Human imagination knows no boundaries. The best proof of this are the concept vehicles of the future, which, despite the fact that they did not go into series production, have become legendary
The subject of motoring has always stirred up a lot of excitement. The best engineers have come up with all sorts of ideas, hoping to succeed and make a big career out of it. In the case of some, this has happened. The best example was Enzo Ferrari, who has always remained in the memory of lovers of fast cars.
Some, instead of focusing on the present, tried to develop the concept of cars of the future. This topic was very interesting, mainly due to the lack of any limitations. The only obstacle was imagination. Engineers wondered what the future of motoring would look like. The result of these considerations were conceptual models of futuristic vehicles. With their innovative shapes, they aroused great interest in society, and even though they did not work out, they remained a great attraction of the present time. Here are the most interesting of them
The GM LeSabre is a concept vehicle created by Harley Earl in 1951. Earl was an American automotive designer and business executive. He remains a legendary figure to this day
The creation of the LeSabre was the result of a desire to create a car the world had never seen before. This is what happened. The car was designed in the shape of the F-86 Sabre fighter plane, as even the name of the car indicated. What made Earl’s design stand out from other cars of the time were the large air intakes, the swiveling headlamp, and the panoramic windshield. The whole thing gave the impression of a machine taken out of the sci-fi movies we know today
The LeSabre was also impressive from the inside. The interior of the car, thanks to its design, resembled the cabin of an airplane, which especially attracted the attention of aviation fans. Many innovative, for those times, technological solutions were used in the car. The power-operated doors and windows were unheard of in cars at the time. As for the engine, the powerplant was a 335 horsepower V8. But the most interesting thing was that the LeSabre had a dual fuel system – a gasoline tank and a methanol tank
The futuristic vehicle created by Harley Earl was first presented in July 1951. It can still be admired today at the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
The 1950s was a time when both the Americans and Russians displayed their fascination with the atom and conducted experiments with bombers. In 1958, this fascination developed into the creation of a model of a reactor-powered vehicle. Sound abstract? That’s exactly what the Ford Nucleon was!
Ford was founded back in 1903 in Detroit by Henry Ford. Today, it is one of the largest automotive companies in the entire world. It specializes in manufacturing cars, trucks, buses and many other machines. In 1958, it was Ford Motor Company that was responsible for presenting the concept of the car of the future. The car was named the Nucleon after the propulsion system that would be installed in it
The Ford Nucleon model was presented in a scale of 3:8. According to the concept, the vehicle was to be powered by a reactor. More specifically: this reactor was to be responsible for heating water, which under high pressure and in the form of steam was to drive a set of turbines. Ford’s concept assumed that the car would be one hundred percent quiet, and most importantly, would not emit harmful exhaust fumes. If the idea had survived to this day, the air we breathe would be much cleaner. Unfortunately, Nucleon only became an inspiration for the creators of the “Fallout” games. They placed very similar atomic cars in the virtual world
These are just some of the most interesting automotive ideas from the past. Examples of other concept vehicles include the Deora, Chevrolet Astro III, and Alfa Romeo BAT. Each of them was unique. If only they made it to series production, they would certainly be the dream of many of us. Fortunately, everything is ahead of us. Perhaps the futuristic vehicles presented now will be successful, and in a few decades we will be driving them to work
