1948's "Cars of the Future" did not happen

Originally published at: 1948's "Cars of the Future" did not happen | Boing Boing

8 Likes

The music really pulls the whole thing together…

16 Likes

I’m sure if we could bring someone through a time warp to the 21st century from 1948 they would still think our cars are pretty futuristic. We may not have hydraulic parking devices, but onboard computers, dvd screens for the rear passengers, heated seats, and hi-fi stereos would impress them.

8 Likes

Wish my car had a rugged empennage. Maybe something like Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion.

19 Likes

I really like the idea of those built-in hydraulic jacks, too bad that hasn’t become a common accessory, unless I’m not seeing the downside…

4 Likes

The extra weight of the jacks and system itself were prohibitive, I’d guess.

Plus, the temptation to pull a Mach 5 jump…

12 Likes

A while back, the High Museum here in the ATL hosted a dream cars exhibit that had some cool, futuristic looking cars…

This was easily my favorite…

I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it home…

sailor-moon-cute

12 Likes

It’s only £14,495 for the 50 MPH electric version.

14 Likes

That last one was gorgeous. Does anyone know that the narrator was saying? Gordon Geuring? The Corm?

4 Likes

Of course the handling the dymaxion cars was really, really, bad.

5 Likes

The car museum near Seattle had some cool retro future cars when I went there a few years ago.

6 Likes

Gordon Buehrig, designer of the Cord 810.

6 Likes

Would an Isetta do?

6 Likes

Aha! Thanks so much!

3 Likes

As tiny as this is, the front plate could just as well have said “RODENT”. :blush:

Sorry to spoil your fun, but that’s not a picture of a Dymaxion, it’s a video game rendering of a Dymaxion-like fantasy vehicle.
This is what a Dymaxion Car really looks like:

8 Likes

give it to me GIF

6 Likes

There’s a reason why three-wheeled cars with a single front wheel never caught on.

In the US, at least…

8 Likes

Nifty little cars. The only downside would be if your high school “friends” were to pick it up and shove it nose-first into a snowbank, so you had to get into it via the sunroof. Which probably never happened.

4 Likes

Except every day that it snowed?

3 Likes