Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar
Following on my post on the GM EV1, I ended up poking around a little more in the world of electric cars and, given my adoration for nearly all things '70s (vehicles anyway; well, some other stuff, too), I started looking into a little-known company that was, at one time the fifth (or sixth, estimates vary) largest automobile manufacturer, by volume, in the US--Sebring-Vanguard and its most famous product, the CitiCar. Like the EV1, I don't really lust after this car, although I hope one day to see one up close. At more than 2,500 units sold, this is the most successful electric car of the modern era and may be the reason why the electric-car idea gained momentum late in the century.
To be honest, I'm still not sure whether this was a good or a bad thing. For a lot of people, it may have functioned much as I argued the EV1 had, convincing people that an electric car could be practical for many everyday driving chores. For many, on the other hand, its diminutive size and lack of any real creature comforts also could have set the idea back significantly by creating the impression that electric cars were little more than slightly accessorized golf carts, worthwhile only for shuffling senior citizens to and from the shuffleboard parks within their retirement communities.
Be that as it may, I think it's worthwhile to take a look back and see how this little car came about and what it might say about our current efforts to create and sell non-petroleum-powered cars. If nothing else, we might get a smile or two out of just looking at the thing.
The CitiCar was, more than probably any other car, born out of the oil shocks of the early 1970s. Many models were downsized during the early-mid 1970s, but a number of them were in the works long before the 1973 OPEC embargo, largely in response to increasing sales of small, sporty Japanese coupes. The CitiCar, however, was in large part a direct response to the 1973 oil crisis.
The Citicar was the brainchild of one Bob Beaumont, an upstate New York car dealer. Beaumont knew the auto industry from the bottom up, having worked his way up from lot boy to owner by his mid-30s, so he knew what it took to get cars through the dealer networks and onto the lots and into showrooms. This gave him a leg up when it came to actually getting a product to market.
His initial product, the Vanguard, was, in fact, a glorified golf cart with aluminum poles holding up a canopy. While the Vanguard caught the attention of much of the press, it was really not ready for prime time. As luck would have it, industrial designer Jim Muir contacted Beaumont and they came up with a far more attractive design, the rolling cheese wedge. And thus the CitiCar was born.
The Citicar weighed about 1,300 pounds and had an ABS plastic body over a lightweight aluminum cage. Initially, it came in either 36- or 48-volt models producing between 2.5 and 3.5 horsepower from a standard GE electric motor, powered by either 6 or 8 standard 6-volt lead-acid batteries. This gave the 36-volt model a top speed of 28 mph whereas the 48-volt version could get you to 38. Range was said in sales literature to be up to 50 miles, but most considered 40 about average.
Creature comforts were, shall we say, minimal. The cheapest models came with plastic zip-up side windows and a scant 12 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats. Still, the cars had the usual array of standard equipment such as 3-point shoulder belts, windshield wipers, backup lights, etc. All in all, it was designed to be a functional road car, albeit a very simple one.
Beaumont initially lined up 240 dealerships--real Cadillac, Ford, and Chrysler dealerships--to sell them and shipped 2,300 for sale. The CitiCar garnered a large amount of press coverage, and initially Beaumont received a great deal of financial backing for the venture. Unfortunately, the bottom soon dropped out after Consumer Reports got hold of one and tested it, using such captivating phrases as "foolhardy to drive" and "dismal to virtual uselessness."
Utility and comfort aside, there is little doubt about the outcome of a collision between a CitiCar and your average Detroit iron of the day, and the CR review really put the nail in the CitiCar's coffin as a practical, everyday, mass-market automobile. It might not be fair to compare a niche vehicle with a full-size gasoline automobile, but, well, they all have to share the road, and safety had become a much higher priority by the 1970s.
And so, after a brief run of only four years (1974-1977) the Sebring-Vanguard company went out of business and was sold to Commuter Vehicles Inc. The latter actually continued building the CitiCar, making it a bit larger and more powerful, renaming it the CommutaCar. The new company also expanded the model range somewhat to include both a coupe and van, some of which were sold to the U.S. Postal Service as right-hand-drive models. Production, which reached over 4,000 vehicles, was discontinued in 1982 after another 4-year run. And thus, it would seem, was the end of Bob Beaumont's dream of selling millions of electric vehicles to the American masses.
But wait, there's more! Beaumont rebuilt his dealership business and eventually had another go at the electric vehicle market. This time, the product was a sporty 2-seat roadster called the Tropica and was about as far from the CitiCar as you could get. Again designed by Jim Muir, the Tropica was a true roadster with no roof at all, just a roll bar and Lexan windshield. Once again, it was stripped down to the basics, with no climate control, side windows, or even door locks to save weight. Stylewise, it owed more to the Dodge Viper than a golf cart.
Car and Driver gave it high marks for handling and acceleration, but they only managed a meager 36 miles before the battery reached its lowest threshold. Their review model was only a prototype and the production version was promised to be much better, but the company (Renaissance Cars) went belly up before production started.
So was the CitiCar a good idea? I leave that to the reader to decide. Functionally, there was really no comparison to even a low-end gas car in terms of performance, range, comfort, and safety. Stylewise, it's no doubt a matter of taste--Car and Driver described it as a cross between a doorstop and a milk carton--but one cannot help but break into a smile at seeing the little things running around town. As I noted above, I'm not sure if it helped or hurt the electric car movement. The CitiCar is probably the image many held of electric cars before the EV1 and others came out and showed that electric cars could be both stylish and have excellent performance.
Still, very few cars scream "1970s" like the CitiCar. A few hundred of them remain and many enthusiasts have taken them on as project cars to restore to their former, errr, glory. So let us raise a glass and toast the first fairly successful electric car of the modern era, and thank Bob Beaumont and Jim Muir for putting their beliefs into practice and producing this iconic--and minimalist!--symbol of a decade known more for automobile excess than simple transportation.
Credits: The Tropica photo is from GetMSM.com. Other photos are from Gigantico.com, The Electric Auto Association (for the photo with Beaumont), and Wikipedia. Much information was gleaned from Barbara Taylor's book The Lost Cord: A Storyteller's History of the Electric Car.
--Anthony Cagle
Cookie the Dog's Owner on January 26, 2010 at 09:44 AM
Pardon me for being so blunt, but that's not a car. It's an anti-car. It's a car for people who hate cars. It's the car all of us peasants will have to make do with if they ever outlaw the gasoline engine.
Everything that was wrong with the world in the 1970s is right there, on a 66-inch wheelbase.
(Shudders.)
Chris Hafner on January 26, 2010 at 09:50 AM
Yeah, I think this car, and the spectre of others like it, that made automotive enthusiasts terrified of electric cars.
Still, it makes me smile. It's got some cute ugliness going on, and I love the wedge of cheese comparison. Oh, and if that's Bob Beaumont pictured, there's something about him and that photo that makes me want to punch him in the face.
That Car Guy on January 26, 2010 at 10:04 AM
I still see vehicles like this CitiCar and others such as the Tata Nano ( http://www.carlustblog.com/2009/06/tata-nano.html ) as a viable merge between a motor scooter and a real car in tight city applications. It's definitely not a freeway or boulevard cruiser, but it'll bring the groceries and books home. Parking should be easy, too.
I've said before that I hope a new class of cars like this will be born here soon. For these urban vehicles, maybe bumper standards could be relaxed. That should help in weight and cost reductions, but a body cage would still be needed. Some better wheels and streamlined headlights would help its looks.
Chris, may I stand in line after you to give that schmuck "what for" as well?
Steaming Pile on January 26, 2010 at 01:19 PM
@TCG - I have a Scion xA. While it is indeed a gasoline car with seating for four (Toyota says five, but who are they kidding?), as a matter of practicality, it is a city car. While it's a blast to drive around town, on the Thruway it leaves much to be desired. But I rarely need it to drive on the Thruway, just around town. So for my needs, electric would be fine, as long as it was simple and cheap.
But there's this winter thing you all were talking about in the EV1 thread. I live in central New York, which gets rather cold in winter, not to mention snowy. It would be hard to get around in a 1300 pound plastic car whose batteries were vulnerable to the cold weather. I seem to remember John Larroquette driving one of these things indoors in his 90s sitcom (The John Larroquette Show), so he could plug it in while he was at work. I don't see my employer indulging my need to keep my minicar indoors and plugged in, but if such vehicles were ever to catch on, I could see carports being built for them, complete with coin-operated charging ports. How many Sacagaweas would it cost to top off my car during my shift? Your guess is as good as mine. Sodas cost a buck and a half, but coffee is free.
That Car Guy on January 26, 2010 at 02:59 PM
I guess, for now, electric cars are warm weather only. But at least it's a start.
tigerstrypes on January 26, 2010 at 03:35 PM
From what I've read, this thing is better optioned than a Tata! Needless to say, it looks better too. I'd add fatter, go-kart-style tires though. ^^
Chris Matheson on January 26, 2010 at 10:33 PM
There is a car wash in my neighborhood that has one of those out front. The Lane Motor Museum has one as well: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1186/604713716_12ea5e8ca9_o.jpg
They are pretty hideous.
CJinSD on January 27, 2010 at 01:25 PM
"A cross between a doorstop and a milk carton." LOL It makes me nostalgic for when Car and Driver had excellent writers.
Chuck on January 27, 2010 at 02:43 PM
I think the doorstop won.
Tommy's Dad on January 31, 2010 at 05:00 PM
Chris: is that pic with the 5mph bumpers? Holy Smokes they didn't integrate those well, did they?
As for the car itself, the only way you could ever hate it or consider it ugly is if you think of it as an actual car, and I just can't do that. It's not a car, it's a shuttlepod from Star Trek, or something a Bond villain's henchmen would drive around inside his secret volcano base, or something for 70s goobers to loiter around while waiting for Chris Hafner to facepunch them. Anything but a real car. And in the context of not being a real car, it's just ridiculously ugly-cute.
Bill on February 17, 2010 at 03:05 AM
This car reminds me of the Mechanix Illustrated Build Your Own Electric Car - http://www.adclassix.com/a3/78electriccar.html
Phil on August 02, 2010 at 12:13 PM
What was the original price of the 1973 Citicar? I know of 3 yellow ones in fairly good condition and have been in storage on blocks since the 1980's. Any one with original price information and a interest in possibly purchasing one, e-mail me at (psommars@tampabay.rr.com)
Charles Mac Artnur on August 09, 2010 at 08:25 AM
I bought a 36volt Citricar in 1974 and still have it. It once competed in the 1975 Mt. Washington alternative Vehicle Regatta and nade it all the way to the 4000 foot level. 4 our of 6 ain't bad.
Hummer drives and their ilk would find it repugnant [dictionary word for butt ugly] but the feeling is mutual. I commuted to wark at South Windsor, CT, over some pretty good hills, and in the 1970s paid a nickle each way, plugged into an outlet each way, 30 mile round trip. then I moved away to escape tailpipe smoggers.
My doughter got her driver's license in the Citicar, and the examiner, when asked what he thought, [like many of your reqaders] said "There are better ways to commit suicide!" There sure are.
Our local kids watch TV commercials for 16 years before their test, and in every commercial the cars on display are driven by crazy suicidal stuntmen. Often kids kill themselves before they got old enough to realize that their car wheels don't turn backwards like tv cars. Where we are headed it can't be too long before the recreational use of gasoline becomes a felony
Ugly? Of course, but so are sex organs, and who would be willing to do without them?