Microcar MC1 and MC2: the MC Series of the French microcar maker

The Microcar MC1 and MC2 were the two models of the MC Series, the long-running licence-exempt quadricycle range of the French manufacturer Microcar. Both were offered as two-seaters or as four-seat cars on a long-wheelbase chassis, and that long chassis was later used for the ZENN electric vehicle.

Microcar MC1 and MC2 at a glance

Neither model has its own Wikipedia article: both are described in the articles on the Microcar brand on English and French Wikipedia, which are the sources used here. Those articles give no launch dates for the MC1 and MC2.

History of the Microcar MC1 and MC2

A range of licence-exempt cars

Microcar was founded in 1980 as a division of Jeanneau, a major French sailboat manufacturer, and built voitures sans permis: light quadricycles that can be driven without an ordinary driving licence. The company worked from Montaigu in the Vendée, and in September 2000 production moved to a new factory built for it. In September 2008 Microcar was acquired by Ligier Automobiles in a deal backed by the Italian private equity firm 21 Investimenti Partners; the merger created Europe’s second-biggest manufacturer of microcars and the largest maker of quadricycles. The Microcar and Ligier brands kept separate identities and separate factories.

MC1 and MC2

Before the M.Go, Microcar was known for its long-running MC Series, sold as the MC1 and the MC2. Both were available as a two-seat car or as a four-seat long-wheelbase version, and the two body lengths were close: the long-wheelbase cars were 40 mm longer than the short Virgo models of the same maker. After the Ligier merger the company’s small commercial vehicle, the Sherpa — a badge-engineered Ligier X-Pro — was discontinued, and the MC was dropped in favour of the new M.Go, introduced in 2009. The M.Go was in turn replaced by the M.GO-3. Joined under one owner in 2008, the Microcar and Ligier brands together set out to challenge Aixam, the leader of the French and European market for licence-exempt cars.

The ZENN electric car

From 2006 to 2010 the long-wheelbase version of the MC Series served as the basis for the ZENN electric vehicle assembled in Canada by ZENN Motor Company. ZENN bought engineless rolling chassis from Microcar and installed its own electric motor and drivetrain; the car was marketed in the United States and Canada as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, with top speed governed to 25 mph (40 km/h). Microcar began distributing the ZENN in Europe during 2007 under its own brand as the Microcar ZENN. The ZENNs retailed for $16,900 while their actual cost was $65,000. Microcar brought electric vehicle production fully in-house with the M.Go Electric in 2009, and ZENN stopped building its MC-based vehicle in 2010.

Design and features

• Two body lengths: every MC was available as a two-seat car or as a four-seat long-wheelbase version.
• Close dimensions: the long-wheelbase MC cars were only 40 mm longer than the short Virgo models.
• Licence-exempt class: a quadricycle of the voiture sans permis type, Microcar’s speciality since 1980.
• Electric derivative: the long chassis was the basis of the Canadian ZENN and of the Microcar ZENN sold in Europe.

Microcar MC1 and MC2 versions

• MC1, two-seat: the short version of the first MC model.
• MC1, four-seat: the long-wheelbase car.
• MC2, two-seat: the second model of the series in its short form.
• MC2, four-seat: the long-wheelbase version, 40 mm longer than the short Virgo.
• Microcar ZENN: the MC-based electric car sold in Europe from 2007, assembled in Canada by ZENN Motor Company.

The range of the same maker also included the short-wheelbase Virgo and the Spid. More cars of the maker are in the Microcar collection.

Sources

• Microcar (brand), English Wikipedia: MC Series, seats and wheelbase, ZENN, company history
• Microcar, French Wikipedia: founding, factory, Ligier merger, end of the brand