- [Male Speaker] Trendsetting, crowd pleasing,
outlandish, it's the concept car.
A fantasy vehicle filled with possibility and wonder.
But don't fall in love with that Nissan IDX,
or Porsche Mission E, because the reality is,
the rubber will never meet the road.
What, it's just a showpiece?
Ah, so why build these dream machines
if they're never expected to roll of the assembly line?
This is Wheel House, and we're talking concept cars.
Concept cars are often stocked with innovative and
over the top features, but lack economic viability
or practical application.
They are dream big cars, and automakers will spend the time
and money to show off new technology and styling,
or simply to gauge customers' reaction to new ideas.
In the early days of the auto industry,
the only people building them were the people who had before
been building coaches,
and that's why they looked like horseless coaches.
In 1896, the French, I don't know, all of them,
launched an effort to set the automobile
apart from the horseless carriage.
A well-known department store in Paris held a contest
and invited all types of creatives,
from painters, sculptors, and even architects
to come up with their own ideas for a modern motorcar.
The winning entry was by an architect and furniture designer
named Pierre Selmersheim.
His scale model design called the Car House,
was made of wax, cardboard, and glass,
and was a fairly radical and advanced model for the time.
I mean, look at it.
It looks like a Steampunk funny car.
That's the first and last time I'll ever mention
Steampunk on this show.
(lively music)
While Selmersheim's Car House never got past the sketch
and model stage, many concept cars that got built
featured some pretty impressive designs.
With improved infrastructure and safety of paved roads
in the US, car designers were able to trade the rugged,
bulky, tractor-like models
for more attractive looking vehicles.
The decade also saw a fascination with the burgeoning
aviation industry, and the automobile was even seen
as your own personal flying machine.
One concept car to capitalize on this
was the Auburn Cabin Speedster.
Their concept car design was promoting as having
the speed of a racing car
with the comfort of a closed car.
The cabin on this beauty was pushed to the back of the car
and was characterized as cabin rear worth.
The hood was long and sleek.
Designed in 1928, just a year after Charles Lindbergh
made his famous Transatlantic flight,
the aeronautical themes of the Auburn Cabin Speedster
are clear cut.
Position yourself behind the wheel
and you might think you were in the cockpit
of a two-seater airplane.
Sadly, the excitement over the Auburn was short-lived.
While on display at a car show,
either a cigarette was carelessly discarded,
or there was an electrical short,
because the tent went up in flames and 320 cars were lost,
including the Auburn Cabin Speedster.
This car had a ton of influence,
you put it next to the Jaguar E-Type,
or Dodge Viper, or even the Mercedes GT,
and the lineage is pretty clear.
(lively music)
Moving into the 1930s, we actually saw a couple concept cars
that predated the minivan of today.
Buckminster Fuller was a famous inventor
and visionary of the 20th century.
He was an accomplished poet, architect, engineer,
mathematician, the list goes on.
You name it, he probably did it.
And he built one of the most significant,
and progressive cars ever.
The Dymaxion was a 20 foot long pod like three-wheeled
contraption that Fuller didn't see as radical,
but as logical.
This highly streamlined car used the Ford V8 at the rear
to drive the two front wheels.
And the single back wheel steered the car,
like the rudder of a ship.
It could carry up to 11 passengers,
got 30 miles to the gallon,
and claimed to travel as fast as 120 miles per hour.
This thing is awesome.
I could see it in a Wes Anderson movie.
The Dymaxion could turn on a dime,
and parallel parking was a breeze,
just pivot its wheels toward the curb,
and zip sideways into the parking space,
like a crab or something.
And there were no rear windows, just a periscope.
Excentric, definitely, but it was also stylish,
efficient, and attracted lots of attention.
Celebrities wanted to take it for a spin,
and the rich wanted to invest in it.
Unfortunately, the same month that Fuller
applied for a patent,
one of his prototype Dymaxions crashed
and killed the driver.
Ultimately, only three Dymaxions were completed
before Fuller ran out of money.
Curiously enough, a few years ago a guy built a replica
of the Dymaxion and said it was the scariest
driving experience of his life.
Yeah, no duh, it handles like a forklift, but can go 120.
(lively music)
The 1938 Buick Y Job was the brainchild of General Motor's
design chief Harley Earl.
This guy represented a whole new approach to auto design.
His guiding principle was oblongs
are more attractive than squares.
Harley's intention was to build a dream car
that would test the boundaries of consumer taste.
So why is it called the Y Job?
Experimental cars had already used the X designation,
but Harley believed this was beyond experimental.
And what comes after X?
Y.
With its aviation influenced design,
this two seat convertible was the first Buick
to use the bombsight hood ornament
and featured power-operated hidden headlights,
recessed tail lamps, flush door handles,
electric windows and doors,
and a hidden power-operated convertible top, in 1938.
Technological innovations that were
way ahead of their times from the 30s.
And every one of these devices found their way
into production cars.
In 1939, the press called the Y Job more than a concept car,
it was the car of the future.
This observation was dead on,
because the oblong shaped,
long and low slung body of the Y Job had a massive influence
on American car design that lasted well into the 50s.
When you look at the car, you're probably thinking,
oh, I've seen that before.
And you might have, but you might just think you have,
because for almost two decades,
manufacturers were trying their best to emulate it.
(lively music)
In the 1950s and 60s, the auto industry's concept cars
still reflected a love affair with aircraft,
but the approach was more futuristic.
It's no wonder, because with the space race it was game on,
and jet planes and research rockets
were blazing across the sky,
so car makers were inspired by this exciting jet age.
Oldsmobile was a powerhouse in the 50s,
and was also very ambitious.
In 1956, it showed its bold side
with the shark-nosed Golden Rocket.
The Golden Rocket was jaw-dropping, sporty, and strange.
It had round headlights tucked between the skinny grill
and high-set missile-like fenders.
Its luxury features included a power tilting steering column
and seats that automatically raised and swiveled
when the doors opened.
Unfortunately, few of its chic, styling features
made it to production,
with the exception of the incredible,
wrap-around split rear window treatment,
which appeared in the 1963 Corvette.
Around the same time,
General Motors took an even bolder step in its concept car
designs with GM's Firebird Show Cars.
These series of concept Firebirds were built,
not just to showcase futuristic design,
but also to test the usefulness of gas turbine engines
in passenger cars.
The GM Firebird Three's aim was to build upon the high speed
ability of the first Firebird model,
and the electronic feats of the second Firebird model.
This extreme jet fighter shaped vehicle
was, to say the least, astounding.
The GM Firebird Three offered a keyless entry system
and a double bubble canopy,
continuing with the Jet H3 of the first two Firebirds.
The Firebird Three would be the only one in the series
that actually influenced design of GM car.
You'll find the Firebird's rear skegs,
that's kind of a weird name,
or the stubby little fins that hung down off the bottoms
of the rear fenders on the 1961 Cadillac.
With no parallel lines and very little chrome,
the Firebird Three broke a number of GM styling rules,
and that's one of the reasons
it became such a significant design.
This car series also delved into a surprising range
of technologies that can be found in current car models,
anti-lock breaking systems, (jumbled words),
and powered luggage compartment platforms,
that's not as exciting as the first ones.
(lively music)
Fast forward 30 years
and the landscape of concept cars shifted.
We were seeking not just sleek and flashy designs,
but also cars aimed at particular lifestyles.
You see, in the 1980s market research found that consumers
under 35 were interested in buying vehicles
that would match their leisure and recreational life,
like hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, surfing,
all those other things that you see on Tinder profiles.
With the burgeoning sport utility market
beginning to dominate the late 80s and into the 90s,
Pontiac responded with the 1989 concept car
called the Stinger.
This neon green, open-top, two-door dune buggy/jeep combo
was a true attention grabber.
The Stinger was aimed directly at young buyers
who spent all their time at the beach,
and needed a vehicle that centered entirely
around the beach-going experience.
The folks at Pontiac went all out
with an endless supply of gadgets:
electric memory seats and steering wheel,
a control panel hidden in the driver's side door,
seats made of wetsuit material that could be used
as beach chairs, and a removable roof panel.
You could also raise the rear seats up 15 inches
at the flip of a switch.
But wait, there's even more,
a CD player, a detachable AM/FM stereo,
binoculars with a carrying case, why?
Are you like, spying on a nude beach with this car?
A pullout drawer that stored two long-distance cell phones,
a drink cooler mounted in the doors,
a tool case, an extension cord, an extension cord?
Two dust busters, a first aid kit, a sewing kit,
a flashlight, a camping table, biking bags,
and I'm not kidding, a garden hose, to hose it out with.
I'll say it again, a garden hose.
Crammed with all that, you may wonder,
is there anything the Stinger couldn't do?
Well, it couldn't get made.
Even though it's unlikely a production version
of the Stinger would have to come
equipped with all those extras,
a roofless, beach-combing 4X4 with some of that stuff
would be pretty sweet.
It seems Pontiac bigwigs at the time
were eager to produce the Stinger,
but they decided with all those extra features,
it wouldn't be cost effective to build.
And you'd have to get your dust buster
at the Black and Decker like the rest of us.
One of my favorite concept cars rolled out in the late 90s
and was heralded as the car to save American Cars.
Buick unveiled their LaCrosse concept.
It was sleek in rear wheel drive
with a powerful V8, and it had suicide doors.
Surely, this meant Buick was back in the game.
The LaCrosse did make it to production about a decade later,
as an unremarkable family sudan.
(lively music)
For concept cars, it's a glamorous,
although short life expectancy.
Most are dismantled after they've made the rounds
at that year's given car shows, on display at a museum,
or end up in the hands of private buyers
via an auction house.
But sometimes car makers actually promise
the future and deliver.
Tesla was one concept car that made it to production,
against all odds.
Debuting at a private event in SoCal,
the electric 2009 Tesla Model S show car
housed enough battery power to boast
an estimated 300 mile range.
The proposed specs on the sleek sudan
were ambitious, a 45 minute quick charge,
a 17 inch infotainment system with 3G wireless connectivity,
and a top speed of 120, and much more.
It honestly sounded impossible,
and a lot of people said it would never make it to market.
However, in 2012 Elon Musk and his team delivered
on their performance claims with the Tesla Model S.
The dual-motor version hit 60 miles per hour
in three-point-two seconds, and had a range of 295 miles,
a truly impressive feat.
And it's because of this car,
the big dogs of the industry are taking
electric cars seriously, and that's awesome.
With environmentally friendly and sustainable energy
the name of the game nowadays,
the 2000s and beyond have seen a big focus
on green concept cars.
Now we have concept cars debuting at venues
outside of auto shows.
Shiny, startup Byton unveiled an all-electric SUV concept
at this year's Consumer Electronics Show.
This polished four-door features voice and gesture controls,
and face recognition technology that will probably break
after like two years.
Side mirrors are nixed and replaced with cameras,
and of course there's autonomous capabilities.
Earlier this year, Lexus introduced the striking LF-1
limitless concept car, with the goal of making the driving
experience easier, this slick, luxury crossover
offers expansive touch controls on the steering wheel,
and a touch pad on the center console,
because what we need is more touch screens.
Its bold, beautiful body curves give the appearance
of melted steel, or a rumpled sack of sheets.
These cars are a chance for designers
to push the envelope and display radical designs
that may never see production,
but at least gives consumers an idea
of what the future may bring.
For those of around in 2050,
we're sure to see autonomous driving vehicles.
And if that's the reality,
will a steering wheel even be necessary?
We put out cool stuff pretty much every single day,
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If you wanna know more about concept cars,
here's an up to speed on a car that was one at one point,
it's the Acura NSX.
Check out Science Garage.
Be nice, see you later.
Bye, Reggie.