd, Manchester United, Sinclair A-bike, Sinclair C5

I went over to my Dad's at about 1pm today to have a proper look at the Sinclair C5 that he bought yesterday from Martin Newell.

It looks very well restored and presented. Last night, I put my spare Halfords battery (the one that came with my C5) on charge so that my Dad could use it but he told me that Martin had provided a quick release setup with it, so I started off by helping my Dad to fit the Numax leisure battery that he uses in his caravan when he goes away.

I could tell that he was a bit embarrassed about actually getting in it in front of his adoring neighbours, but with a bit of cajoling (not aided by my Mum bent over with her hands on her knees, crying laughing) he took off up the road as if he was on a 600cc Honda coffin rocket.

I've got to say, I've never seen an in-motion C5 from behind before. Bearing in mind that I'm a big fan, it looked to me like somebody sitting in a floating chair without any (chair) legs! I'm going to have to re-evaluate all the smiles and car horn-tooting...

Anyway: he finally decided to bite the bullet and follow me the 3.5 miles back to my place. Just as we were heading downhill from Sale station I could see him dropping back in my mirrors - he had lost drive. AARGH!

However, it would appear (in his own words) that the "lack of oxygen" to the brain (more due to pedalling uphill than the ultimate height of said incline) caused him to forge an indentation in the handle bar rather than press the "GO" microswitch.

I checked it out, and it seemed OK, so we continued to my house. He had a revitalising Vimto (invented to cure headaches, from what I remember of the big wooden piece of art brightening my days at UMIST) and I followed him back to his place in my Volvo.

Perhaps the highlight of the odyssey was as we were going past a load of his old friends who were congregated on the side of a road. I don't know how he managed to keep going in a straight line while his chin was glued to his left shoulder, but it didn't stop one of the women from shouting, "Hiya Pete!". He waved with his right hand while still inspecting the stitching on his shirt. Laugh? I nearly made the traction control come on.

I could tell he was getting tired when he turned right off a main road while playing chicken with an Audi A4 and then left at the next t-junction narrowly missing drowning in a small lake over a blocked grid. And all because he didn't want to have to stop and pull away again!

We've got plans to take it in turns going to each other's houses to watch Man Utd play their remaining matches this season!

Labels: C5 Martin, Martin Newell, Sinclair C5

My Dad called round at about 6pm last night after going to to collect his C5 from Martin Newell. It was dark and raining, so he didn't bother getting it out of the car - we're going to save the maiden run for tomorrow.

	He picked up my spare gearbox/motor...
	and the motor cooling fan kit while he was there.

Martin gave my Dad a CD with pictures on it, that document a little of the history of the C5:

Labels: C5 gearbox motor, C5 Martin, Martin Newell, Motor cooling fan kit, Sinclair C5

Martin has emailed a few photos of the Sinclair C5 that he is restoring for my Dad:

Here is the frame, along with wheels, rear axle and boot frame:	And again from another angle:
Here is the chain tensioner, held on with a cable tie to prevent loss:	Here is the assembled frame:
Assembled frame from the rear:	Upper body:
Boot not fitted, no rear light housing yet:	Rear light fitted:
Motor attached, with Martin's cooling fan mod:

Labels: C5 Martin, Sinclair C5