The Ex-Tesla Executive Building the EV Porsche Refuses to Make | MotoMan Podcast # 021

<p>What happens when you take the collective genius behind Tesla, Lucid, and BYD, and use it to build an EV that completely rejects Silicon Valley tech bloat?</p><p>In this episode of The MotoMan Podcast, we sit down with Mark Tapscott, co-founder of the radical new British automotive startup, Longbow. Mark shares his incredible journey through the EV revolution—from early days spent as Elon Musk's chauffeur and launching the Model S in the UK, to building out Lucid Europe from scratch and setting up operations for BYD in the Middle East.</p><p>Now, he’s putting all that insider knowledge into a vehicle that completely defies industry trends. Longbow’s debut vehicle is a raw, lightweight, 1,000-pound speedster with no roof, no screens, and a strict promise that the brand will never build an SUV.</p><li><br /></li><p><strong>Episode Chapters:</strong></p><p>00:00:00 - Intro to Longbow and the Driver-First EV Mission</p><p>00:01:07 - What Longbow Means</p><p>00:02:32 - The Speedster: No Screen, No Roof, and Only 150 Cars</p><p>00:03:19 - Meet the Founders and the Startup Behind Longbow</p><p>00:05:11 - From Design Engineering to the Philips Lesson</p><p>00:08:51 - Leaving Lighting Design and Finding Cars Again</p><p>00:10:10 - Brands Hatch, Lotus Elise, and Learning Race Cars</p><p>00:13:28 - Race Components, Free Labor, and Starting a Team</p><p>00:16:03 - The Tesla Roadster Moment That Changed Everything</p><p>00:20:45 - Cars &amp; Coffee, First Impressions, and the Longbow Prototype</p><p>00:23:50 - Designing the Coupe and Building Longbow Differently</p><p>00:26:01 - Launching Tesla Model S in the UK</p><p>00:28:19 - Elon, Early Tesla, and the Motorcycle Question</p><p>00:30:15 - Model 3, UK EV Incentives, and Leaving Tesla</p><p>00:33:15 - Wallbox, Hyundai, and the Pull of Early-Stage Startups</p><p>00:39:16 - Building Lucid Europe From Zero</p><p>00:45:45 - Lucid, Saudi Arabia, and Smart Money in the Middle East</p><p>00:47:50 - Tesla, BYD, and the Chinese EV Challenge</p><p>00:52:34 - Why Modern Cars Are Built Around Features Nobody Asked For</p><p>00:55:18 - Why Longbow Had to Exist</p><p>00:58:06 - Funding Longbow and Proving the First Lightweight Prototype</p><p>00:59:42 - The Step-by-Step Plan for Building a Car Company</p><p>01:00:53 - Longbow's Platform Strategy and the No-SUV Promise</p><p>01:03:04 - Going After Porsche, Corvette, and the Practical Sports Car</p><p>01:05:17 - Why Legacy Brands Struggle With Electric Sports Cars</p><p>01:06:58 - Listening to Customers and Keeping the Car Simple</p><p>01:09:25 - Chassis, Dynamics, and the Road-Car Philosophy</p><p>01:12:18 - The Spreadsheet Behind Longbow's Business Case</p><p>01:14:33 - Hand-Built in the UK and Assembling the Best Components</p><p>01:17:21 - Motors, Batteries, and the Lightweight EV Technology Stack</p><p>01:21:02 - The Decentralized Team and Working With the UK Government</p><p>01:23:40 - The Three Forces Behind Mark's Success</p><p>01:26:03 - Tesla Lessons, Fast Decisions, and Trust</p><p>01:28:07 - Neurodiversity, Co-Founders, and Driving Into the Smoke</p><p>01:29:07 - Final Thoughts and the Canyon Drive Challenge</p><p><br /></p><p>#MotoManTV #MotoManTVPodcast #MotoMan #Longbow #LongbowSpeedster #ElectricSportsCar #DriverFocused #Tesla #LucidMotors #BYD #ElonMusk #SiliconValley #EVRevolution #CarPodcast #SportsCars #PureDriving #TeslaRoadster</p><p><br /></p><p>For driving adventures &amp; car reviews, before sure to visit us @</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Download the MotoManTV Podcast @<br /><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387</a></p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.c