 1961 Ford Gyron Concept CarTremulis's primary concern was aerodynamics; he believed his design for a gyroscopically balanced two-wheeled car would represent the ultimate automotive aerodynamics. In short, Tremulis hoped the Gyron would be a breakthrough that would influence future automobile design.  1955 Cadillac Die Valkyrie Concept CarBrooks Stevens is one of the great masters of American industrial design. He practiced design in the same way as his contemporaries such as Raymond Loewy and John Vassos, and designed products, machines and logos in virtually every industry, amassing a huge and diverse collection.  1956 Buick Centurion Concept CarThe Centurion, a spectacular four-passenger coupe with a fiberglass body and glass roof, was equipped with a television camera in the trunk. A receiver in the instrument panel displayed the camera images, making the rearview mirror obsolete. The camera was mounted in a tail cone inspired by a fighter plane, a recurring theme in 1950s concept cars. A 325-horsepower V-9 engine provided thrust. The Centurion is now owned by the Sloan Museum.  1956 Chrysler "Plainsman" Concept CarDubbed the Plainsman, the Plymouth with its heavy cowhide and Western theme set out to showcase the future of family vehicles for the American family. This Plymouth concept is odd in that it borrows some production designs from the various Chrysler brands. The headlights are similar to, but different from, the production Plymouth design. The grille shape is similar to that of the 1955 Chrysler Windsor. The taillights are similar to those used on the 1957 Chrysler 300-C.  1952 Socema Gregoire turbine conceptIn October of 1952, the visitors of the Paris Auto Show would discover an astonishing car with its shapely body hiding a gas turbine. At that time, the aircraft industry developed designs and construction schedules of turbojets and turbo propellers. The S.O.C.E.M.A (Company of Constructions and Mechanical Equipment for Aviation) exhibited several engines at the aviation show of 1949.  1952 Packard "Pacifica" Concept CarIn 1952 “Saga” magazine held a contest for a concept car design. This Packard design won the competition, was featured on the magazine cover, but Packard never executed the build. This exacting build was commissioned in 2001, with the main feature being its retractable hardtop making it a remarkable one-of-a-kind.  Volga "Atom" Soviet secret project!En 1965 Soviet designers presented a prototype of the "Volga-Atom" based on the GAZ-21 Volga, manufactured at that time by the Gorky Automobile Plant. The story goes that the Volga Atom had a four-cylinder engine which used enriched Uranium 235 and that it was even successfully tested in the Russian city of Severomorsk. However, given that there is no documentary evidence to back these claims, this is most likely a myth.  Ford’s Experimental Turbine T-BirdIt's been more than 110 years since the first mass-produced automobile hit public roads, and cars are still largely powered by piston engines. But carmakers have experimented with all sorts of solutions in the past, including gas turbine powerplants of the aircraft variety.  1968 Chevrolet Astro II ExperimentalThe Astro II was designed in collaboration between GM Design and GM Research as a prototype for possible production mid-engine Corvette vehicles of the 1970’s. The test bed car had a welded steel backbone frame, a radiator mounted in the rear and a Mark IV V8 engine driving the rear wheels via a 2-speed transaxle.  1963 Chrysler TyphoonThis 1963 Chrysler 2-passenger concept car was called "Typhoon" and the essence of the design was used on the 4-passenger Chrysler Turbine cars. The design was by Charles Mashigan, directed by Elwood Engel. It was "futuristic retro", borrowed from Ford's advanced styling concepts of the 1950s.  1963 Chrysler TurbineThe Chrysler turbine car was the largest test program in passenger vehicles powered by a turbine  Ford Seattle-ite XXI, Concept CarUnlimited freedom to speculate is the key to progressive automobile styling.  Ford Nucleon 1958Ford Motor Company, an American multinational corporation, designed a car in 1958 characterized by having a nuclear fission reactor.  Chysler Concept Cars 1951 K-310 and 1952 C-200The K310 was built as an experiment and a study in advanced styling, the K-310 car was designed entirely in Detroit by the Chrysler Corporation's Engineering Division.  1951 Buick LeSabre ConceptGeneral Motors' first postwar dream car was the LeSabre, introduced in December 1950.  1956-1957 Chrysler Dart / Diablo HemiCan a concept car be “Best of Show” at Pebble Beach?  Plymouth XNR 1960There are enough "what could have been" stories around Detroit to fill a factory, and the story of the Plymouth RNX is one of the most curious.  General Motors FirebirdThe Firebird concept cars were a series of three cars designed by Harley Earl and built by General Motors for the 1953, 1956, and 1959 Montana auto shows. |
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