Detailers found a long-forgotten 1970s EV made in Florida and washed for the first time in 20 years
- This tiny EV dates back to the 1970s
- Over 4,440 units were sold
- One of these recently resurfaced in Florida
Published on Nov 08, 2024 at 4:09 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Nov 08, 2024 at 4:10 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
This long-forgotten EV from the 1970s, simply called Sebring CitiCar, recently resurfaced in Florida.
It’s really minute, just 2.4 meters in length, and it’s fully electric, even though it only makes 6 horsepower.
It isn’t particularly powerful, but it is quite agile due to its size.
It’s also relatively common because, believe it or not, this tiny EV remained in production for about three years.
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How this tiny EV ended up in Florida
The guys from the M.A.D. Detailing channel explained the story behind this tiny EV in a video on the channel.
The car, by the way, was brought to them by Jimmy of the Jimmy’s World YouTube channel, the guy who bought Elvis Presley’s jet and spent a fortune turning it into an RV.
Although to be fair we need to remember he did it in just 18 months.
Jimmy, who clearly has a knack for unusual vehicles, showed up with microscopic EV to have it detailed and washed for the first time in 20 years.
He also clearly has a thing for red vehicles.
Both his Sebring Citycar and his Elvis Presley’s jet-turned-RV are finished in a shade of red that’s almost identical.
The story behind the Sebring CitiCar
We tend to forget this sometimes, but EVs have been around for longer than we think.
They first appeared over 100 years ago, even before gas cars, but never really caught on until the early 2010s.
The first electric car in the United States was developed in 1890, 18 years before the arrival of the Ford Model T.
Obviously, and probably rightly so, we don’t really talk about it as much because the Ford Model T is still around today.
Here’s another fun fact: the CitiCar held the record for the best-selling EV assembled in North America for about 30 years, from 1979 and until 2011, when the record was beaten by the Nissan Leaf.
Even though it looks a bit funky, it actually did quite well in the market, with over 4,400 units sold.
Whatever it ends up used for today, there’s no doubting that it’s a fascinating relic of the past.
