The Scamp was developed by the Project Department of Scottish Aviation as a small, two-seater urban commuter vehicle.

The department had been thinking about electric vehicles, inspired by the battery-powered tugs used to move baggage trucks at Prestwick Airport.

The head of the department, Gordon Watson, was at the railway station in his home town when a commuter train was due in.

He realised the husbands would benefit from having their own car dedicated to the 'station run', for which a small, cheap vehicle would be ideal, with performance, comfort and a wide range of uses not being important for such a specific short purpose.

[3] In late July 1965, Scottish Aviation approached the Central Electricity Generating Board as a result of being happy with the progress that was being made.

[3] Encouraged by this reception, Scottish Aviation manufactured a batch of 12 pre-production Scamps to be used for further development and market studies.

The first of these left Prestwick at the end of February 1967 to be the centrepiece of the Electricity Council stand at the Ideal Home Exhibition.

[3] Scottish Aviation had not set out to revolutionise the motor industry, but had produced an unconventional car which was evaluated against conventional standards.

The rear battery retaining strap and bolts were already modified for assembly reasons, but were replaced by more suitable items when they proved to be unsatisfactory.

In wet conditions, the ride was unchanged and the handling within the limited vehicle performance remained acceptable; however the shortcomings of the steering system made it possible for a slide to be initiated and it was difficult to regain control.

When normal road hazards were encountered, both ride and handling deteriorated sharply and the lack of adequate suspension damping at the front was made obvious.

Pot-holes, raised or sunken drain covers, broken road edges, lateral ridges and railway level crossings all gave rise to crashing noises from the suspension while the occupants were unseated and the vehicle was, all too often, deflected from its chosen path.

the maximum speed available, whereas experience has shown that most vehicles can achieve at least 40 mph (64 km/h) before attracting serious adverse comment and can be driven faster still.