It
is not our aim to present a complete list, or even a comprehensive
coverage of particular brands and car shows (there is enough material of
this nature available on the web).
What we want to do instead, is to
celebrate the daring and esthetic value of the most fascinating and
unusual concept automobiles - give you shapes and curves to brighten up
your day, and to make you say "Wow, what a cool concept!" a couple of
times. Here we show the 2nd list of five unique vehicle concepts of the 20th century,
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| 1969 Buick Century Cruiser. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2P1iQcj) |
What we want to do instead, is to
celebrate the daring and esthetic value of the most fascinating and
unusual concept automobiles - give you shapes and curves to brighten up
your day, and to make you say "Wow, what a cool concept!" a couple of
times. Here we show the 2nd list of five unique vehicle concepts of the 20th century,
5. 1961 Chrysler Turboflite
Designed
for cruising the superhighways of the future, the 1961 Turboflite was
so far ahead of its time that it incorporated design features that still
have not been introduced - like the glass canopy that rose
automatically when either door was opened!
The 1961 Chrysler TurboFlite was a show car which featured the company’s latest gas turbine engine, the CR2A, and a long list of revolutionary features.
The 4-passenger
concept vehicles also featured a large rear spoiler later incorporated
in the 'muscle cars' of the sixties, roof-hinged side windows,
tail-lamps and turn signals placed behind a single lens stretching
across the entire rear of the car, full-volume foam rubber seat
cushions, and electroluminescent interior lighting in the door panels.
4. 1964 Ford Aurora
The
Ford Motor Company showed off its wares at the 1964 World’s Fair in New
York City and included a number of concept vehicles. The crown jewel
was a radical "luxury lounge" prototype wagon. The bright orange Aurora
station wagon rode on a 3327.4-millimetre (131-inch) wheelbase. Its
celestial name was explained to visitors as meaning "the beginning or
rising light of morning."
In showing
experimental cars to millions of potential consumers, Ford intended to
collect valuable feedback so that product planners, designers and
engineers would be in tune with future market trends. This was of
concern because Ford was a distant third in the station wagon game, well
behind GM and Chrysler. Even little Rambler was snapping hard at Ford's
wagon heels.
3. 1969 Buick Century Cruiser
Designed
for cross-country cruising on future automatic highways, the Century
Cruiser was built off the chassis of the 1964 Firebird IV concept car.
Providing the comforts of a living room on wheels to the four
passengers, the Century Cruiser featured semi-reclining, swivelling
contoured seats, a pull-out refrigerator, a television, and a pull-out
table.
The entrance canopy,
consisting of all the glass areas and most of the roof, slid forward and
upward and unlatched the doors, which then glided forward for easier
access to the seats. All door and canopy controls were activated at the
touch of a button. Braking was aided by stability flaps on both sides of
the car past the front wheel.
As the car turned, the wheel covers moved outward to allow the wheel to tum easier. The wheel covers could also be operated manually, using hand grips in the armrests. The front luggage compartment raised for easy access height. Once on an automatic highway, seen in the future from 1969, the driver would insert a programmable card into a slot and allow the car to drive to the destination automatically.
2. 1969 Chevrolet Astro III
The 1961 Chrysler TurboFlite was a show car which featured the company’s latest gas turbine engine, the CR2A, and a long list of revolutionary features.
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| 1961 Chrysler TurboFlite. (Picture from: http://www.imperialclub.com/) |
4. 1964 Ford Aurora
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| 1964 Ford Aurora. (Picture from: http://www.oldcarscanada.com/) |
3. 1969 Buick Century Cruiser
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| 1969 Buick Century Cruiser. (Picture from: http://www.autointhenews.com/) |
As the car turned, the wheel covers moved outward to allow the wheel to tum easier. The wheel covers could also be operated manually, using hand grips in the armrests. The front luggage compartment raised for easy access height. Once on an automatic highway, seen in the future from 1969, the driver would insert a programmable card into a slot and allow the car to drive to the destination automatically.
2. 1969 Chevrolet Astro III
Powered
by a Model 250-C18 gas turbine engine, it was envisioned as a
high-performance vehicle suited for future restricted access or
system-controlled highways.
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| 1969 Chevrolet Astro III. (Picture from: http://www.conceptcarz.com/) |
1. 1969 Autobianchi Runabout
The
design project for the Runabout took its inspiration from the motorboat
world. As in the case of other prototypes inspired by the design
concepts and styling applied to other fields, here once more Marcello
Gandini of Bertone took his inspiration from outside the motoring world.
The
Runabout was in fact inspired by the racing speedboats around at the
end of the 1960's. Despite its unusual look and evident dream car
status, the prototype was used as the starting point for the design of
the future Fiat X1/9, which was launched a couple of years later.
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| 1969 Autobianchi Runabout. (Picture from: http://fabwheelsdigest.blogspot.com/) |
The
Runabout is an invitation to fun, stress-free travelling, evoking the
sheer joy of driving in places where traffic is no more than a distant
memory. The Runabout was presented at the 1969 Turin Motor Show: an
original vision of the future which once more attracted the attention of
more than a few curious on-lookers. (Back to previous article.) *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CONCEPTCARZ | GALIH PAKUAN | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 03012013]
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