Since that new Volvo autonomous truck popped up yesterday on the internet, I can’t help but think of the Steinwinter Supercargo as inspiration.
It was actually built, and did run. Was later used in that kickass 80s series Highwayman, too. Read about it here:
that thing is awesome!
The Chrysler Cordoba de Oro was a concept car unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show in 1970. Designed by Elwood Engel, Chrysler’s design chief from 1961 to 1974, the future-forward vehicle had a cantilevered roof, no A-pillars (the vertical supports in the window area connecting the roof to the car body), and experimental, grille-shaped headlights. The wedge design became popular with auto designers in the late 1960s, and would eventually make it to the high-end market in the 1980s with the DeLorean DMC-12, the Lotus Esprit, and the Lamborghini Countach. The cantilevered roof and absent A-pillars hark back to 1956’s Chrysler Norseman, designed by Virgil Exner, Engel’s predecessor at Chrysler. (The Norseman was built in Italy and never made it to the U.S. While slated to appear at Chrysler’s 1957 auto show, the single model was shipped on the SS Andrea Doria, which sunk off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, on July 26, 1956.)
Engel is remembered mostly for his work on Chrysler’s turbine cars and his muscle car designs, the latter of which include the 1968 Dodge Charger (his 1966 Charger prototype bears some resemblance to the Cordoba de Oro), the 1970 Dodge Challenger, and the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda.
Would love to see a modern-day take on that with properly sized rims. Would probably fit right in today…
Chris, totally agree, the surfacing is quite contemporary.
Car design doesn’t need to be complex, shows the Brubaker box - it has a simplicity that would make it work for today as well if done right.
Plus easy to build from Lego bricks.
That thing is awesome! I want one.
With all the fun over the McLaren Speedtail that debuted this week, I thought I’d post a similar shape from 1987 that is maybe a bit more simple and elegant… and from Oldsmobile…
Subaru B9 Scrambler:
This concept car was first shown in 2003 at the Tokyo Motor Show. It was designed with influence from Subaru’s aircraft heritage, with the front end appearing to look like the cross section of an airliner, with a central jet intake and wings.[1] This theme was originally developed for the Subaru B11S which had been exhibited in Spring 2003
The neon has a nice smile 
I remember reading that the production Neon was going to have ugly square lights to save money, but the reaction to the Neon concept was so positive, the team was immediately told to put the round lights on. What a cool concept car though. I wish the sliding doors had made it through to production.
I never heard that story about the square lights. That would have been terrible. I guess they would have done a bezel and then a square lamp like an old Geo Metro or Camaro from the 90’s. The first gen Neons didn’t seem to survive so it is easy to forget that the first Neon was a huge seller.
The K-car, the Le Baron and the minivan saved Chrysler, the Neon made it relevant again. Under-30s probably can’t understand just how out of step the big 3 were in the '80s. The Neon ('93) and the Taurus ('86) were the anamolies that almost responded the rise of the imports. They were both climbing a steep hill.
Ford 1986: no one is buying our sedans anymore, let’s make something innovative, iconic, and industry leading to recapture the market
Ford 2018: no one is buying our sedans anymore again, let’s just stop making them… ?
I’m sure they have built a financial model that shows that SUV sales will take up the slack… until another gas crisis. I think this is what can happen when quarterly thinking dominates corporate culture. The future success is sacrificed for quarterly results.
As an aside, if everyone stops making cars, I hope I can get autonomous cross over, because why should I bother driving a bloated piece of ___ like that.
Neon: What an iconic ad. Man, Chrysler was hitting it out of the park with design and marketing!
