Concept cars are one of the most fascinating areas of the automotive world. A place for automakers to explore new concepts and come up with futuristic designs, they offer us a glimpse into what the next chapter of automotive history could look like. Even though most production cars don’t have much resemblance to their concept counterparts, many mechanical and technological features that eventually made their way into production started life in a concept car.
In this list we have put together 10 of what we think are the most fascinating concept cars produced by American automakers, from Chrysler to Chevrolet and everything in between, showcasing the country’s contributions to the concept car world.
Note
This is by no means a comprehensive list of the greatest American concept cars — far from it — but rather a curated selection of some of our favorites. Each one highlights, in its own way, the American automobile industry’s flair for creating show-stopping concepts — an art arguably mastered here better than anywhere else in the world.
Dymaxion Car
| Year Released | 1933 |
|---|---|
| Engine | 3.6-liter V8 |
| Horsepower | 85 hp |
We start our list with a vision of the future, even if it wasn't one that quite came to pass in the way its creator originally thought. The Dymaxion Car was designed in the early 1930s by American inventor and architect Buckminster Fuller, and was showcased at Chicago’s World Fair in 1933/1934. Its name was derived from combining the words “dynamic,” “maximum,” and “tension."
The Dymaxion Car was egg-shaped for aerodynamic efficiency and was built to be as light as possible. Power came from a rear-mounted Ford flathead V8. The Dymaxion Car, however, was not successful: only three prototypes were built, one of which killed its driver in an accident.
Stout Scarab
| Year Released | 1934 |
|---|---|
| Engine | 3.6-liter V8 |
| Horsepower | 85 hp |
The Dymaxion Car may not have been a successful prototype, but it did inspire a different vehicle shortly afterward: the Stout Scarab, widely considered to be the “world’s first minivan”. The Scarab took inspiration from the Dymaxion with its rounded, aerodynamic silhouette. It also shared some of its core characteristics by being very light and using a Ford V8 engine.
The Scarab had a futuristic interior layout with seats that could be repositioned, allowing passengers to sit like in a living room. A total of nine prototypes were built, with around five of them thought to have survived to the present day in museums and private collections.
General Motors Firebird I
| Year Released | 1953 |
|---|---|
| Engine | Whirlfire Turbo Power gas turbine engine |
| Horsepower | 370 hp |
During the mid-century period, at the height of the Jet Age, the automotive industry was deeply fascinated by turbine power. General Motors had been researching the idea since the '40s, but it wasn’t until 1953 that the company unveiled a turbine-powered prototype called the Firebird I. This car drew heavy inspiration from the aviation industry and was shaped more like a plane than a car, thanks to its stubby wings and tail. It only had room for the driver, who was seated beneath a glass canopy.
The Firebird I eventually became the first of a series of four Firebird cars. GM continued to develop Firebird concepts until the early '60s, when it abandoned the dream of a turbine-powered car. Of course, the Firebird name would continue for some time under the GM umbrella, but instead of turbines, these Pontiacs would largely rely on good ol'fashioned V8 power.
Ford Seattle-ite XXI
| Year Released | 1962 |
|---|---|
| Engine | "Interchangeable fuel-cell power units" (concept) |
| Horsepower | 60-400 hp conceptualized full-scale |
This bizarre six-wheeled concept car wasn’t actually a full-sized car at all. It was a 3/8 scale model, showcased by Ford at the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962. The theme of the event was the 21st century; the combination of “Seattle” and “XXI” formed the car’s name.
Only the four wheels at the front of the car could be steered, with the other two boosting traction and improving efficiency, according to Ford’s engineers. A detachable front section of the car created a removable engine compartment, where an additional power unit could be taken on and off. The car also had both a conventional door and a gullwing-type canopy at the top.
Chrysler Turbine Car (A-831)
| Year Released | 1963 |
|---|---|
| Engine | A-831 Turbine Engine |
| Horsepower | 130 hp |
Another turbine-powered car, this time from Chrysler. The company made several attempts at building a turbine-powered vehicle over the course of several decades, but this is the one that stood out most, due to the number of units built and the extensive testing program it underwent.
The 1963 Turbine Car, the fourth one built by Chrysler, was created in collaboration with Italian design firm Ghia. It was powered by the A-831 turbine engine, which idled between 18,000 and 22,000 rpm. This car was driven by 203 members of the public during a three-year testing period. However, the tests revealed the car suffered from many issues that prevented it from becoming a production model.
Sources: Ford, Stellantis, General Motors, PreWarCar, Buckminster Fuller Institute.
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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
