Year: 1933
Debut at Chicago World’s Fair
Production cost: $7,688*
The Chicago World’s Fair was a great place to debut cutting-edge ideas and inventions. And at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933, the Dymaxion car made its debut. Conceptualized by American inventor Bucky Fuller and Starling Burgess, the car was designed to fly and drive. Fuller used money from his family inheritance and donations from the public, to develop the concept car.
The word “Dymaxion” originated from a combination of the words dynamic, maximum, and tension. The Dymaxion’s transmission and engine (a flathead Ford V8) were both made by Ford.
Buick Y-Job
Year:1938
Debut at: Henry Ford Museum
Production cost: $109,000*
The Buick Y-Job is unique in that it is considered to be the very first concept car. The Y-Job was a convertible with two-doors and a 5.2-liter Buick straight-eight engine. It also had a wheelbase of 126 inches and was designed by Harley Earl. In addition, it had sleek, discrete features like hidden, power-operated hood lamps and electric windows (which were quite avant-garde at the time).
The Y-Job displayed a gunsight hood ornament, flush door handles, and wrap-around bumpers. Though it sadly wasn’t mass-produced the Y-Job had design features that are still used by car manufacturers today, such as the vertical waterfall grille.
Frisky Family Three
Year: 1959
Debut at Earls Court Motor Show
Production cost: $400*
With a unique and spunky model name, Meadows Frisky was a series of small cars manufactured between 1958 and 1961 in England by Henry Meadows. The Frisky Family Three was a compact, three-wheeled concept version of a smaller British car (designed by Giovanni Michelotti).
The adorable car was produced in August of 1958 and debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1958. It featured a smaller 9E Villiers engine, along with a MacPherson strut front suspension. Though it gave the car a strange look, the three wheels meant that the vehicle had a lower excise duty. Nearly a hybrid vehicle, you could also drive it with only a motorcycle license.
Peugeot Moovie Concept Car
Year: 2005
Debut at Frankfurt Motor Show
Production cost: $50,000*
In 2005 Andre Costa, a designer from Portugal, created the sleek, environmentally-friendly “Moovie Car.” Costa won a design concept with his scale-one concept car, which he had dubbed “The Moovie”. He manufactured it at the Peugeot Style Centre in keeping with the design rules. It took three months, from conceptualization to final model, to end up on the showroom floor.
The two-passenger vehicle featured a weight of 1,102 pounds and was 60.6 inches in height and 91.7 inches in length. The Moovie was 70.9 inches wide and made its appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Ford X2000 – 1958
Year: 1958
Debut at: Ford Rotunda
Production cost: $58,400*
Designers Bill Balla and Tremulis created both the X1000 and the Ford X2000 which was built in 1957. The X2000 was created to display the essence of what cars in the future might look like or how they would be used. One thing the designers got right was the X2000 grille-shape which was later seen in the horse-collar grille designed by Edsel.
The vehicle was displayed at the Ford Rotunda and was later listed at the Sotheby’s Auction in London, England. The exterior of the car had an ultra-aerodynamic look, a manual gearbox, and a 2wd drivetrain.