In the USA, a 2000 Corbin Sparrow, an unusual single-seat electric car with three wheels and an enclosed body, has been put up for auction on Bring a Trailer. The car is currently in a project state: it has been stored for many years in a museum in Fort Worth, Texas, and requires restoration.
The Sparrow was designed as a maximally compact vehicle for short urban trips. Unlike a motorcycle, it protected the driver from bad weather, took up minimal space on the road and in parking, and used an electric powertrain.
The concept emerged in the 1990s, when lithium-ion batteries were not yet a mass automotive technology. The Sparrow used heavy lead-acid batteries, which significantly limited its practicality. It was the batteries that became one of the reasons why the unusual project never became a mass-produced vehicle.
At the same time, the car's creator, Mike Corbin, well understood the capabilities of electric traction. Back in 1974, he set a speed record of over 165 mph (266 km/h) on an electric motorcycle called Quicksilver, which held for almost four decades.
Today, the situation looks completely different. Lithium-ion batteries have become lighter and more capacious, so technically restoring a Sparrow with a modern battery pack is significantly easier than in the early 2000s.
That's why this strange yellow three-wheeler is interesting not only to collectors. Its design actually proposed an idea that, decades later, has become relevant again: for an urban trip, a full-fledged four-wheeled car might be excessive.
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