So tell me about microcars...

This isn't really a "tell me about.." thread, more a "What would fit this spec..." thread.

I'm interested in a microcar as a basis for an electric conversion to gain both experience and a zero emission city car. It has to be a microcar because the conversion I'm pricing up is a low power ~40mph quadricycle city car.

Trouble is, microcars, or at least ones that come in as quadricycles, are a little thin on the ground. There are one or two commercially available electric vehicles that come into this category but they're generally either rather less than safe or just eversoslightly iffy in the styling department. There are a few exceptions such as the Microcar Zenn but they're hardly cheap.

So you're left with things like the Piaggio Ape which though it's way cool and I'd love to own one is impractical because it only has one seat, or the chance of finding some relic from the 1950s or '60s and paying a scene tax.

I'm sure my dad's generation would have used a bought-for-nowt Austin 7, but I'm hardly that fortunate. Reliant Robin/Rialto? Perhaps, but I have to say I'm not attracted. Ligier? Now I'm scraping the barrel. How much to Japanese Kei cars weigh?

Your thoughts? Realistic and not too expensive, I want to spent my hard-earned on fancy batteries and electronics, not a fancy base vehicle.