Automotive

Automotive exhibit showcases influential designs of the future ... from the past

Automotive exhibit showcases influential designs of the future ... from the past
GM's rocket on wheels, the Firebird I XP-21 (1953) concept designed by Harley J. Earl, Robert F. “Bob” McLean was a design study to determine if gas turbine engines were practical for use in future vehicles (Photo: Michael Furman)
GM's rocket on wheels, the Firebird I XP-21 (1953) concept designed by Harley J. Earl, Robert F. “Bob” McLean was a design study to determine if gas turbine engines were practical for use in future vehicles (Photo: Michael Furman)
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The Scarab (1936), although awkward in its finished design and proportions, could seat seven and represented a very accurate look at how multi-passenger vehicles could be in the future (Photo: Michael Furman)
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The Scarab (1936), although awkward in its finished design and proportions, could seat seven and represented a very accurate look at how multi-passenger vehicles could be in the future (Photo: Michael Furman)
The three-wheeled L'Œuf électrique "electric egg"(1942), designed and fabricated by Paul Arzens in WWII, could travel more than 60 miles (96 km) on one charge and reach speeds of 37 mph (60 km/h) thanks to its aluminum frame (Photo: Michel Zumbrunn, Urs Schmid)
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The three-wheeled L'Œuf électrique "electric egg"(1942), designed and fabricated by Paul Arzens in WWII, could travel more than 60 miles (96 km) on one charge and reach speeds of 37 mph (60 km/h) thanks to its aluminum frame (Photo: Michel Zumbrunn, Urs Schmid)
The doorless Norman Timbs Special (1947), created and designed by Timbs, was composed of two hand-formed aluminum shapes, shaped over hand-made wooden bucks and took over two years to complete (Photo: Peter Harholdt)
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The doorless Norman Timbs Special (1947), created and designed by Timbs, was composed of two hand-formed aluminum shapes, shaped over hand-made wooden bucks and took over two years to complete (Photo: Peter Harholdt)
GM's rocket on wheels, the Firebird I XP-21 (1953) concept designed by Harley J. Earl, Robert F. “Bob” McLean was a design study to determine if gas turbine engines were practical for use in future vehicles (Photo: Michael Furman)
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GM's rocket on wheels, the Firebird I XP-21 (1953) concept designed by Harley J. Earl, Robert F. “Bob” McLean was a design study to determine if gas turbine engines were practical for use in future vehicles (Photo: Michael Furman)
Chrysler's Ghia Streamline X “Gilda (1955) design was influenced by jets and rocketry in the postwar era, was an exercise to see if aerodynamic design was viable in the American marketplace (Photo: Michael Furman)
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Chrysler's Ghia Streamline X “Gilda (1955) design was influenced by jets and rocketry in the postwar era, was an exercise to see if aerodynamic design was viable in the American marketplace (Photo: Michael Furman)
Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970) was a 37 inch exercise to see who could create the ultimate wedge during the early half of that decades angular infatuation (Photo: Michel Zumbrunn)
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Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970) was a 37 inch exercise to see who could create the ultimate wedge during the early half of that decades angular infatuation (Photo: Michel Zumbrunn)
The wedge-like Lancia (Bertone) Stratos HF Zero (1970) designed by Marcello Gandini, who was also the man behind the design of Lamborghini's Miura and Countach (Photo: Michael Furman)
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The wedge-like Lancia (Bertone) Stratos HF Zero (1970) designed by Marcello Gandini, who was also the man behind the design of Lamborghini's Miura and Countach (Photo: Michael Furman)
One of the few current day vehicles on display is the Chris Bangle designed BMW GINA Light Visionary Model (2001) that features an elastic skin, made up of flexible tensile fabric, stretched over a moveable body frame of aluminum and flexible carbon fiber
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One of the few current day vehicles on display is the Chris Bangle designed BMW GINA Light Visionary Model (2001) that features an elastic skin, made up of flexible tensile fabric, stretched over a moveable body frame of aluminum and flexible carbon fiber
The Bugatti Type 57S Compétition Coupé Aerolithe recreation (1935) was designed by Jean Bugatti and fabricated in Elektron magnesium alloy and features rivets along its spine and front fenders for structural rigidity (Photo: Joe Wiecha)
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The Bugatti Type 57S Compétition Coupé Aerolithe recreation (1935) was designed by Jean Bugatti and fabricated in Elektron magnesium alloy and features rivets along its spine and front fenders for structural rigidity (Photo: Joe Wiecha)
Carl Renner's Cadillac Convertible Concept Car illustration (1951) represents varying elements from a 1938 Y-Job, a Centurion XP-301 and a General Motors Le Sabre XP-8 (Photo: Mark Wallison)
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Carl Renner's Cadillac Convertible Concept Car illustration (1951) represents varying elements from a 1938 Y-Job, a Centurion XP-301 and a General Motors Le Sabre XP-8 (Photo: Mark Wallison)
Gordon Buehrig’s 1948 concept Tasco (The American Sports Car Company) featured front fenders that turned with the wheels
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Gordon Buehrig’s 1948 concept Tasco (The American Sports Car Company) featured front fenders that turned with the wheels
Visual futurist, Syd Mead's illustration of a Gyroscopically Stabilized Two-Wheel Car (1960) never became a production reality
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Visual futurist, Syd Mead's illustration of a Gyroscopically Stabilized Two-Wheel Car (1960) never became a production reality
Wayne Cherry's “Runabout” Design Concept was another paper-only concept that illustrated possible future design language offerings and cockpit arrangements (1964) (Photo: Mike Jensen)
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Wayne Cherry's “Runabout” Design Concept was another paper-only concept that illustrated possible future design language offerings and cockpit arrangements (1964) (Photo: Mike Jensen)
Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
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Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
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Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
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Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
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Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
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Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
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Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
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Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
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Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
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Designed by Paolo Martin and built for Ferrari by Pininfarina, the 512 S Modulo (1970)
GM's rocket on wheels, the Firebird I XP-21 (1953) concept
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GM's rocket on wheels, the Firebird I XP-21 (1953) concept
GM's rocket on wheels, the Firebird I XP-21 (1953) concept
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GM's rocket on wheels, the Firebird I XP-21 (1953) concept
View gallery - 24 images

In looking to the future many designers look to the past for inspiration. The High Museum of Art in Atlanta is ramming this point home with a fascinating exhibit that will showcase some of the world’s most forward thinking designs from the past.

Opening this month and running until September in Atlanta, the event entitled, Dream Cars: Innovative Design, Visionary Ideas will feature select car concepts from the 1930’s through to the current day. The back-to-the-future collection, containing 17 concept cars from Europe and the US, includes such gems as the curvaceous Norman Timbs Special (1947), the waist-high Pininfarina Modulo Ferrari, the spacecraft-like Chrysler (Ghia) Streamline X Gilda (1955) designed by Giovanni Savonuzzi and Virgil Exner, and perhaps the closest thing to a rocket on wheels you'll ever encounter – GM’s 1953 Firebird I XP-21, by Harley J. Earl and Bob McLean. Any one of these cars is iconic in its own right, so to find this collection in one place is a significant treat.

The Scarab (1936), although awkward in its finished design and proportions, could seat seven and represented a very accurate look at how multi-passenger vehicles could be in the future (Photo: Michael Furman)
The Scarab (1936), although awkward in its finished design and proportions, could seat seven and represented a very accurate look at how multi-passenger vehicles could be in the future (Photo: Michael Furman)

Concept cars enable designers and manufacturers to investigate new techniques and technologies, as well as providing an avenue to explore future possibilities – something that's to the fore in this exhibition.

Visitors will have the opportunity to get a detailed look at some rare automotive pieces, their conceptual drawings, patents and scale models, and even though the exhibition only represents a small taste of the many concepts that have been penned over the last century, the designs on show definitely stand out from the crowd.

“The concept cars presented in ‘Dream Cars’ demonstrate how design can transcend the present and offer new paths and opportunities for the future,” says Sarah Schleuning, Exhibition Curator. “While these cars were never mass-produced, they shaped the future of the automotive industry by challenging the notion of what is possible, technologically and stylistically.”

The High Museum of Art “Dream Cars” exhibit runs from May 21 through to September 7, 2014. Visit the gallery for the full exhibit line-up and additional information on individual cars.

Source: High Museum of Art, Atlanta

View gallery - 24 images
6 comments
6 comments
BigGoofyGuy
I think those older designs for future cars are nice, some are really nice. There is a couple of them that would still look futuristic even though they were designed years ago.
The one that was a two wheel car that self balances reminds me of the Zerotracer. It two has two wheels and is self balancing. Perhaps the one in the article is its ancestor?
Don Duncan
Aptera deserves to be included here.
Where are basic details, such as, drag & curb weight?
If these prototypes influenced future production, how? I don't see it.
The emphasis in the U.S. since the fifties seems to have been on more power, e.g., increasing top speed, decreasing 0-60 time.
warren52nz
That first one, the GM Rocket, looks like it was designed before crashes were a consideration.
Wayne LeTendre
Though not included in this exhibition, Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion car might have been influential had it not been for bad luck. The Urbee may do better. There have been countless great ideas that sadly went nowhere.
Michael Wilson
i'd say most of the advancements over the past 50 years have been in safety and fuel economy. Power has largely stagnated, except for the fact that there is more power per given liter/cubic inch of displacement. I live in Atlanta and am very excited to go see this event.
Ricx
I sometimes wonder about progress. I've been following the development of electric cars and motorbikes lately and here I discover that this tiny french Electric Egg that is 72 years old has a range of 96 km on a full charge and a maximum speed of 60km/h!!!,,,,..... I knew that around 1910 the taxi-cabs in Paris were electric, but those were big carriages, full of lead-acid batteries. This is a small capsule , seating 2 persons, there is not much room for many batteries in there. Perhaps 96 km could only be achieved at 10 km/h, I don't know, but you get the sensation we've being waisting our time in the 20th century, with respect to electric transportation.