Vanguard Sport Coupe

In the early 1970s, American businessman Robert Beaumont, who owned a Chrysler dealership in upstate New York, pulled into a gas station. Pouring fuel into the car, he realized: it’s time to change something. After all, internal combustion engines destroy American cities! It was at the gas station that he decided that he needed to build his own car, which would be different from the classic American models: large, with powerful gasoline engines, spacious interiors and huge trunks.

The idea of building the car of the future fascinated Robert so much that he sold the successful business and moved to Sebring, Florida. There, one of Beaumont’s investors gave him land to build a plant.

To realize his idea, Robert hired car designer Jim Muir, who offered to build a small car for the city, which would have an electric engine. In 1973, a car appeared and called the Vanguard Coupe, which outwardly strongly resembled a golf cart. There is almost no information about this electric car, but in fact is a close copy of a Car Club Caroche Runabout made by Sebring-Vanguard.

According to rumors, only 118 copies were produced. Sebring Vanguard continued to build these on the Club Car’s platform for several years, working closely with Club Car which supplied the frames and drive systems.