@mleich suggested that the members of Cartalk.com could probably identify every vehicle ever made, which put me in mind of a fun challenge. Let’s see who can identify some fairly obscure cars. Here’s 4. The 4th should be relatively easy, but is an interesting specimen nonetheless:
1:
2:
3:
4:
The last one is, I think, a Bricklin.
The first is a one-off aquatic vehicle, a car that can be driven in a lake.
The second and third are concept cars, but I have no clue what makes they are.
#2 is most likely a Datsun
I was thinkin’ maybe Fiat because it looks so much like the X-1/9.
#1 with a quick bing search of ‘‘boat cars’’ I find it a Dobbertin Hydrocar ‘‘surface orbiter’’ built by Rick & Karen Dobbertin.
Interesting story about its development and attempted world travel.
Ken got #1. TSM got #4. bscar2 and tsm had good guesses on #2. Bscar was closer, but hasn’t gotten it yet.
While people are looking up the Dobbertin HydroCar, be sure and check out his other creations. The man is either crazy, or a genius… Or both - but some of his vehicles are pretty inspiring: Dobbertin Surface Orbiter
1977~78 Nissan Dome Zero concept car
That’s the one! (though it was just a Dome - Nissan supplied the engine but didn’t build the car).
I looked for #3 by googling “three wheeled cars of the 1950s”…but could not find a match.
The answer surprised me, too. It’s a Pinanfarina (the guys who’ve made some of the most recognizable Ferrari bodies) Model X concept. Not surprisingly, it was tippy as hell in the corners and didn’t generate much interest.
It’s a 4-wheeler, btw, though it’s hard to see in that picture - It has 1 wheel in the front, and 1 in the back (both steered) and the 2 side wheels provide the power… An even dumber layout than a 3 wheeler would have been, for my money.
Thanks Shadow. That one had me stumped. What a dumb design.
sounds even weirder than the Reliant Robin
" Thanks Shadow. That one had me stumped. What a dumb design. "
@the same mountainbike, Looks like it was created by moonstruck designers at the beginning of the space race when American cars were growing fins. I think it was more about making a car look like it was A-OK and ready for Lift-Off. Either that or Bonneville Salt Flats rocket car time trials.
CSA
Didn’t Craig Breedlove Drive Something That Looked Like That ?
CSA
Aha, Spirit Of America circa 1962 ! - 3 wheels and fin.
The Bricklin was designed to be a car built around safety, Bumpers and stuff like that. They came in “safety colors” also. There were 5 colors, even safety brown, yeah right!
Yeah. A shame it wasn’t very well built, and overheated a lot because of its inadequate radiator design.
