Snub Tesla’s so-called early adopters with this 1976 Sebring CitiCar EV

There are “city cars,” and then there are

CitiCars

. The former being a genre of small car, and the latter being a goofy

EV

sold in the 1970s.

BarnFinds.com

just listed an extremely pristine example of the rare and historic ride with 122 miles under its belt. There’s just one catch: It needs new batteries.

Electric vehicles first gained popularity in the late 1800s and early 1900s before internal combustion took over, and 100 years later, they’re once again on the rise. In between these two time periods, EVs were not making headlines, but a few did pop up here and there, as company’s experimented with various specialty vehicles and

alternative fuel

sources. The Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar emerged in the ’70s, and according to the

U.S. Department of Energy

, Sebring-Vanguard had sold more than 2,000 of these wedges and was the sixth-largest U.S. auto manufacturer by 1975. Before the

current EV trend,

it was one of the biggest EV efforts the country had ever seen.

The example here is a 1976 model, and it is a time capsule on wheels. It has been kept in climate-controlled storage and has only driven 122 miles. The paint, the body, the wheels, the interior trim, and the dashboard are all in great shape. Look at that sunroof! The only major downsides are that it needs new batteries and new brakes.

Those looking for a

torquey EV

with a strong range will need to look elsewhere. These little guys were said to have less than 5 hp, could only do 35-40 mph, and could only travel about 40-50 miles on a single charge. Not exactly impressive, but remember, the CitiCar is a city car meant for short trips.

The car, which comes with a trailer and some original paperwork, is located in Ohio and is listed for $3,950. Jump to

Barn Finds

for more information.