Actor Don Johnson & Others Buy Electric Car Co.

18 July 1999

SAN FRANCISCO--Actor Don Johnson has teamed up with a group of Chinese venture 
capitalists and American investment bankers to buy Zebra Motors Inc., an 
electric vehicle manufacturer at the former Alameda Naval Air Station, according 
to a story in the San Francisco Business Times.

The new owners plan to begin limited production of the electric Model Z Roadster 
as early as September, the newspaper reports in its July 16-22 issue. (They have 
also changed the name of the company to Xebra Motors Inc., to avoid potential 
trademark infringement.) Johnson, the San Francisco-based film, stage and 
TV actor best known for his roles in two television series, "Miami Vice" and "Nash Bridges," 
was not available for comment.

But John Huetter, executive director of the CalStart electric vehicle incubator 
in Alameda, said the company plans to produce cars in both China and Alameda. 
The CalStart incubator has provided facilities and support to various electric 
vehicle companies, including Johnson's venture.

While most of the parties involved in the deal were bound by nondisclosure agreements, 
sources confirmed Johnson's participation in the deal.

Xebra's web site lists its investors as W.I. Harper Group, an international 
investment banking firm, and Unison Pacific Corp. Unison is a subsidiary of 
the $500 million-asset Chinese venture capital firm Unison Group, which built 
the 1,000-room Great Wall Hotel in Beijing.

Former majority investor Gary Starr and others acquired the company's assets in 
1996 and moved the company to Novato. Zebra movedto the CalStart EV Hatchery in 
Alameda in 1996. The company's Model Z Roadster was originally designed and 
built by Renaissance Motors Inc. in Palm Beach, Fla.

The Model Z Roadster has already appeared in "Nash Bridges" episodes, which 
are filmed in the Bay Area. The sporty two-seater was driven by the character 
Caitlin Cross, played by Yasmine Bleeth.

Don got my character an electric car," Bleeth told the Austin (Texas) American 
Statesman in an earlier interview. "He was very adamant about it." The car 
was originally white, but, she said, "We actually had some guys -- some paint 
guys -- come up with some different paint chips to match the exact color of my 
eyes. So it is kind of a Yasmine-blue car."

Johnson also plans to film "Nash Bridges" episodes in a Ghirardelli 
Square restaurant he recently acquired, now renamed Ana Mandara, according to 
reports.