This car looks like the day before yesterday. Tall towers as if air resistance is irrelevant. The design looks like it’s from the day before and the interior doesn’t look very modern either. However, London taxis, known as Black Taxis, are a cult and symbol of the British capital. And under the hood, the LEVC TX5 with the model name is definitely not as old as it might seem. Thanks to technology from Chinese automaker Geely, which took over and modernized cabin manufacturer The London Taxi Company nearly a decade ago.
With electric drives with gasoline engines as range extenders, taxis can travel more than 500 kilometers. With a fully-charged battery pack with a capacity of 31 kilowatt-hours (kWh), a TX5 can travel approximately 100 kilometers entirely on electricity, thanks to its 150 hp (110 kW) electric motor. Then the range extender kicks in, with its 91 hp (67 kW) petrol engine powered by a 38.5-litre tank. It has a standard consumption of 0.8 l/100 km or 22.8 kWh of power. The maneuverability of the London taxi is legendary, despite its majestic dimensions – the radius is just 8.50 meters.
Bugatti-style rear seats
About 5000 pieces were delivered to London and also to other European cities. Because the fan base is so large, even outside of taxi drivers and shuttle companies, there is now an extra classy special edition – the Farelady Edition. It sounds like “fair lady” (translation: fair lady), but “fee” means wage. Polished by London car tuner Kahn Design. He usually paints all-terrain vehicles jet black and puts extra-thick wheels on them. The current Black Cab model already had a hand in its predecessor: The last five copies of the series were polished by Kahn and sent to private collectors in 2017 – the equivalent of about 180,000 francs each.
Now Kahn has been allowed to switch to the current model: the 2.3-tonne TX5 in the Farelady Edition rolls on 18-inch aluminum wheels at the front and 19-inch at the rear. Ex-works black, blue, green, gray or silver, there are many more options for the interior. The charm of the historic London Cab is still visible, but the special edition is more elegant than ever: Among other things, there are elegant individual seats in your choice of leather, allegedly inspired by those in the Bugatti Chiron.
stars in the sky
In addition, wood panels, numerous USB ports and separate climate control and an intercom system for communication with the driver. A wide panoramic roof provides clear vision and numerous LED stars in the headliner, based on the Rolls-Royce model, glow in the dark. In addition to the two sports seats, there are two additional seats in the rear that can be folded down depending on the direction of travel to seat up to four people.
Exclusivity has a price and starts at GBP 99,000, which means it starts at 111,000 Francs – making the regular LEVC TX5 an additional charge of around 56,000 Francs. Additional options can also be ordered – up to a tailor-made interior completely tailored to your wishes. But there is one thing that is standard: instead of the flipped taxi sign on the roof spoiler, the word “VIP” now shines.