THE SPARROW STORY
Beta Sparrows at the 1997 San Francisco Auto Show
In 1997, one year after the Alpha Sparrow made its debut, Corbin returned to the San Francisco Auto Show with two pre-production Sparrows. The team called them beta testers, and they marked the step from a single hand-built concept to a design meant for the road.
From the Sparrow archive. Product plans, events and availability described here belong to the original historical period.
From proof of concept to test fleet
The Alpha car of 1996 had been taken to auto shows and motorcycle rallies to gauge reaction and see how the layout worked in practice. The feedback was positive enough that the team set about designing beta cars during 1997.
In general terms, a beta vehicle sits between a prototype and a production model. It is complete and drivable, but still open to changes as the builders learn from real use. That was the role these two Sparrows played. Their reception at the show, and the experience gained from them, convinced Corbin to move ahead. Limited Sparrow production followed in 1998.