Details of Cars

Grecav Eke: the Italian microcar that started a range

GRECAV

2002 Grecav Eke diesel, front left view
2002 Grecav Eke diesel. Photo by Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Grecav Eke was a microcar built by the Italian firm Grecav from 2000. Small, light and powered by a two-cylinder diesel, it could be driven from the age of 14 with an AM licence and became the basis of a whole family of small commercial vehicles.

Grecav Eke at a glance

Grecav Eke key facts
Maker Grecav Auto Srl, Gonzaga (Mantua), Italy
Production 2000–2009
Class microcar, driveable with an AM licence from 14
Engine Lombardini two-cylinder diesel, 505 cm³
Power 4 kW
Top speed 45 km/h
Length 2,590 mm
Width 1,378 mm
Height 1,470 mm
Body aluminium
Versions saloon, pick-up, station wagon, van; PK 500 for Piaggio
Replaced by Grecav Sonique, 2009

There is no Wikipedia article devoted to the Eke; the model is described in a section of the Italian article on Grecav, which is the main source here. Based on two sources.

History of the Grecav Eke

Grecav before the Eke

2002 Grecav Eke diesel, rear left view
Rear view of the same 2002 Eke. Photo by Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Grecav was founded in 1964 at Gonzaga, in the province of Mantua, by merging two smaller firms: Fratelli Grespan, a maker of sheet-metal work and industrial bodies founded in 1956, and Cavalletti, a mechanical components company dating from 1922. In 1991 Grecav took over BMA, a builder of three-wheeled cars, and went on to design and produce vehicles with three and four wheels.

Eke, 2000–2009

The Eke was launched in 2000 as a saloon and became the starting point of a range that also included a pick-up, a station wagon and a van. For Piaggio, Grecav built an exclusive version called the PK 500, derived from the Eke pick-up. The whole range was restyled in 2005 and renamed Eke Stile. The car had an aluminium body and a Lombardini two-cylinder diesel of 505 cm³ producing 4 kW, enough for a top speed of 45 km/h. In 2009 the Eke was replaced by the Sonique.

The end of the company

Grecav was declared bankrupt twice, in 2012 and again in 2013, when the court of Mantua put its assets, including the brand, up for auction. Part of the workforce was re-employed after the business was rented out as a going concern.

Design and features

  • Light and simple: an aluminium body and a small two-cylinder diesel kept the car cheap to run.
  • AM licence: it could be driven from the age of 14, which made it a first car for young drivers in Italy.
  • One base, many bodies: the saloon spawned pick-up, station wagon and van versions.
  • Eke Stile: a 2005 restyling gave the range a new look and a new name.

Grecav Eke versions

  • Eke saloon (2000): the original two-door microcar, 2,590 mm long.
  • Eke Pick-up: a small load carrier on the same base.
  • Eke Station Wagon: the estate version of the range.
  • Eke Van: a closed commercial body.
  • PK 500: a Piaggio-badged derivative of the Eke pick-up, built exclusively for Piaggio.
  • Eke Stile (2005): the restyled range.

The Eke is one of the small vehicles in the Grecav collection.

Sources