History Automotive Weirdness

Another bring-it-all-together-in-one-place thread: all the weird, original, and just plain misguided attempts at automobiles from our chosen era; the prototypes, the concepts, the heroic attempts at series production.

I love these things, not least because they failed. There is an endearing recklessness to most of them. It's like a lot of the people I like the most are those who fail most dismally at being assholes. Had they - the people and the cars - succeeded, they'd have been bloody awful.

Of course I wouldn't be Ned Ludd if I weren't interested in the idea that these ventures failed due to a failure to understand the ideologically constructed nature of dominant technological future visions, but be that as it may. I'd also be interested in seeing any of these vehicles hot-rodded.

Here's the Gordon Diamond of 1948, to start with:

 

Beech Plainsman:




Air-cooled flat-four and electrostatic drive.

 

For some incomprehensible reason, Richard Buckminster Fuller is regarded as a sort of hero by the very people who are most vehemently opposed to the sort of world he tried to engender. Perhaps it's just because the geodesic dome happened through circumstance to acquire a sort of hippy commune UN humanitarian gesture association. Personally I'm grateful that so many of Fuller's ideas failed, not least the pseudo-religious cult-like interdisciplinary Dymaxion concept. As a failure, however, I think the Dymaxion cars are rather cool:







All the original cars are lost, having no doubted succumbed to dynamic atrociousness. High-tech architect Sir Norman Foster has had a replica built:

 

Just to show that this sort of thing was not confined to the United Stated, some Burney Streamlines:









I'm thinking these things are full of details and design elements that could be used in hot rod or custom builds, if like me you appreciate a bit of quirkiness.

Over to you guys. What've you got?

 

Keep em coming.Very steampunk like.The one car featured that has a white lower paint job looks like it has a VW type from suspension?

 

I like your "take" on this post; from a different perspective! Kind of funny and cool at the same time.
And I think that last car has potential!!

 

Thanks Ned...now I need to go wash the ugly out of my eyes.

 

Here's a short video of strange autos. HRP

 

Actually, these are more DieselPunk than Steam...
but who cares!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I see a lot of Tucker on the back end of that Beech...

 

I see Airplane fuselage with with wings clipped,
I see sausage buns on wheels.

Then the next logical thing would be the Oscar Myer mobile.

Sherry Stevens appears to be put together very nicely.

 

The Octoauto , built by the M O Reeves company of Columbus Indiana. Designed by William Stout.
Only a few were built in 1939.
His other claim to fame was he also designed the Ford Tri motor airplane.

 

Ned - I love this stuff! The Burney Streamliner, for some insane reason, appeals to me. But, like you, I do have a couple of quirks which I have not been able to work out. I keep trying, but I just can't stop gravitating toward the non-mainstream.

 

There's been a whole thread on Davis 3-wheelers:




I'm not convinced about the 1F2R layout, claims of "untippability" notwithstanding. To my mind the only two solutions to this layout are a tilting vehicle like an Ariel 3 or Honda Gyro, or a rotating front-drive engine/transmission/wheel assembly as on an early Bond:

 

1949 Gregory was, like the Dymaxion, rear-engined and front-wheel-driven:

 

Here's a Rumpler.
I think any car made after about 1970 looks weird!

 

Hard to decide which is ugliest.

 

Fun thread, Ned! And I have good news for you: Not all Dymaxions are lost. Number 2 is on display at the National Automobile Museum in Reno.

 

Great thread Ned!

Some 12 or so years ago they built a new Weinermobile here in Fresno. There's a local co here that makes service bodies and such things, who did it. I haven't seen it since the "launch" though. I assume it's now touring the world, promoting sodium & nitrate-enriched meat-like foodstuff.

BTW, I always liked the Tatras, though they are totally weird.

 

Hoffman X8:






An old article here: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/09/16/sia-flashback-supreme-whatzit/

 

Ned, the last two links bombed.

BTW, I always thought this Locomobile was pretty awful:

 

Oh No!! That blue rear engine contraption has my name on it. No relation I hope.

 

You have to remember Coke a Cola had COKE in it in those days, lol.

 

Here is one that still remains unidentified. Check it out....it has early Packard wheels.....rear engine.....no engine in it at this time, so??

 

1928 Martin

 

That Loco has a cast aluminum body, may be one of the first with a turit style top. Back in the early 1960's the fellow who owned it wanted to store it in an old barn. His daughter was in college studing engineering and told him the car was too heavy for the barn floor to support. He replied was that the car would be stored on jack stands, and not to worry. Frank was a one of a kind guy, we miss him. Bob

 

Wow thanks Kid. I had no idea from the photos & I know virtually nothing of Locomobile lore.

I wouldn't consider that a "turret" top, even though it's rounded on all the edges. Turret tops have that cheesebox-on-a-raft look of the typical 40's coupe.

 

My friend has two Stout Scarabs... cool thread!

 

I don't have much/any info on these...

 

They was smoking the good shit!