Cree
SAM

Why it matters

The SAM was a small emission-free city car for two, built by a short-lived Swiss company. Its tandem-seat three-wheel layout, aluminium chassis and air-filled polymer body make it an unusual early lithium-battery road vehicle.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Cree SAM (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: JoachimKohler-HB · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Cree SAM (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: JoachimKohler-HB · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Cree SAM (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Rama · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

Cree built the SAM in 2001 and, according to The Drive, made about 80 prototypes before the company ceased trading. It was priced at 12,800 euros when new. One example, said by its seller to be prototype number 52, was offered for sale in the United States in 2024.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Features reported for the car: three wheels with tandem seating, an extruded aluminium chassis, an air-filled double-walled recycled-polymer body and manually operated double-hinged gullwing doors.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   This Tandem-Seat Electric Three-Wheeler For Sale Is Surprisingly Cool Level C Nico DeMattia · The Drive · 2024-04-14

   • capable of getting the little trike up to 53 mph

   Accessed 2026-11-13