The Road Ahead: Yesterday's Concept Cars

THE ROAD AHEAD: YESTERDAY'S CONCEPT CARS A Retro Look at a Vision of the Future Let's look back at the gaudy, the wonderful, and the innovative visions of what cars could have looked like by 2000. WARNING: This may be upsetting because we didn't live up to expectations. 1956 GM Firebird II 1942 Paul Arzens L'Oeuf Electrique The name of this little, three-wheeled electric car literally translates to "the electric egg." US FR Envisioned as one of the first self-driving vehicles, this gas-turbine four-seater's entire body was made of titanium. (It was supposed to be ready by 1976!) Ford Nucleon 1958 Citroen Karin 1979 The strange, trapezoidal shape of the three-seated Karin starred in the 1980 Paris Motor Show and featured a centered driver. Could you imagine running a car on nuclear energy? This 3/8-scale mock-up demonstrated the potential. The cars in the Fallout video game series were based on the Nucleon. 1961 Ford Gyron 1955 Lincoln Futura Look familiar? That's because this model The wobbling, two-wheeled car was stabilized by gyroscopes. was used as the Batmobile in the 1960s Batman TV show. ALFA 40-60 HP Aerodinamica 1970 1914 The ambitiously spacious Aerodinamica had a Ferrari 512 S Modulo Though you need to practically lie down in this UFO-like concept car, you can climb in with the sliding canopy door. Then, you'll have a V12 engine to get you going. cylinder head made of cast iron. Dodge Deora 1965 1925 The "Linrrican Wonder" This was a self-driving car directed via radio by another car. Harry Houdini impacted the already mixed success of the Houdina Radio Control This model with a weird Company by smashing up their offices because he didn't like them using his name unlawfully (even though the lead engineer was named Houdina). shape and swing-style door had only one physical car made, but Mattel made thousands of the Hot Wheels version. Fuller Dymaxion 1933 1958 Ford X-2000 A dirigible for land, this three-wheeled disaster still provided a lasting impression due to its revolutionary rear-engine design. A 1950s dream of a far-flung future, this is what people thought cars (or space vehicles) would look like by the year 2000. 1930 Dynasphere Bertone 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero Inspired by a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci, the electric version clocked in at 2.5 horsepower. Michael Jackson famously turned himself into this very low-riding car in the film Moonwalker. 1999 Honda Fuya-Jo 1964 mart GM Runabout This three-wheeled car starred in the World's Fair. It impressed people, but they probably should have laid off the sexism in their promotional materials: "The three-wheeled Runabout will This was built for the Japanese market. You were meant to be able to stand and dance in a club-like interior as you traveled appeal especially to women because it was designed for shopping and other daily errands." to your next party. 1964 Mercedes-Benz F 015 2015 Luxury in Motion STAPLETON AIRFIBLD Buick Century Cruiser This dream car was designed for automated highways. You'd slip in punch cards with predetermined routes, and the car would take you there. It also had an interior refrigerator and TV set. This concept car is completely autonomous, with a touchscreen interior and hybrid engine. It's ned for the 2030s. Are modern dreams really that different from older ones? Sources: www.gmheritagecenter.com www.chicagoautoshow.com www.arts-et-metiers.net www.youtube.com www.museoalfaromeo.com www.citroenet.org.uk www.hemmings.com www.pininfarina.it www.nigelblackwell.com HAVE SEEN THE www.money.cnn.com www.nydailynews.com www.houdini.intervalmagic.com Created by TitleMax.com FUTURE www.