Per one source, the Comuta-Car was the best-selling U.S.-market electric car after WW II until the Tesla Model S came along in 2012. While that may sound like a noteworthy accomplishment by the car’s maker, Commuter Cars, Inc, of Sebring, Florida, the Comuta-Car never actually sold especially well. But, it did sell well enough, though just hardly, to be remembered.
1979 Comuta-Car: Favorite Car Ads
Specs
Offered between 1979 and 1982, the tiny 2-seater featured a cheese-wedge design, blocky bumpers, and all of 6 horsepower.
The Comuta-Car featured a 48-volt electrical system, driven by 8 6-volt batteries. Reported range was a modest 30-40 miles, and top speed 40 mph, making the Comuta-Car more of a high-performance golf cart than a conventional-car alternative.
What amuses us about this ad, is how little effort was put into making the vehicle appear in any way attractive.
Prices
Prices during the car’s brief run ranged from $4000 to $6500. To put that number into perspective, consider the 6-passenger Dodge Aspen, which for 1980 started around $5200.
The Ad
What you see here, by the way, is the complete ad. While we appreciate how news print limits the overall quality of an ad, we think the folks at Commuter Cars, Inc. just phoned this one in.
Some optional/available aluminum wheels, or bodyside flame decals might have spiffed things up a bit. (The 4-color ad/brochure in the gallery below is a much better effort.)
Production Figures
All told, at total of 4444 Comuta-Cars were sold during the electric-vehicle’s production run. We’re surprised the number is that high, given the car’s limited cabin space, high price, and 40-mile range. Plus, we suspect that entering and exiting the Comuta-Car was an exercise best left to gymnasts and folks of diminutive stature.
Local Dealer
While you are unlikely to see a Comuta-Car on the road these days, they do show up with some regularity at local car shows, a testament to the little EV’s original build quality, and relatively simple engineering.
Oh, and as for Electric Powered Vehicles of Tonawanda, New York—mentioned in the ad above—we suspect it was a local Comuta-Car dealer.
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Comuta-Car Pictures
(Click below for enlarged images)
