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 1996 was another year of incredible growth at Corbin, over 20% up in all areas, saddles and fiberglass sales. Tom was working hard to get us a larger building and the decision to make it in Hollister was pretty much decided . We moved to Hollister on Christmas/New Years '97/'98. Tom had been working hard on trading our building in Castroville for land to build a large facility in Hollister. His formal real estate experience paid off. In California the extra time it takes to permit and build industrial buildings is longer that one usually expects.
Mike was granted a mechanical patent on a method to manufacture motorcycle saddles and was awarded a gold seal copy. This invention revolutionized the aftermarket motorcycle saddle industry, stimulating much excitement at Corbin. Mike went ahead and filed for an additional mechanical patent on similar subject matter. That second mechanical patent was awarded to Mike in 1997. These two patents still are barriers to entry, helping Corbin to do enlightened work in the motorcycle industry.
M ike and Tom were looking for opportunity in the car business, knowing they did not want to make a car like cars that were already in production and enjoying economy of scale. Mike put a 4x8 foot piece of plywood on the floor, a stool, three car wheels and a kitchen chair on it. He sat down and told the team he believed a single passenger electric three wheel car could be designed to take up about as much room as a motorcycle.
Mike had collected a good team of fabrication model makers over the last few years who developed a wonderful "Let's do it!" attitude. Designers and artists sometimes seem like dreamers, but more often are powerful observers and beautiful packagers of ideas.
Sparrow was taking on a shape and concept of its own based on the packaging of several ideas.
1. We want her to be a zero emissions vehicle so she will be electric.
2. We want her to be small in the city because cities lack space. Four Sparrows can park in the space of one car. Call it four-to one-parking.
3. Motorcycle parking would be splendid for the little bird. It's inexpensive and sometimes free. It requires a motorcycle license plate.
4. Sparrow would like to fly in the commuter lanes during peak hours, so a motorcycle license plate and one seat would classify her as 100 percent occupied. She'll save time-imagine passing a thousand sedans on the Golden Gate Bridge I the morning. "Make Sparrow's Day"
5. Low mass. A one-person Sparrow could be made with a great deal less weight, saving energy and extending the electric vehicle capacity for travel. It would require less raw materials and less labor.
6. Ovalic shaped sphere could be small and strong. The sphere would actually serve as master attachment bracket for body, chassis and safety cabin. Consolidation is our design advantage.
7. Three wheel vehicle under 1500 lbs is classified as a motorcycle by the Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) so Sparrow can fly in the diamond land and perch in motorcycle parking.
8. The small ovalic shape helps hold down the Coefficient of Drag Times Area (CDA) numbers; smaller and cleaner; more performance saving energy with less pollution.
9. Three wheels reduces the rolling friction by 25 percent and eliminates the heavy cross axle in the rear; More efficiency.
10. Three wheels sit on the road nicer and reduce a high percentage of chassis twisting forces, enabling a reduction in chassis weight.
11. An enclosed vehicle provides security and weather protection.
12. Sparrow will have her own look. She will look like her job and her purpose.
13. A new vehicle that does not do what common cars do, but does things that common cars cannot do. Sparrow shall not be developed to replace cars but to add dimension to the ways people move around.
14. 78% of America travels 18 miles per day. That can be done in an electric car creating no air pollution.
15. 93% of the time one drives a car, the driver is solo. 78% (electric) multiplied by 93% (solo) = 72% of America's trips can be done in a Sparrow. Oh yea, you are unable to carry plywood so let's reduce 72% to 70%. Seven out of ten times an American gets into a car, Sparrow is capable of finishing the flight.
16. Don't sell your regular car; you'll need it for going on trips and carrying plywood. That old car is needed about 30% of the time and it will last you much longer because you won't need it that much.
 The opportunity for Sparrow was coming together in Tom's and Mike's minds. They were niche hunters, looking for a fraction of a percentage of the world's most prevalent industry, automobiles, the largest industry on earth. Both father and son felt that they needed a definable product at the century's turn, even without big numbers, they felt physical realization of the Sparrow dream should be flying around.
Can we make money with the Sparrow? No, not for many years. Not until each Sparrow can be brought to flight with a net profit on each bird.
Mike was always a bird lover, living with parrots in his homes for years, admiring Sparrows for the quick, agile determination. The name "Sparrow" was starting to take on status. Mike committed to Sparrow and everyone loved it. In December of 1996 Mike filed for a United States registration for the word "Sparrow" to be used as a name an electric car. The registration was granted by the U.S. Patent Office in 1999 and carries a U.S. registration number.
Two major areas of work began with Corbin toolmakers, design ideas onto paper and actually begin building the prototype.
Two outside companies were attempting to develop brushless DC motors and controllers specifically for the Sparrow, but both failed and were unable to deliver anything that would work. Tom and Mike weren't overly surprised because neither one of these entities had an achiever's track record.
 Work at Corbin moved along very quickly from a March '96 starting time. We wanted to show up at the San Francisco Auto Show for Thanksgiving week 1996. Think about that. Have you ever seen a totally new concept car generated in seven months that ran, and still runs well?
Corbin has always been a company able to develop and hold wonderful artists and craftspeople. The Sparrow was invented like most original car concepts, on passion, with entrepreneurship, by artisans, with determination, financial commitment and risk of straying from the comfort zone.
 We built a couple of rectangular metal tubing test cars to help develop the running gear and drive train. We tested battery placement ideas. Driving the test chassis around was very beneficial and pretty much is the way Corbin engineers develop and perfect things. These test cars were referred to as "mules." We were surprised at how rapidly we were able to establish a very good three wheel electric car platform, thus develop the suspension and motor drive.
 Fiberglass design model making team developed the oval sphere three wheel electric car egg, which actually does not have a metal frame. The egg has metal apertures imbedded into the fiberglass providing high strength attachment points.
 There was an essential driving force at work at Corbin-the commitment from product champions willing to use their own resources and time. Extreme loyalty and commitment to Sparrow was prevalent. We all worked beyond resources and experiences. Mike remembers guys asleep in the cafeteria with their faces laying in pizza that the company kindly provided since the team was literally working 24/7. Every team member considered the time of the Sparrow concept car an enlightened learning time. We all went on to become better and more courageous.
In the years since there has been a constant "Parade Of Fools (POFs) that has given themselves credit for Sparrow and the nay-sayers hoping to elevate themselves. The dedicated team of enlightened characters that worked on the concept car know who was there and find comfort in Sparrow's worldwide fame today. We did special thinking, commitment and real work attempting to make commuting a little nicer in Future City.
The incomparable commitment to challenge paid off and in seven months of tedious brainstorming, fast-to-market craftsmanship and direct risk at its highest level, Sparrow concept car went to the San Francisco Auto Show for her debutante debut.
She received overwhelming rave reviews.
The Corbins did not get paid to do this project, they worked on future dreams. Each person who worked on the car was paid either salary or overtime. Sparrow concept car cost over $1,000,000 and was paid for lock, stock and barrel by Corbin. There were no outside concerns helping out financially.
Sparrow concept car had eight batteries and a forklift motor. That's what was available in 1996 to composite builders that depend on shelf parts to build a product.
Sparrow concept car remains in Corbin's Hollister showroom today and is loved and revered by its creation team. When viewing Sparrow concept car one sees passion, love, paradigm change and the stimulation of risk and imagination. Sparrow will eventually take over the world.
 Mike was frightened before the show opened, expecting to be laughed at, because that had happened before. The opposite happened! Folks loved Sparrow. We actually wrote up orders, first evidence that Sparrow would sell.
Once they knew she would sell, the most profound question was put to rest, "Would anybody buy one?"
 1996 was a fantastic year at Corbin. The new facility in Daytona Beach, Florida opened that provided a new showroom and warehouse for our products on the East Coast.
When one looks at life, one sees the high points first. In the Corbins' lives, the year of the Sparrow concept car sits richly in their minds as one of the best years ever. The passion flows forward.
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CORBIN 1996 PRESS RELEASE:
(taken from the orginal document in its entirety)
Station Car Concept
Like many of the world's greatest inventions, the Sparrow concept seems obvious in retrospect. By identifying all that is required, Corbin was able to design a vehicle to suit the needs of today's commuter.
1) Since most people commute to work solo, the Sparrow offers seating for one. This not only keeps the size of the vehicle small, but since the driver is using 100% of the vehicle's passenger capacity, it is qualified to use "carpool lanes."
2) The Sparrow features a composite mono-coque chassis. Lightweight and extremely strong, over 50% of the vehicle's total weight is batteries which gives it the highest electrical-power-to-vehicle weight ratio available.
3) Three-wheeled design is extremely agile and provides a small footprint. Due to its size, the Sparrow could effectively quadruple the parking capacity of most lots since it takes little more space than parking a motorcycle.
4) The price point is low and performance is high! Corbin expects to mass produce Sparrows with an end user price of $12,500. This makes it an ideal second vehicle to be used for commuting within a range of 60 miles.
5) The Sparrow will take a full charge in six hours plugged into standard 110 volt power. Carrying its own charger on-board, the Sparrow is always ready to plug in wherever it may be.
6) Attractive design! Engineered for safety and designed for good looks.
The Station Car Concept: The "Station Car" concept is currently being developed by many mass transit organizations around the globe. One of the largest problems facing mass transit authorities is parking availability at the terminal departure. Someone taking the train to work may have to arrive at the station 1-2 hours early must to get a parking space for his car. Additionally, once the commute is over, he must be close to the final destination from the transit station since his vehicle is now many miles away. This makes "taking the train" an attractive option to many possible users.
The solution again is brilliantly simple. As an example, a mass transit system like BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) could purchase a fleet of Sparrows to use as Station Cars. A commuter pays a subscription fee that covers use of a car and train fare for a day, week, month or year. Several current problems are overcome by this system, but to fully understand the implications, one must follow the process from start to finish.
As a Station Car Commuter, your day begins differently than many others. In your garage
Is a new Sparrow fully charged and ready to go. You get in your Sparrow and drive to the nearest BART station where you arrive at your leisure, because you know you will have a parking place waiting for you when you get there. You pull in to your parking slot/charging bay, plug in the car and board the next train towards your office. When you get off the train, you walk to the parking lot where a Sparrow sits in its charging bay waiting for your use. You hop in and drive the last couple of miles to the office, using the commuter lanes and leaving all of the traffic congestion behind. At your office you may choose to plug the car in and refresh its charge, where it will wait for you to run those errands your lunch break.
At the end of the day, you drive the Sparrow back to the BART station and pull into the nearest charging bay, board the train and head for home. Upon arrival at your home station, you again take the nearest available Sparrow for the drive back home where you will pull into your garage and plug in for the morning drive back to BART.
This is one of many possible uses for the Sparrow. It is cost effective, clean and overall, convenient! Corbin expects to have production units of the Sparrow available in Summer of 1997 with an anticipated price tag of $12,500 (deposits are now being accepted to reserve early serial numbers). The current prototype car can be seen at the San Francisco Auto Show taking place at the Moscone Center from Sunday November 24 through Sunday December 1 1996. We encourage you to call us for up-to-date information as well as test drives.
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Specs:
- 3-wheel vehicle
- Roughly 4 feet by 8 feet
- 900 pound gross vehicle weight
- Double A-arm suspension in front
- Single-sided swing arm in rear
- Rear wheel drive
- 990 lbs gross vehicle weight / 540 lbs of Batteries
- Low center of gravity / Center of roll
- Double "A" arm suspension in front
- Single sided swing arm in rear / Rear wheel drive
- 3 Wheel Disc Brakes / Manual parking brake
- Radial Tires P145/80R13
- 8 Kilowatt hour each / Sealed lead acid valve regulated
- Advanced Composite Fiberglass Mono-coque Chassis
- Range of 60 miles at 60 MPH
- Charge time: 6 hours @ 110V /15 amp and 2 hours @ 220V
- Onboard 110V charger (220V optional)
- DC Series 400 Amp 15-Horsepower motor
- Solid Sate Controller / Fuel gauge / Heater
- Radio /CD Player Upgrade
- Rear hatch (production model) has room for 4 bags of groceries
- Mono-coque has room for briefcase and laptop computer
- Windows roll down
- Exterior colors: Red, Teal, Plum, Yellow, Silver, Blue
- Interior colors: Black, Grey, Crème
- Optional interior welt matching exterior color
- Affordable at $12,900 (approx.)
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"Invention is a part of the spectrum of activity. At one extreme is creativity, the artistic side, and at the other extreme, discovery, which is the scientific side. Invention happens somewhere between the two."
-Chuck Hoberman
Saturday, November 23rd, 1996 is a day for the history books. It is on this day that the new concept car dubbed "The Sparrow" debuts at the 39th Annual San Francisco Auto Show. The Sparrow is destined to revolutionize the automotive and electric vehicle industry and bring to light the world's first "Personal Transit Module."
The Dilemma: It is estimated that 87% of the population of the United States commutes less than 18 miles to work and back daily. The vast majority of these commuters do so alone! Not only does this practice create gridlock on America's freeways, it is also polluting the very air we breathe and the environment that our children will inherit. Every American recognizes this problem, but very few can offer any type of solution.
Currently electric vehicles (EVs) are well above the price range of the average citizen and none seem to offer the type of performance necessary to make them a viable alternative to the family sedan. Few people have the budget to invest in an EV and those that do, generally, are not your everyday commuters. Additionally, freeways remain over crowded, city parking is still very limited and mass transportation is limited by the cars that can park near their terminals. To aggravate the situation, most American require the convenience of having a vehicle at their disposal during working hours and their office is not nearby a mass transit terminal.
The Solution: Inventor /Designer Mike Corbin, a long time veteran of electric vehicle development has a solution. The Sparrow is a niche vehicle, it's designed specifically for commuters. We're not trying to replace the family car" says Corbin who is the larges aftermarket motorcycle seat manufacturer in the world and holder of twenty-five U.S. patents.
You might say that Corbin is a man well qualified in this arena. In 1974, at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Mike set the land speed record for an electric powered vehicle at a round trip average of 165.367 mph with a to speed of 171.102 mph. A record that stood for over twenty years! In that same year, Corbin took First Place at the Mount Washington Electric Vehicle Regatta (for the second year in a row) by being the first person ever to climb the highest mountain on the east coast with an EV…twice!
Calling on all of his experience and the skills of some of the finest designers and engineers in the world, Corbin is ready to launch the Sparrow. This car is an entirely new approach to providing a permanent solution. Designed specifically as a commuter vehicle, the Sparrow offers seating room for one (Personal Transportation Module) and a range of 60/60, (that's 60 mph for 60 miles).
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