Alternate silhouette for cars in 50s USA.
- Thread starter lounge60
- Start date
Well, I guess some automakers could try a more European approach; many cars in the West at that time did get their inspiration from American designs but I think it's possible that maybe GM, Ford, and Chrysler could possibly reciprocate and try to keep the chrome down to a more reasonable level to save weight, and fins to a minimum, particularly if customers were willing to go along with it.
Perhaps in a similar fashion to the '90s OTL, they began experimenting with shapes a little more; Rounded edges v. Flat edges, etc. Think along the lines of a Ghia Focus or Dodge Viper.
Or you could have the age go completely retro-futuristic with it's car designs; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retro-futurism
Or you could have the age go completely retro-futuristic with it's car designs; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retro-futurism
The problem with the idea of US cars aping the appearance of European cars in the 1950's and early 1960's is that virtually all americans considered the vast majority of mass-market European cars cheap, underpowered, underequipped, and too small. There were niche exceptions to that rule, of course (sleek Italian sports cars, snappy little British roadsters, and a few luxury sedans), but in general before the fuel crunch began Americans would have considered any attempt to emulate European cars totally pointless.
The best chance for something radically different might be in the streamline movement - car shapes that were rounded, very glassy, and close to teardrop shaped. Obviously streamline movement vehicles looked better on paper than they worked in reality, but in the 1950's Americans cared less about how cars looked (assuming they at least ran and seemed heavy and solid) than how they actually worked.
The best chance for something radically different might be in the streamline movement - car shapes that were rounded, very glassy, and close to teardrop shaped. Obviously streamline movement vehicles looked better on paper than they worked in reality, but in the 1950's Americans cared less about how cars looked (assuming they at least ran and seemed heavy and solid) than how they actually worked.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Donor
Going off of what zoomar said, cars want to look like nuclear subs than rockets? so we delay rockets somehow, but not too many butterflies...
To me, the Mead designs actually seem to be just a conceptual variation on the standard 1950's spaceship and fin look. The middle one is a bit different, however. Where are the wheels? It is a hovercraft or maglev car?
They are cool though and make me long for the future that never was from my childhood.
They are cool though and make me long for the future that never was from my childhood.
It's a mooted hovercar. There was a widespread expectation in the '50s (in the Pop Mechanics circles, anyhow, so you know how likely it waszoomar said:
) there'd be hovercars in regular use within a decade or so.As for how you change it? Throw Harley Earl under a bus. And raise the cost of gas above $0.20/USgal. Having sports car racing realize drag reduction increases speed without needing to increase power would be good, too. (Something akin to the realization how drafting worked in NASCAR, say.)
