This video shows three independently-designed cars from 1948 that were truly revolutionary for their time.
The first one, the three-wheeled Davis automobile, died a quick death after very limited production.
The second one bears a startling resemblance to the Tatra automobile sold in Czechoslovakia prior to 1948, so it may actually have copied many of the ideas of Hans Ledwinka, the designer of the Tatra.
The third one was designed by Gordon Buerig, the father of the famed Cord 910.
I agree with Triedaq and VDCdriver, I would Most Definitely add Tucker to the list , maybe even put it at the top. The Tucker was a revolutionary design, waaay ahead of its time: safety windshield designed to pop out forward in the event of a crash; an oscillating center headlight (in addition to the two stationary side headlights), which was good for seeing around curves; and this car also had a lower profile than most other cars of the time, sort of like the Studebakers of the early 1950s. The rear-mounted engine wasn’t an entirely new concept, since VWs used them as far back as the 1930’s, but it was a good design for that car, gave it good balance, and was a powerful (for the time) flat-6 (opposed cylinders) if I’m not mistaken. I understand that Tuckers were quite fast, too. Too bad that they didn’t catch on.
Yes, Tuckers were very fast–especially for their time.
You are correct that the engine was a flat-6. The engine was originally designed for US military helicopters, meaning that the design was particularly robust.
As originally designed, the engine was air-cooled, but Tucker realized that there was a limit to how many new concepts the American consumer would tolerate on his revolutionary new car, so he had his engineers convert the engine to water cooling. Another feature of the car was the ability to very easily drop the engine for repair/replacement. The idea was for Tucker dealers to have a couple of spare engines on hand, and because of the design, they were supposedly able to swap engines in about 30 minutes.
An interesting piece of trivia on this engine is that the manufacturer (whose name I don’t recall at the moment) was actually the successor to the Franklin automobile company, and the engine was produced in Franklin’s old factory in Syracuse, NY. Franklin had been the chief proponent of air-cooling for auto engines, but the general public seemed to have an aversion to the concept of air cooling.
The Franklin automobile also featured aluminum body panels–a very advanced concept in the '20s & '30s. However, in a total anachronism, the frame of the Franklin was made of wood! The air-cooling, the wooden frame, plus the relatively high price of Franklin’s cars, led to the company’s demise during the Great Depression, but in a way, you could say that the Franklin lived on (albeit briefly) in the new Tucker.
Franklin had been the chief proponent of air-cooling for auto engines, but the general public seemed to have an aversion to the concept of air cooling.
Air-cooled engines have a problem in the winter…Just ask anyone who owned a VW Bug why they would carry a window scraper for the INSIDE of the car.
I agree Mike. I drove a VW Bug back in high school. The “heater” was a heater in name only. I always carried a couple of blankets around when cold weather arrived.
Mike, I Owned And Operated A 64 Beetle And A 71 {Super} Beetle.
I Have Worked At Volkswagen Dealers For Many Years In My Past History. I Know These Cars.
I drove the 64 with a window scraper in one hand. I had adequate / heat defrost in the 71. The tricky part of Beetle ownership in the salt belt is keeping the heat exchanger valves and heater cable/tubes free and lubricated.
On a trip of more than several miles I would have to turn down the heat in the 71, on very cold days, even living above the 45th parallel.
Air cooled Beetles did have / do have thermostats and the parts in that system also have to be operating properly, but I didn’t have thermostat problems. Some of the problem was the small engine size, but the space to be heated was small and fairly well sealed. The 71 had more displacement and a larger fan / fan housing, etcetera, with the same amount of space to heat.
Actually, Mike, that was not an issue specific to the Franklin automobile, as defrosters were not yet part of the equipment of cars in those days, so ALL cars of that era had a problem with icing of the windows–both inside and out.
In fact, even heaters were not very common on cars of the 20s & 30s, and if someone was lucky enough to have a heater, the passengers still tended to use lap robes because the heater was so ineffective.
VDCdriver …I wasn’t around in the 30’s…so I’ll take your word for it.
I know where that factory is…I was born in Syracuse…and grew up 30 miles north of there…Air cooled engines and Syracuse just don’t go together…And to think Air Conditioning was invented by Carrier (also in Syracuse).