Caterham unveils electric bike

British sports car maker Caterham has unveiled its first collection of motorbikes, The Daily Mail reported.

The iconic firm, which is a favourite of Simon Cowell, launched a rugged motorbike it is calling an SUV on two wheels, alongside a pair of electric bicycles.


The firm's aggressive-looking motorbike is named the Brutus 750, and will be going on sale early next year.

The Brutus 750 motorbike has chunky tyres and can be operated as a street bike, off-roader and even a snowmobile with slight modification, according to British sports car firm, Caterham

The motorbike has chunky tyres and can be operated as a street bike, off-roader and even a snowmobile with slight modification.

The company said: “The Brutus delivers the ultimate in flexibility and riding simplicity thanks to a 750cc single-cylinder engine that delivers its power through an automatic gearbox.”

It claims to be the first motorbike with automatic transmissions as well as the “first ever two-wheel SUV”.

Caterham also unveiled two electric bicycles, which can be ridden on the road without a driving license, but so far there is no news about how fast each of the models might be able to go.

A spokesman for the company told MailOnline: “The bikes are all still in prototype form and, as such, no performance testing has yet been conducted.”

The Classic E-Bike has a retro look and a range of up to 45 miles, while the Carbon E-Bike is inspired by Caterham’s F1 technology.

Both have dashboards with an LED screen displaying battery status, a speedo, trip meter and range.


The design of the Classic E-Bike harks back to the golden age of British motorcycling, which according to the company stretched from the 1920s to the 1960s.

It said: “They had simple, elegant lines, curves filled with classic British racing colours detailed with pinstriping. The times were simpler and more carefree.”

It is the first part of this period that inspired the bike, which has a range of 40 to 80 km.


The model has an aluminium frame, leather handle grips and traditional springer front fork but also features modern technology, such as Shimano 3-speed hub gears for 'brisk acceleration'.

Designer Alessandro Tartarini calls the Classic E-Bike a "fusion vehicle", in which old and new are brought together in the 'future of tradition'.

“This is a design in which classic styling and traditional materials meet modern design and materials,” the company said.

The Carbon E-Bike is described as a premium model and comes in a limited edition featuring Formula One materials.
It packs a 36-Volt, 250 Watt brushless motor, feeding its power through an eight-speed Shimano Nexus gear hub.

Caterham has professed the chassis 'a work of art' as it features a modular carbon-aluminium frame, in which three different frame sizes and flexible ergonomics technology means that the Carbon E-Bike can be adapted to fit the size and shape of a rider.

All three bikes, which were unveiled at this week’s Milan Bike Show in prototype form, are expected to cost a minimum of £8,500.

It is the latest expansion involving Caterham Group after it was bought in 2011 by Tony Fernandes, the Air Asia boss and owner of Queens Park Rangers.

Mr Fernandes said: “Our vision for Caterham Group has taken another step forward with the launch of Caterham Bikes.

“Expanding our interests into the two-wheeled market is another natural progression for us and is a good opportunity to showcase the breadth of knowledge, experience and creativity we have at our disposal.”

The Malaysian millionaire has plucked Al-Ishsal Ishak from Air Asia to head up the operation, which will hopefully see the bikes manufactured in kit form in Leafield, Oxfordshire, before being assembled by distributors in their relevant country.

The bike arm joins the Caterham F1 Team, Caterham Racing (GP2), Caterham Technology & Innovation, Caterham Composites and the Caterham Moto Racing Team.