1974

" A CAR FOR A CRISIS Responding to OPEC’s oil embargo of the United States, SebringVanguard’s CitiCar made its debut in 1974 with a top speed of more than 30 mph and a warm-weather range of 40 miles. Founded by former Chrysler dealer Bob Beaumont, the Sebring, Florida–based outfit was, by 1976, the sixth-largest U.S. automaker. From 1974 to 1979, when the company went under, 4,444 vehicles were built. Its successor, Commuter Vehicles, owned by Frank Flowers, built an estimated 2,144 Comuta-Cars until 1982.