My wonderful grandma used to annoy me to no end when she would say "oh, we used to do that. That's not new." But you know, Grandma was right! Almost always I might say! Take a look at the car in the Cosmopolitan Magazine ad below. Published in 1913.
Now, the truly wonderful things is that you can own this car again, soon. Brand new and straight out of the factory.
From the companies websiteand press release: "In a joint announcement, US electric car pioneer ZAP (OTC BB: ZAAP) and China Youngman Automotive Group announced today they are reviving the 100-year-old electric car brand Detroit Electric for their automotive joint venture. Detroit Electric officials look forward to bringing new vehicle technologies to market by 2009, and beyond that the possibility of bringing new manufacturing and green collar jobs to California."
They go on to say, "Detroit Electric was an early 20th Century electric car, perhaps the most popular in history. The Anderson Electric Car Company started building the cars under the Detroit Electric brand over 100 years ago. Anderson of Detroit, Michigan is the longest running electric car company in history, operating between 1907 and 1939. In its heyday, Detroit Electric was an American icon and the cars were very popular with customers like Thomas Edison, Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Henry Ford's Wife Clara, and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Detroit Electric plans to build a special edition electric vehicle based on the original Detroit Electric as a tribute for the new name of the joint venture. "
"Detroit Electric plans to introduce its first electric cars and buses in 2009. The ZAP Alias, which is under development for the joint venture, will be one of several vehicles being planned to carry the Detroit Electric brand. ZAP is planning a presentation on Detroit Electric for North American auto dealers at NADA 2008, the world's largest auto show for dealers. "
So, there you go. Everything old is new again and yes, Grandma was ALWAYS right!
Source: Inhabitat and detroit electric