A small grey electric vehicle has become an unusually recognisable sight on the roads around Stroud. The Citroën Ami, branded with the name of Montpellier Legal, is not only part of the Stroud-based firm’s company fleet but has also been used as a compact studio for filmed interviews.
The vehicle was chosen after Nick Ponting, the firm’s chief operating officer, saw one abroad several years ago. Ponting said he first encountered the model in Monaco, where its unconventional design immediately made an impression on him. He later decided that a similarly distinctive vehicle could help Montpellier Legal stand out in and around Stroud.
“I first saw one of these cars in Monaco about, I don’t know, 10 years ago, eight years ago, something like that, and loved it. I thought, what a wacky car,” he said.
The Ami has since become a moving advertisement for the business. Its small dimensions, grey bodywork and Montpellier Legal branding make it easy to notice as it travels through town and the surrounding area. Ponting said the decision was intended to attract attention rather than simply provide another conventional company car.
“What a great vehicle that catches attention. So, we got it as a bit of a – I wouldn’t say a laugh, but to draw some attention.”
That aim appears to have been achieved. Ponting said he has driven supercars and racing cars, but believes the Ami attracts more attention than any of them. Its appearance prompts people to look twice, even though its performance is considerably less dramatic than that of the cars he has driven previously.
A slow trip along the A419 bypass
The Ami is technically classed as a quadricycle rather than a conventional car. Ponting was frank about the limitations that come with its unusual format, describing its handling as poor and saying he would not want to take it on a race track.
“How does it handle? Not great,” he said.
The vehicle’s maximum speed is another reason it can be conspicuous on busy roads. Ponting said it reaches only 28 miles per hour, even when travelling downhill. That makes the journey from Stroud along the A419 bypass a slow one for the driver and potentially frustrating for vehicles behind.
“Flat out downhill, 28 miles an hour,” he explained.
Ponting joked that his journeys on the bypass normally leave a long line of traffic behind him.
“From Stroud along the A419 bypass, I’ve normally got about 30 cars queued behind me,” he said.
The comment was made humorously rather than as a measured traffic count, but it illustrates the contrast between the Ami’s eye-catching design and its modest road speed. The vehicle is intended for a very different purpose from the performance cars Ponting has driven, and its appeal lies as much in its character as in its practicality.
Part of Montpellier Legal’s electric fleet
Although the Ami’s unusual appearance gives the firm a promotional talking point, Montpellier Legal says the vehicle also forms part of its wider environmental approach. The firm is a certified B Corporation, a status associated in the source material with a commitment to improving its environmental and social impact.
Montpellier Legal operates a fleet of electric vehicles for staff, and the Ami is included within that fleet. Ponting acknowledged that persuading employees to use the tiny vehicle is more difficult than getting them into the firm’s other cars, but said the wider choice of electric company vehicles reflects the importance of sustainability to the business.
“We’ve got a fleet of electric cars that staff use. This being one of them, although trying to get people into the Ami is a bit more difficult staff-wise,” he said.
He added that the firm’s company cars are electric as part of its approach to sustainability.
“But in terms of how we are sustainably, it’s important. And obviously having the vehicles that we use as company cars, they’re all based on being electric.”
That combination of environmental purpose and distinctive branding has given the Ami several roles at once. It is a vehicle for staff, a visible expression of the firm’s electric-car policy, a way of generating conversations about Montpellier Legal and a familiar feature for people travelling around Stroud.
A miniature television studio
The Ami has also been given a second career through Ponting’s work as a motoring presenter. He began inviting guests into the passenger seat for informal filmed interviews, using the vehicle’s cramped interior as an unlikely television studio.
The first series featured a varied group of guests: Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun presenter Laura Hamilton, Formula 1 broadcaster Laura Winter, local musician Vince Freeman, actor Susan Lynch and Gloucester rugby player Jack Clement.
The restricted space became part of the format rather than a problem to hide. Ponting recalled that Jack Clement, who is about 6ft 4in, could barely get into the car. Freeman brought a guitar and sang during his appearance, adding to the informal character of the interviews.
The idea was first tested with Ponting’s son, who could not stop laughing. Ponting said that relaxed atmosphere carried through when he began filming conversations with other guests. With little room for distractions, people naturally found themselves talking in the confined passenger compartment.
“You just naturally find yourself chatting in there,” he said.
The first series received positive feedback, and Ponting hopes to revive the concept with more episodes. He said the number of people living and working in Stroud and the surrounding area means there is no shortage of potential contributors.
When asked which guests from the motoring world he would most like to interview, Ponting named Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond. He also made clear that the local community remains an important source of possible guests, alongside better-known figures from broadcasting, sport, music and entertainment.
More journeys and interviews planned
For now, the grey Ami will continue its slow journeys around Stroud as part of Montpellier Legal’s electric fleet. Its limited speed, compact dimensions and distinctive appearance have made it difficult to overlook, while its use as an interview space has extended its role beyond ordinary business transport.
The vehicle therefore combines several strands of the firm’s public identity: electric motoring, environmental and social commitments, local visibility and an interest in informal conversations. It also gives Ponting a platform for meeting people connected with Stroud and for pursuing the motoring interviews he hopes to continue.
As the source article puts it, the next stage for the unusual project is simply: “Watch this space.”
