(Image: Dan Raven – website; an abandoned Zagato Zele microcar)
Urban Ghosts has featured a large number of forgotten vehicles around the world, from allegedly abandoned supercars to a wealth of vehicle graveyards, not to mention an amazing collection of defunct Sierra Cosworths. But this old Zagato Zele, captured by urban exploration photographer Dan Raven, is perhaps one of the most quirky we’ve seen to date. Only around 500 of the two-door electric microcars were produced between 1974 and 1976, and nowadays you don’t see many of them.
This pale blue example, wearing the words “Zagato Electrica”, appears to have been left inside a derelict industrial building, its elegant floor tiling harking back to another age of industrial design. Aside from that, the abandoned Zagato Zele appears to be in good external condition, and rust-free thanks to its fibreglass body.
Assembled in Milan, Italy, the rear engine, rear wheel drive vehicles came in seven different colours and were powered by a Magneti Marelli direct drive motor. The design was also imported into the US by Elcar Corporation, who produced a stretched, four-seat prototype known as the Elcar Wagonette. The original 7-foot-long Zagato Zele resembles an angular, retro version of the modern Smartcar, seemingly ahead of its time.
Related: 10 Classic Bubble Cars & Microcars of the Past (and Present)
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