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Here are few pictures I took at Disney World back in 1971-1972 of GM's vision of how cars would look like in the future.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/scan00010.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/scan0007.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/scan0002.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/scan0005.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/scan0001.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/scan0006.jpg

I have no idea what this single seat vehicle was.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/scan0008.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/scan0009.jpg

DW opened in 1971, and Epcot didn't open until 1982-ish.

I didn't have dates on the pictures so I knew it was about year to year and half after the park opened when I took them. That was why I said 71-72 posted them.

It shows that GM was full of s&%* back then also.

This 1st car sort of looks like the GM Precipt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partnership_for_a_New_Generation_of_Vehicles).

Obviously a concept car - anyone think the front wheel covers pop-out on turns? :p

The top 5 or 6 photos do look a little like GM's EV of the late '90s, especially in the greenhouse area and the tapered rear end. For a view of the EV, just go to google images and look for gm impact and compare the two. And the resemblance tells me is that the shape shown here is just about the best you can do in the wind tunnel for ground-based transportation. If the EV introduced 25 years after this futurecar display is using the same basic shape, then it's safe to conclude that this is the best compromise of practical size, interior space, and low drag.

Man... if only. I wish they had been serious about such designs. And yes, I'd have loved GM to never have canceled the EV-1.

Resembles a Ford Probe.

Resembles a Ford Probe.

Only if it is on the side of the road with it's hood up!:p:biglol::biglol:

What about the Probe V concept? :D

Even the production version Probe was one of the most aerodynamic cars ever produced. If only...

Hi Al:

Thanks for the memories!

If only... People will not for the most part buy that sleek of a car today even though it provides the aerodynamics of an F-16. .15 or so. I can see a number of vehicle concepts in it, like Chris mentioned, even back then the aerodynamicists knew what would work for both interior room and exterior Cd. However, would the design ever sell no matter what was powering it?

I do not think the Aptera is going to do well and that is using one of the most efficient shapes on the road. When (if?) it comes out. People like modern and new but they appear to be not ready for futuristic which is certainly the case of all the sub .20 Cd exterior bodies we have seen to date. Other than the Blowfish looking exterior on that MB concept we reported on a few years back. That was simply to ugly to produce :D

Regarding the single seater, Peugoet and a few others have been playing around with something similar as of late. Great FE and enclosed cockpits on two or three wheels with outriggers for slow speed stuff on some designs. Great aero with a small fontal area but the greenhouse has got to add a huge heat load and more than likely needs to have some A/C attached. Place a 2 to 5HP compressor on a small displacement bike and you may as well be riding a moped ;)

Something else that is hardly mentioned regarding the super aero 2-wheel designs. The Manufactures actually increases drag on their super sports due to the darn things turning into a lifting bodied wing when you laid them over in a turn at higher speeds. The same applies with a cross wind. Darts fly great when the wind is non-existent, from the front or rear. Throw a dart in a 20 mph cross wind and you will not be hitting the dart board.

Sean, I wish the EV1 was still going too :ccry:

Good Luck

Wayne