If Cars Could Fly

There was a time when folks thought cars would eventually fly. They never did, but early concepts looked like they could.

By Frank S. Washington
Photo Illustration by James Haefner

Since 1938, designers have dreamt up concept vehicles that look like they are faster than a speeding bullet or could leap tall buildings in a single bound. Some of them could have been mass-produced, while others had no chance of seeing an assembly line. Still, they stirred the imagination, and many of their characteristics have made it — or may make it — into production. What follows are some of the standouts

1938 Buick Y-Job

During the heyday of motorcycle fenders, running boards, and perpendicular windshields and grilles, along came the 1938 Buick Y-Job. Credited as the first concept car, it was created by General Motors design chief Harley Earl. The low-slung drop top Buick Y-Job featured integrated hood and fenders; power-operated hidden headlamps; top, door handles flush to the body; and a wide horizontal grille with thin vertical bars that Buick uses today. The Buick Y-Job was built to test futuristic styling ideas on the American public at auto shows. What’s more, it served as one of Earl’s personal cars, racking up about 25,000 miles before he stopped driving it in 1951.

The ’50s Firebird I, II and III

If cars could fly, GM’s Firebirds of the 1950s would have been the first. They were based on the Douglas Skyray Attack Jet and were powered by turbine engines. The Firebird I was vibration free, idled at 8000 rpm and was controllable at any speed. It also continued to cruise right along when the throttle was closed. In other words, it had no brakes. The Firebird II featured a computer-operated steering system, a new engine that recovered waste heat, improved fuel economy that GM kept secret and intake silencers. It could also “drive itself” by 
following a wire imbedded in GM’s test track. The Firebird III featured cruise control and a drive-by-wire system. One control stick accelerated the car, put it into reverse, applied the brakes and steered the car. Engineers built “speed sensitivity” into the system to prevent abrupt changes that would put the Firebird III into uncontrolled spins. The Firebirds took Harley Earl’s longer, lower, wider design philosophy and flew with it.

1962 Mustang I

The 1962 Mustang I bore no resemblance to the muscle car it would become. It had a 90-inch wheelbase, 154-inch overall length and a 117.6-cubic-inch midengine that produced 109 horsepower. The Mustang I was only 40-inches high, and it was never meant for production. But it was Ford’s first try at creating