THE SPARROW STORY
Merlin Beta Testers, 2001 to 2003
Between 2001 and 2003, Corbin Motors pushed its personal roadster idea from concept toward reality with a run of Merlin beta test cars. The Sparrow had been built for commuting and efficiency. The Merlin was aimed squarely at driving for pleasure.
From the Sparrow archive. Product plans, events and availability described here belong to the original historical period.
An open roadster built for fun
The Merlin was a single-passenger, open-cockpit roadster co-designed with automotive designer Don Varner. It used a tubular chassis with a Harley-Davidson V-twin engine mounted at the front, driving a four-speed gearbox. Company material from the period summed up the goal in two words: performance and style.
The concept had drawn a strong response, so development moved quickly into beta cars. Roughly a dozen Merlin betas were built before the company closed. The Merlin never reached series production, because Corbin Motors fell in 2003 after its investor funding dried up. One archive photograph shows a Merlin on the Bonneville Salt Flats, a fitting setting given Mike Corbin's own record-setting history there.