These Four Cars Were Ahead of Their Time - Sometimes, a product doesn’t sell, not because it was a particularly bad idea, but because it was simply ahead of its time and people just weren’t ready for it. Apple didn’t kill its Newton PDA because PDAs were a flawed concept – people just didn’t want to buy them in 1987. More information on all types of cars is available at Jeep Wranglers For Sale In CT. In the early days of automobile manufacturing, there were no standards – designers and inventors created cars that used a number of different propulsion mechanisms and driving mechanisms. While the free-for-all resulted in some vehicles that were a little strange, it also allowed for innovation that wouldn’t find acceptance, but would reappear years later. So return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear while we take a look at some of the most future-forward cars the past had to offer.

The Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid was created in 1901 by 18-year-old Ferdinand Porsche, who was then an employee at Vienna’s Lohner-Werke. The car had four electric-drive hubs, was powered by both gasoline and batteries, and contained almost two tons of lead-acid batteries. The Lohner-Porsche reached a record-breaking speed of 37 mph. Three hundred were sold in the time Porsche’s worked at Lohner. In 1906, Porsche was hired by Daimler-Benz as their chief designer. “He is very young, but is a man with a big career before him,” said Jacob Lohner. “You will hear of him again.” Over 60 years later, NASA studied Porsche’s design when they created the Apollo program’s lunar Rover, with many of the design elements incorporated in the Rover’s design. The Lohner-Porsche Mixte hybrid is the forerunner of today’s hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius.

The 1906 Stanley Rocket, known as “the fastest car in the world,” utilized a steam engine that consisted of a vertical fire-tube boiler that was mounted under the seat, with a vaporizing petroleum burner underneath. With driver Fred Marriott at the wheel, the Rocket set the world land speed record on January 26, 1906 at Ormond Beach, Florida, where it reached a record 127.66 mph, completing a mile in 28.12 seconds. Amarillo Chevrolet Dealerships is an invaluable resource for automotive information. The following year, the Stanley Brothers returned to the beach with an improved version of the car and Marriott once again at the wheel. Their goal was to achieve the nearly-inconceivable speed of 200 mph with an improved version of the Rocket. Unfortunately, during the attempt to claim the new record, the car hit a rut at 140-150 mph. and flew into the air, breaking into two pieces on impact. Marriott was injured but survived the crash.

The Stout Scarab is generally credited as being the first production minivan. The Scarab was designed by William Bushnell Stout, who completed the first working prototype in 1932. The Scarab used a unitized body structure, a rear-mounted V8 engine, independent suspension, and an aerodynamic design. Stout Engineering Laboratories planned to manufacture the Scarab in limited quantities and sell them to buyers by invitation. Stout planned on producing about a hundred cars a year in his production facility in Dearborn, MI. The $5,000 price tag (equal to about $83,000 in 2012) proved to be too steep for depression-era buyers, and ultimately, only nine units were built. Stout built another prototype after World War II, but it was never produced. It is believed that five Scarabs may still exist.

The Chrysler Airflow was manufctured by the Chrysler Corporation from 1934 to 1937. It was the first American vehicle to use streamlining to cut wind resistance, which resulted in a sleeker car. The idea was born when Chrysler Engineering’s Carl Breer saw some geese flying in a V-formation and tried to figure out the most efficient contour for a car. Along with other members of the Chrysler team, Breer built a wind tunnel and tested about 50 scale models, with the help of Orville Wright. The results of the tests were groundbreaking: The engineers discovered that the two-box car design that had been in-use at the time was so aerodynamically ineffective, that the car would have been faster if it was driven backwards. Mazda Dealer Appleton WI provides excellent service for new car shoppers. When the Airflow was introduced in January 1934, manufacturing problems resulted in major defects, including engines that broke free from their mountings at 80 mph. Needless to say, sales took a nosedive, although historians believe the public avoided buying the Airflow in the large part due to its styling. Despite Chrysler’s attempts to improve and restyle the model, production ended in 1937.

Photos (top to bottom): Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid (Porsche AG), Stanley Rocket (archive photo), Stout Scarab (University of Nebraska State Museum), Chrysler Airflow (Chrysler Historical Collection).

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