Editing ZX Spectrum (section)

=== Later years and company decline ===
[[File:Sinclair sale to Amstrad 1986 Sinclair Sugar handshake.jpg|thumb|Sinclair shaking hands with [[Alan Sugar]], to mark the conclusion of the sale to [[Amstrad]] in 1986]]
The ZX Spectrum's successor, the [[Sinclair QL]], was officially announced on 12 January 1984, shortly before the [[Macintosh 128K]] went on sale.{{sfn|Denham|1984a|p=4}} Contrasting with its predecessors, the QL was aimed at more serious, professional home users.{{sfn|Sawford|1984|p=47}} It suffered from several design flaws; fully operational QLs were not available until the late summer, and complaints against Sinclair concerning delays were upheld by the [[Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)|Advertising Standards Authority]] (ASA) in May of that year. Particularly serious were allegations that Sinclair was cashing cheques months before machines were shipped. By autumn 1984, Sinclair was still publicly forecasting that it would be a "million seller" and that 250,000 units would be sold by the end of the year.{{sfn|Munford|1984|p=72}} QL production was suspended in February 1985, and the price was halved by the end of the year.<ref name="Timex/Sinclair history">{{cite web|url=http://www.zqaonline.com/Events/History.aspx|title=Timex/Sinclair history|work=ZQAOnline|access-date=15 December 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060717042421/http://www.zqaonline.com/Events/History.aspx|archive-date=17 July 2006}}</ref> It ultimately flopped, with 139,454 units being manufactured.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Tony |title=Sinclair's 1984 big shot at business: The QL is 30 years old |url=https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/12/archaeologic_sinclair_ql/?page=2 |website=[[The Register]] |publisher=Situation Publishing |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212112255/https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/12/archaeologic_sinclair_ql/?page=2 |archive-date=12 December 2022 |location=London |language=en}}</ref>

The ZX Spectrum+, a rebranded ZX Spectrum with identical technical specifications except for the QL-like keyboard, was introduced in October 1984 and made available in WHSmith's stores the day after its launch. Retailers stocked the device in high quantities, anticipating robust Christmas sales. Nevertheless, the product did not perform as well as projected, leading to a significant drop in Sinclair's income from orders in January, as retailers were left with surplus stock. Subsequently, an upgraded model, the ZX Spectrum 128, was released in Spain in September 1985, with development financed by the Spanish distributor Investrónica.<ref name="Kept in the Dark">{{cite magazine | date = November 1985 | title = Kept in the Dark | magazine = [[Crash (magazine)|CRASH]] | issue = 22 | url = http://www.crashonline.org.uk/22/editrl.htm | access-date = 15 December 2006 | archive-date = 14 May 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110514040006/http://www.crashonline.org.uk/22/editrl.htm | url-status = live }}</ref> The launch of this model in the UK was postponed until January 1986 due to the substantial leftover inventory of the prior model.<ref name="comphist-spec128">{{cite web|url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/cgi-bin/sitewise.pl?act=det&p=2584|title=Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128|publisher=The Centre for Computing History|access-date=4 December 2009|archive-date=21 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821130000/http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/cgi-bin/sitewise.pl?act=det&p=2584|url-status=live}}</ref>

While the Sinclair QL was in development, Sinclair also hoped to repeat his success with the Spectrum in the fledgling electric vehicle market, which he saw as ripe for a new approach. On 10 January 1985, Sinclair unveiled the [[Sinclair C5]], a small one-person [[battery electric vehicle|battery electric]] [[Recumbent bicycle|recumbent]] [[tricycle]]. It marked the culmination of Sir Clive's long-running interest in electric vehicles.{{sfn|Dale|1985|p=151}} The C5 turned out to be a significant commercial failure, selling only 17,000 units and losing Sinclair £7 million. It has since been described as "one of the great marketing bombs of postwar British industry".{{sfn|Fraser|1986|p=14}} The ASA ordered Sinclair to withdraw advertisements for the C5 after finding that the company's claims about its safety could not be proved or justified.<ref>{{cite news|title=C5 advert claims rejected|date=17 July 1985|work=[[The Times]]|publisher=[[News Corp]]|location=London|page=3}}</ref>

The combined failures of the C5 and QL caused investors to lose confidence in Sinclair's judgement. In May 1985, Sinclair Research announced their intention to raise an additional £10 to £15 million to restructure the organisation. Given the loss of confidence in the company, securing the funds proved to be a challenging task. In June 1985, business magnate [[Robert Maxwell]] disclosed a takeover bid for Sinclair Research through Hollis Brothers, a subsidiary of his [[Pergamon Press]].<ref name="nyt-srl">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/18/business/sinclair-to-sell-british-unit.html|title=Sinclair to Sell British Unit|date=18 June 1985|work=[[The New York Times]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|url-access=limited|access-date=4 December 2009|archive-date=18 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518140601/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/18/business/sinclair-to-sell-british-unit.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the deal was terminated in August 1985.<ref name="newyorkdeal">{{cite news |title=Hollis pulls out of Sinclair offer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/10/business/hollis-pulls-out-of-sinclair-offer.html |access-date=19 October 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=10 August 1985 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516175942/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/10/business/hollis-pulls-out-of-sinclair-offer.html |archive-date=16 May 2023 |location=New York City |page=32}}</ref> The future of Sinclair Research remained uncertain until 7 April 1986, when the company sold their entire computer product range, along with the "Sinclair" brand name, to [[Alan Sugar]]'s [[Amstrad]] for £5 million.{{sfn|Kidd|1986|p=7}} The takeover sent ripples through the [[London Stock Exchange]], but Amstrad's shares soon recovered, with one stock broker affirming that "[[City of London|the City]] appears to have taken the news in its stride".{{sfn|Scolding|1986|p=7}} Amstrad's acquisition of the brand name saw the release of three ZX Spectrum models throughout the late 1980s, each with varying improvements.{{sfn|Phillips|1986|p=47}}

By 1990, Sinclair Research consisted of Sinclair and two other employees down from 130 employees at its peak in 1985.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/19/magazine/inventing-the-future.html | title = Inventing the Future | first = Barnaby | last = Feder | date = 19 May 1985 | accessdate = 18 September 2021 | work = [[The New York Times]]|location=New York City|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516193313/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/19/magazine/inventing-the-future.html|archivedate=16 May 2023}}</ref> The ZX Spectrum was officially discontinued in 1992, after ten years on the market.{{sfn|Leigh|2018|p=70}}<ref name="bbclegacy" /> Sinclair Research continued to exist as a one-man company, marketing Sir Clive Sinclair's inventions until his death in September 2021.