Dream cars

[adorshki]

Ford remains the only US maker to win LeMans overall.

@davismanLV: Cadillac has periodically entered, Briggs Cunningham being one of their earliest campaigners. Here's his '50 Series 61 in competition livery and fitment:

Here's its running mate the Series 61 with aero body courtesy of Grumman Aircraft. (In those days aerodynamics was still a unified art.) Period lighting fans (looking at you @Guildedagain ) will note the "Cyclops" high-mounted fog lamp:

Sold only as a matched pair:

Cunningham may well have been influence by Bugatti's earlier examples with the Type 57:

Note when fully race prepped they also wore fog light by Cyclops:

 

[GGJaguar]

1959 Cadillac Cyclone. Ready for outer space!

 

[JohnW63]

Like it was required for the manufacturers to build a space ship inspired car for a few years.

 

[Cougar]

Not sure why I'm looking at these. Would be very impractical here.

 

[adorshki]

Like it was required for the manufacturers to build a space ship inspired car for a few years.

Of course, Gotta stay relevant!
I see they still had a hard time letting go of the Dagmars, though.
BTW, ever wonder why those conical bumper extensions were called "dagmars"?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagmar_(actress)

 

[GGJaguar]

Jaguar XK 120

 

[Guildedagain]

Of course, Gotta stay relevant!
I see they still had a hard time letting go of the Dagmars, though.
BTW, ever wonder why those conical bumper extensions were called "dagmars"?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagmar_(actress)

Some things never go out of style.

 

[GGJaguar]

 

[JohnW63]

A bug with a bigger body!

I think Volvo did the same thing with the PV.

 

[davismanLV]

Those old Volvos are just SO COOL!! I can hardly wait until yours is running, John!!

 

[JohnW63]

I made some understanding of the wiring today, Tom, so progress is being made.

 

[GGJaguar]

For hauling gear to a gig.

 

[davismanLV]

Here's a fun one!!

 

[GGJaguar]

 

[Opsimath]

What's that?

 

[Guildedagain]

Holy Carp!

"Wireless, or inductive, EV charging works by using magnetic resonance and a charging pad to generate a power-transmitting field. When a coil in a receiver under the car aligns with a coil in the charging pad, the receiver captures that energy and feeds it to the car’s battery. The technology is similar to wireless phone charging, which also requires a receiver and aligned coils; but EV systems can work with up to 10 inches (250 millimeters) of separation."

Wireless Charging for Electric Cars Is Inching Closer to Reality

As EV sales climb, more companies are embarking on wireless-charging pilot projects. But hurdles remain before powering up without a plug can go commercial.

getpocket.com

 

[adorshki]

What's that?

A Cadillac badge on the back of a Cadillac (concept car) Cyclone:

Holy Carp!

"Wireless, or inductive, EV charging works by using magnetic resonance and a charging pad to generate a power-transmitting field. When a coil in a receiver under the car aligns with a coil in the charging pad, the receiver captures that energy and feeds it to the car’s battery. The technology is similar to wireless phone charging, which also requires a receiver and aligned coils; but EV systems can work with up to 10 inches (250 millimeters) of separation."

Wireless Charging for Electric Cars Is Inching Closer to Reality

As EV sales climb, more companies are embarking on wireless-charging pilot projects. But hurdles remain before powering up without a plug can go commercial.

getpocket.com

"I knew that"-
Nik Tesla

 

[Opsimath]

A Cadillac badge on the back of a Cadillac (concept car) Cyclone:

I know what the Cadillac badge is, but what is that at the end of the car, a tail light or a jet engine?

 

[adorshki]

I know what the Cadillac badge is, but what is that at the end of the car, a tail light or a jet engine?

It was the age of making cars that looked like jet airplanes/aerospace vehicles, the mid '50's to the early '60's. Yep, it was supposed to look like a jet engine exhaust.

Largely due to the influence of one man I've mentioned before, GM's VP of Styling Harley Earl.

Earl gave us tailfins on the '49 Cadillac that were inspired by the tailfins of the P38 fighter from WWII:

Even the rear fender chrome detail evoked the cooling nacelles on the booms of the P-38:

Olds named cars after current military planes, the Starfire, the Cutlass...( an unfortunate choice as it was an abominable though gorgeous plane, known as the "Ensign Killer"):

It was a beast to get airborne with flame-out-prone engines, and landing was nightmarish at best:

Note at that time the cockpit hatch was normally left open on launch to aid pilot escape in case of a ditching. Ejection seats were still primitive. In the second pic the hatch came off from the impact.

GM wanted to pitch the glories of aviation through designs worthy of the best science-fiction comics.
The Turbine-powered Firebirds (that's a great link to a Mechanix Illustrated historical article, btw):

The tail-end of II deserves special mention:

And Earl says in the article above that the III was inspired by the Douglas F4-D Skyray:

Meanwhile over at Chrysler, they too put a turbine in a car and built enough to lease to real word owners in a real-life test program.
Those cars had the jet engine tails too:

For that matter the headlights looked like inlet scoops too...

Styles changed and evolution eventually gave us:

Inspired no doubt by the sheer utilitarian elegance of the A-10:

Fortunately the principle of survival of the fittest rendered both of 'em evolutionary dead-ends.

 

[Prince of Darkness]

There was also interest in gas turbine engined cars in the UK, with Rover building several prototypes. Ultimately, rising fuel costs led to the project being abandoned.





The last pictured design was later slightly modified to use conventional straight 4 and V8 engines and produced as the P6 model, which was very popular during the 1960's and 70's.