Electric cars? Not so new

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By Vicki Brown

It was 25 years ago when the electric powered Corbin Sparrow made its debut. Although the car had glitches, Mike Smith, local Walterboro resident, immediately fell in love with it.

Smith was living in California at the time and was able to get his hands on one. “I worked on my Sparrow and became so knowledgeable at it that I am contacted by Sparrow owners all over the world asking for help. I even had someone call me from Japan, and I had to give assistance through a translator,” laughed Smith. He has upgraded his car to extend driving time and also installed different ways to charge the batteries.

The Corbin Sparrow looks odd, almost like a giant kiddy car.

It has two doors, three wheels, a fiberglass/resin body and is powered by electricity. There is one seat pod inside, and the motor hidden under the carriage, can be fully charged from a standard 110-outlet. It has a range of 50+ miles, and a top speed of 75-80 mph. He traded out the 12 batteries for an expensive Lithium, the new technology.

“I have been known to go to Costco in this car and pile everything I bought in this trunk,” he said. “It holds more than it seems to.”

There is no shifting of gears near the steering column, just a switch like a golf cart that allows the car to go forwards and backwards.

“There is a company that is producing two-seater cars similar to this one, and it will have air conditioning,” Smith said.

“The only issue I am worried about in my Sparrow is the windshield. No one can find the original mold for the glass. A company offered to make a mold, but we would have to purchase an entire gross, 100 windshields, at a time at a cost of $1,000 for each windshield,” said Smith. “I think I will just be extra careful with the one I have.”

Smith is aware of the prize he has; in another few years, the Sparrow will be labeled as a classic car, and since Corbin Motor’s built a total of 289 Sparrows before going filing for bankruptcy in 2003, Smith’s red ride may be extremely valuable. As it is, he wouldn’t take anything for his beloved car.

“You can’t own a car like this and not enjoy talking to people. Everywhere I go in it, someone wants to ask me about it,” Smith said. “Since I like talking to folks, especially about my Sparrow, this works out well. I love this car.”