Jalopnik
So you want a plug-in electric but don't feel like waiting to buy a Chevy Volt or a Tesla Roadster? Do you also only need to hit 40 MPH on a straightaway and said straightaway is only 40 miles long? Then maybe you need to get yourself a 110V plug-in 1979 Sebring-Vanguard electric CitiCar. Oh, you can't find one of the 2,200 little 3.5 HP two-seaters powered by eight 6V golf-cart batteries made by the Sebring-Vanguard car company from the Florida city of the same name? No worries, there's one up on EBay and you've got about two hours left before the gavel drops. The current bid's just $1,550. Wait, you want to know more? Hit the jump — we'll pass for now, we're waiting for a second one for the other foot.
Available for auction is an electric comuta-car. This is an all electric car built in Sebring Florida in the 70's as a fight against high fuel costs and to be pollution free. You would plug it into a 110 V outlet to charge the batteries, and experience up to 40 miles of inexpensive driving at speeds up to 40 m.p.h. It is made of all aluminum and cycolac body. The advertising says that all of the components, such as, differential,brakes wheels, tires, and electrical systems have been engineered, tested and developed for specific application in an electric car. It has been made with a full roll cage crafted of aircraft aluminum to offer protection. Extra high back seats and belts are added for safety. This car was originally sold for $4,495.00 new. I do have have a few a couple pages of advertisement price sheet and a service manual.[via EBay Motors]This electric car has been sitting for years. It does not run. This is a complete car with side doors and door handles. I am not positive that this is a 1979 car as I am still looking for the title. The storage of the batteries are concealed in the bumpers. It has 763 mi. on the odometer. It is an orange car. The body has a couple minor cracks. One on the drivers door and one on the A-pillar. It has an Illinois tag on it from 1982-83, being the last time it was ran. The interior is very nice. No wear or tares. It needs cleaned up and a new set of batteries. This car is sold as is, no warranty intended or implied. I am also taking offers on the car locally so I reserve the right to pull the car from the auction at anytime. It will need to be trailered at time of pick up. There is a reasonably low reserve on the car..
Comments
My Hummer is still hungry.
this should be PCH. HAYABUSA SWAP PCH!!!
"No wear or tares. It needs cleaned up and a new set of batteries." nice grammar and spelling
Looks a bit like a Bond Bug.
Looks a bit like a piece of cheese.
I may be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure I don't need one.
It has been confirmed, yet again, given enough monkeys, master works of literature could be produced. What confirms it? The gaggle of errors in this eBay ad. How do these people function on a day-to-day basis?!
Oh, and a 'reasonably low' reserve on a Malaise-era beastlet like this should be $0.50.
Jay Leno should scarf it up and slap a turbo- and supercharged GL1800 engine/drivetrain into it. Wheelies, anyone?
I wish I had the cash to spring for this right now. I would totally drive it on my 1 mile commute to work Jay Leno in a Stanley Steamer stylee.
if it had an 8 track in the dash I'd be all over it
Interesting that you'd place this true minicar directly above two midsize wagons that are merely called minis.
kinda diggin the faux Bricklin bumper up front
Well you can buy one of these and pretend your a Sandman from Logan's Run except when you yell "run Runner!" thay can actually outrun you
See! This is all anyone really needs. For those rare cases when you need a vehicle more capable than this you can simply rent it. This vehicle is perfectly acceptable for daily commuting and I, for one, can't wait until the government forces me to buy it.
This is great! It's got a NACA air intake on the front, so you know it's aerodynamic. The only unfortunate thing is that the federal bumper laws really ruined its smooth lines.
763 miles in its lifetime? A round of golf covers 4 miles, so this wasn't the most durable vehicle ever built.
It is my understanding that the new Tesla battery-powered car should be able to go at least twice as far in its lifetime.
@amblito: I think it just WANTS to be a Bond Bug when it grows up.
Because I want to be like Ed Begley, Jr.
@Яṻst-MÿËnemÿ: Yes, I'm willing to take the chance on being wrong on this too. But there are bound to be some mall security guys who are hanging on every bid.
Why not just get yourself an actual golf cart and at least spare yourself some humiliation? I live in lower manhattan and would love to tool around in a golf-cart all Van Wilder style, but its not legal. This thing is just retarded.
They must have found Harris Mann, "The Shape of Things to Come!" under the Illuminations in Liverpool.
Quite possibly the world's only $2400.00 door stop!
I remember researching these cars for an article on electric cars long ago. Actually, you would have a choice with this car on its best day. You might go 40 miles if you kept the speed below, say, 25. Or you might go 40 miles-per-hour for, say, 25 minutes (maybe). No wind, no cargo, no passengers. Yeah, you might do one of the two. I'm mad for that woodgrain dash, though, and I get a special thrill from bodies containing "cycolac." Imagine a world where we all drove around in these. Imagine the kind of mind that thinks it would be WONDERFUL if we were all forced to drive around in these. Check out [www.tcsdaily.com] I think most of what's there still applies.
Well one positive thing is those blind people angry at hybrids and electrical vehicles never have to see this car. Or hear it.
I've seen a couple of these on ebay before... I think it's the ultimate geekmobile.
Pffft. I can move faster than that on a recumbent bike.
Try this site:
[www.easyracers.com]
it's good to see the world's t-squares and triangles were put to good use.
I'm disappointed to see faux side scoops are not a "new" thing.
@PÖLAЯ: The doorstop is more reliable. Bean power works for me in nice weather, most everything is a mile or less away.
Wow, this guy really knows how to sell:
"This is a complete car with side doors and door handles."
Really? Do you actually have to specify this? On a vehicle that isn't a Jeep I mean.
I do like the optimistic 50 MPH speedometer and funky sideways odometer though.
@petersterncan:
That looks like something a poofer would pedal.
I love on the speedo how there looks to be a long pause between the 45 and 50.
At least it's realistic.
@Яṻst-MÿËnemÿ: I love how it only managed to accumulate 736.1 miles before at least one person said, "WTF was I thinking?"
i imagine the safety guys wanted a flashing yellow light on top to warn people there was a slow vehicle ahead, but it cut the rage to 20 miles...
A smart man once made quite the statement about electric cars such as this one. It was of this effect:
You can't run the heater because you'll wear the battery down.
You can't use the wipers because you'll wear the battery down.
You can't use the headlights because you'll wear the battery down.
You can't bring a passenger because you'll wear the battery down.
You can't being luggage because you'll wear the battery down.
You can't use your turn signal because you'll wear the battery down.
You can't listen to the radio because you'll wear the battery down.
You can't speed up because you'll wear the battery down.
You can't change lanes because you'll wear the battery down.
And, you can't slow down because you'll wear the battery down.
Welcome to the world of the Citicar.
Let's see... 763 miles, divided by 40 miles per charge... comes to 19.075 chrages, and thus 19.075 hours have been spent driving the fucker.
@smokeydog001: Nah... the style isn't "fabulous enough" for a gay person. Gay people are into Land Rovers and Volvos. Also, gay people have sex... which disqualifies them from having a Citicar/Commutacar. I believe there are two demographics for the Citicar:
1. Someone who is celibate, is interested in the efficiency differences between an electric motor and a gasoline/diesel engine, gets a kick out of the much greater efficiency he's getting compared to everybody else and is interested in getting the best efficiency per dollar.
2. Someone with a sense of humour and would get a kick out of people's reactions to the car. For example... you're dating a girl that you kind of want to break up with. So to help the process along, instead of showing up for dates your Porsche/Jag/Mercedes/Saab... etc, you show up with the Citicar/Commutacar... and then perhaps drive by an area where she'll be seen by people she knows.
I fall into the #2 demographic.
What, no "nom-nom-nom" caption yet?
¡ʎddɐɥ ¡ɯou ɯou ɯou ɯo
1979 model year, last registered in 1983. The car was used for about 4 years and 763 miles. That's 190 miles a year- and the seller still mentions that the interior is free of wear and tear- as if it wouldn't go without saying on something with practically test drive miles on it.
Looking at this car, I'd say it was more of a case of the electric car committing suicide, rather than being killed by someone else.
@petersterncan: If the girl you're dating is cool enough to be into a second date after the CitiCar, propose. Heck, if she's car-smart enough to be into you after the Saab, propose! It's like speed-dating for gearheads.
Am I the only one who immediately thought "Welcome to Johnny Cab!" and expected the Governator to pop out?
Wow!!! A couple of these for ramps on my car trailer.
Where is this road legal?
@kleinlowe: I agree... in my case, the girl I married was still into me even though "my car" at the time we met was a combination of my mom's Ford Escort and public transit. And the first car I could truly call my own was a Ford Festiva.
She's happy as long as the car runs and actually likes cars with character.
The Saab I own right now was more her idea than mine.
Wow, this looks like it belongs in the movie Brazil. WANT!
@petersterncan:
LOL I was refering to the recumbent bike.
@PÖLAЯ: Not the only, Triumph TR7 has that distinction also.
I think I saw this on Sealab 2021, right before Hesh blew up Pod 4.
I can haz Jonny Cab from teh Total Recall?
@cyclopticgaze: Where else but on Jalopnik could you have a discussion about an old Electric Car, and have an obscure Adult Swim reference thrown in for good measure.
You don't find this stuff on Autoblog!