An Olympic Bobsled, on 4 Wheels

If they had an “Oddball Car of the Year” award at the North American International Auto Show, almost certainly among the frontrunners would be the tiny Tango 2-seat electric car.

It's only 39 ins. (1 m) wide, or about half the width of a standard midsize car, making it possible for two of them to ride side-by-side on freeway lanes or dart in and out of traffic, like a motorcycle.

That also means it takes up only a half-space in parking lots. And it's a shortie — just 8 ft. 5 ins. (2.57 m) long and 60 ins. (1.52 m) tall.

It may be small but Tango is a heavyweight: 3,300 lbs. (1,497 kg), or roughly the same as a midsize sedan. Lead-acid batteries account for 2,000 (907 kg) of those pounds.

And now the kicker: It costs $121,000 with lead-acid batteries or $166,000 with optional lithium-ion batteries.

Developed by Commuter Cars Corp. based in Spokane, WA, Tango boasts sports-car performance. Company President Rick Woodbury says the Tango he invented will accelerate from 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in 4 seconds. Top speed has been clocked at 135 mph (217 km/h).

The car's range before recharging is about 60 miles with lead-acid batteries and 200 miles (322 km) with Li-ion batteries.

Commuter Cars has invested “less than” $1.5 million in developing Tango, Woodbury tells Ward's. Only 11 have been built to date and two have been purchased. A notable buyer: actor George Clooney.

Tango's admittedly odd shape makes it look top heavy, but Woodbury says the battery pack adds ballast and stability. It also features a steel roll cage and 4-point harnesses for the driver and rear passenger, who sits behind the driver.

The body is made of carbon fiber and Kevlar, and the doors are four times stronger than a typical steel door used in an SUV, he claims.

Commuter Cars has no dealers (“We're too small,” says Woodbury) and is selling kit cars deliverable within six months that he says require less than eight hours to assemble.

A high school dropout (“I was bored”), Woodbury has kicked around trying a variety of jobs including publishing, electrical engineering and real estate. He also was an iron worker and owned a Beverly Hills Porsche-Audi dealership during the 1980s.

In 1999 he and his son decided to try developing a car powered by hydrogen but soon turned to batteries. “It's been an 11-year struggle,” he says. “I started with $50,000 that I got from selling my 35-ft. (10.7m) junk-rig schooner.”

Whether it'll be clear sailing for Tango remains to be seen.