Cars Of Future Past

[Peregrin Toker]

this thread gave me an idea.

A thread where we can wistfully reflect upon the past's ideas of how cars would be today.

For example - my father has, for some reasons, lots of old issues of Popular Mechanics. One of them, from 1954, contains an interview with the Chrysler CEO about what cars would be like in 2000.


In retrospect the dreams of the 1950s seem rather silly - back then, the Mopar folks thought following about the cars of today:

1. 3 types would dominate the market - "ordinary" midsize sedans (ordinary compared to the other cars they imagined), long sleek and fast luxury cars and obscenely fast sports cars.
2. Cars would be much lower and longer.
3. The engines of all cars would be rear-mounted as in Porsche, and piston engines would have been replaced by gas turbines. As a result they'd be much faster.

This sounds okay perhaps, but his more exact predictions were ludicrously exaggerated - he described a future luxury car as 7m long, 1.25m tall and with a top speed of 300km/h! (add to that a rear engine layout and you get something I'd describe as a "Tatra On Steroids")

If the luxury cars had a top speed of 300, I would love to hear him estimate that of future sports cars...

To be honest, actually - it seems like Chrysler did their best to reach those goals as quick as possible... the 1968 Dodge Charger was certainly long and appeared low (whether it was it or not) and the Hemi R/T version could actually reach top speeds of 250 km/h! (with enough tweaking the fabled 300km/h would be feasible enough)

On the other hand, as the 300km/h top speed was predicted for the future equivalent of the Imperial rather than Charger, if they had their hopes just as high in 1968 they probably dreamed of a 2000 Charger R/T topping at speeds which today only are reserved for Formula 1 racers.

Just as interesting were the Chrysler design sketches featured in the same article.... one of them actually looked a lot like a '64 Mopar product... the very first Plymouth Barracuda! (and that sketch was from 10 years before... kinda creepy, isn't it?)


Any other awkward past visions of future cars you have to share?

[Montcalm]

If you have a scanner post the images here

[Peregrin Toker]

I don't have a scanner... but I'm planning on getting a digicam.

[Sebastin]

This sounds okay perhaps, but his more exact predictions were ludicrously exaggerated - he described a future luxury car as 7m long, 1.25m tall and with a top speed of 300km/h!

We´re actualy not that far away from that. The Maybach, while electronically capped at 250, has a physical top speed of 330 km/h. It is over 6 meters long too. So apart of the rear engine, the gas turbine and about 3 years the prediction fits. Of course with luxury cars they probably meant something a step or two down from maybach, like BMW 7x, mercedes S or audi A8, which mere mortals still have a chance to be able to afford. Of course all of those are also capable of 300+ speeds unmodified.

Surprisingly accurate prediction if you think about it.

[Peregrin Toker]

Of course with luxury cars they probably meant something a step or two down from maybach, like BMW 7x, mercedes S or audi A8, which mere mortals still have a chance to be able to afford. Of course all of those are also capable of 300+ speeds unmodified.

Now, if Tatra starts making cars again (currently their production's limited to lorries), and includes an AMG equivalent a prophecy might be fulfilled...