Design: Yesterday's Cars of the Future

[Giblet]

This concept, the IAD Venus, still appeals to me. Not that it had any special engineering to it, but it was the closest to a race car for the street with the shrouded 'open wheel' concept and super low windscreen. 1989 seems like yesterday but it was 21 years ago.

[jon-mullen]

To date, my favorite bathroom book that I've bought is Cars Detroit Never Built, by Edward Janicki. Some are a laugh but others are really forward-thinking.

Made to "combine American design tastes with European-inspired body styling", the Chrysler K-310, with a face only a mother could love:



The 1954 Firebird I, god only knows if they thought anybody would buy one. On the plus side, it had a lighting system that turns on automatically when it's dark and keyless entry.



Another face only a mother could love, the 1955 Chevy Biscayne:



My vote for the wave of the future, modular rear ends. More literally convertible than your Boxster or Miata, the 1979 Ford Fiesta Fantasy:







Ford's "urban commuter car of the future", the 1981 Cockpit, a three-wheeler with tandem seating:



Finally, the 1992 GM Ultralite, powered by a 1.5L, 3 cylinder two stroke. With a 420-lb carbon fiber monocoque and a drag coefficient of .192, it got 80 mpg and went from 0-60 mph in 8 seconds. It also had an active suspension to maintain the best ride height for aerodynamics.




The funny thing is that the concept cars tell you more about the time they were made than what the car of the future will be like. When the manufacturers are under pressure to improve fuel mileage, all the concept cars are suitcases on wheels, and one almost gets the feeling they intentionally make them unattractive. Then fuel is no object and they're under pressure to get people "excited in the brand" and boom, you've got the return of the Camaro and Challenger.

[Pup]

The recently completed auto x-prize is rife with The Future...

http://www.progressiveautoxprize.org/

[Just_a_fan]

The GM Ultralite is what we should be driving day to day now. Light, decent performance and excellent fuel mileage. It's not even that bad looking.

It appears, from a quick web-wander, that the car was used in the film Demolition Man.

[747heavy]

1986 VW Scooter concept three wheeler





http://homepage.ntlworld.com/julian.higgs/scooter.html

[747heavy]

Yamaha OX99-11 from 1992

Supersports Car with F1 engine and carbon fibre monocoque.
note the driver position
McLarens F1 came 2 years later

[Richard]

Since you are all talking about concept 3 wheelers, how about one that made it into production ...



Sinclair C-5

http://www.sinclairc5.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinclair_C5

[Pandamasque]

McLarens F1 came 2 years later

I guess there have been cars with central driving position since the dinosaurs. But McLaren F1 was unique due to its 3 seat arrangement.

[xpensive]

Long before GM or Spyker:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_EV-1

[marcush.]

[quote="747heavy"]Yamaha OX99-11 from 1992

Supersports Car with F1 engine and carbon fibre monocoque.
note the driver position
McLarens F1 came 2 years later


this car was produced by Brabham ..Bernie had rented out the whole bunch of people and the facility to Yamaha ..considering the time Gordon Murray had spent with these people no one should be surprised...

[Just_a_fan]

Yamaha OX99-11 from 1992

Supersports Car with F1 engine and carbon fibre monocoque.
note the driver position
McLarens F1 came 2 years later

The key to the F1 was that there were three seats in the space usually occupied by two. The Yamaha was just two seats in tandem - just like a bike.

Gordon Murray had the idea for a three seat sportscar years before the F1 became a reality.

Oh, and McLaren actually built more than just three prototypes of their car...

[Morteza]

Am I allowed to say Mercedes-Benz C112?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_C112

[Just_a_fan]

The active front apron and rear 'wing' are fun. I note that Mitsubishi had these on a road car - the 3000GT - at about the same time rather than just on a concept car however.

What is interesting is that Mercedes could have sold the C112 as a road car. They had orders for the thing! I guess they didn't see a place for it in their line-up...

[747heavy]

Relax guys - I was not picking on the McLaren F1 in any way, shape or form, and I did not even had the seating arangement in mind, more the carbon chassis.

But as we are talking about 3 seaters.
The F1 arangement is not so new either.



Messerschmitt KR200 ~1955
as a side note.
The Messerschmitt 2-stroke engine could be run in both directions, to drive forwards or backwards.
The ignition key could be tuned left or right and the engine would fire up in either direction. A proper reverse gear, was available as an option.

another 3 seater sports car, but here the seats are inline.



A mate of mine, had one of these (Murena), and was regualry stoped by the police, while driving with 3 people in the front seats.

[747heavy]

FIAT study for a turbine sport coupe 1954