Sir Clive Sinclair: Tireless inventor ahead of his time

He was still fixated by the idea of an electric vehicle and, in 1992, launched the Zike, a lightweight electric bike. Like the C5, it failed to sell.

A folding bike, which could fit in a suitcase, it also failed when users declared it to be almost impossible to ride.

In 2011, he announced he was working on a new electric vehicle dubbed the X1.

Sir Clive Sinclair was a driving force behind the success of the now ubiquitous personal computer.

He built up a company that earned millions, won a string of awards and was given a knighthood by Margaret Thatcher. But his efforts were dogged by financial problems caused by the failure of his attempts to build an electric vehicle for the masses.

But he remained one of Britain’s great innovators who could turn his dreams into reality. “The idea that an inventor can come up with some brilliant idea and somebody else will make it all happen is nonsense,” he once said.

“Either you do it yourself or it ain’t going to happen.”