GM Firebird lll Gas Turbine Car Promo Film - 1958

[@LawyerCalhoun1]

So here I am in "tomorrow", and all they have is a Chevy Spark.

[@watferfoot1467]

condolences

[@tighematthew]

Classic 🤣

[@northcackalacky4694]

I don't understand why anyone would purchase a Yellow Chiffon colored Chevy Spark? It makes the AMC Pacer look really cutting edge! The last decent transportation GM built in my opinion was early 80's pickups and the Caprice

[@tundrav8georgia]

Lol

[@raymondcasso7966]

Could be worse... you could be inside of a chevy bolt...

[@martinharris5017]

This was the REAL Batmobile! No fake turbines here! I love the outrageousness of this car's "jet age" styling, and the Mid-Century modern vibe of the whole presentation.

[@MaxxJagX]

Downside I can see, propulsion is from behind instead of the wheels. Which means you have to be perticularily careful how much gas you press so you don't rip people's heads off. Also noise. Reminds me of the nuclear cars they had in the game Fallout.

[@martinharris5017]

@@MaxxJagX Actually it did propel the wheels via a transmission; the big turbine outlet was basically the exhaust. The car wasn't practical and actually had slow acceleration, but it was never intended as anything more than a wild Motorama show-stopper. It did however pave the way for driverless cars and automatic braking/distancing via sensors, so like spacecraft technology, some of the ideas eventually filtered into practical usage.

[@MaxxJagX]

@@martinharris5017 That's pretty interesting. Though noise concern still stands, at least the propulsion isn't as dangerous.

[@kitbag9033]

Like those Ben Hur chariot scythes to make sure no pedestrians get in the way

[@martinharris5017]

@@kitbag9033 The Good Old Days when style took precedence over safety :)

[@mqbitsko25]

As a private pilot with experience under "bubble canopies" I can tell you it's like being inside a microwave when the sun is shining.

[@devilliers123]

Nothing like an open cockpit

[@caribman10]

...unless you aluminize the inside of the canopy, like GM did with the Firebird and the XP-700 Corvette.....then, you're OK. We know that the Firebird's a/c system could cope with the heat inside the "cockpit". I doubt if any of the Kalifornia Kustoms that had canopies in the same era could say the same. By the way: the F--22 and -35 have a version of the same thing, but for different reasons. What say we look up the DeDia that Bobby Darrin owned and see if it made the grade? Or Darryl Starbird's Predicta or Elektra?

[@redblade8160]

Mickey Bitsko Is that why they are fitted with "ejection seats" for when you have had enough?

[@malcolmdrake6137]

It's called _air conditioning,_ "experienced private pilot".

[@redblade8160]

@@malcolmdrake6137 I think most of us know what "air conditioning" is.

[@gomets69]

Norm James (identified at 2:28) was a co-worker and friend of mine. He had a great mind- very creative and hardworking. Many of the sketches shown were made by Norm. Later in life he wrote the book "Of Firebirds & Moonmen: A designer's story from the Golden Age" which is good read..

[@juliabrodie1660]

Cool, Must have been a very interesting job.. Could you go home after work and not still be "On the job", I dont think I could !

[@brownsounddesign]

My late father was an engineer at GM. Not only was he very smart, he was a good man. I am very proud of him.

[@LITTLE1994]

That's one heck of a design for 1958. It STILL looks futuristic, today!

[@MarinCipollina]

It's what they thought cars would look like in the year 2000

[@ВасильЗамишляєв]

So here, in 2022 this video still looks incredible! In 1958 my father was 8y.o. Respect GM !

[@danielt.8573]

Stopped respecting GM after what they did to the EV1. Still don't like them to this day.

[@jourwalis-8875]

No respect at all!

[@octavioespinosa1987]

the engineering team was from kinder with zero security drive installed

[@rowaba]

I turned 4 that year

[@NewstartGarageOZ]

My mother was 8 too

[@RobsonRoverRepair]

And here we are in the future and most cars are as exciting as a trip to the dentist

[@VectorOfKnowledge]

Joystick control, cruise control, turbine power, electronic guidance - all in 1958! That's damn impressive.

[@mahkuntizitchy2083]

Ya, just imagine firing up this thing at 3:00am to go to work! The neighbors would be sooo impressed!

[@VectorOfKnowledge]

@@mahkuntizitchy2083 lol

[@juliabrodie1660]

Reckon, Damn impressive alright !

[@slarbiter]

The tech to achieve those things were way unsafe to be in production though. Like if you somehow break your stick or the 1950s electronics whig out you're in some trouble. Completely non mechanical steering and breaks is pretty scary lol

[@VectorOfKnowledge]

@@slarbiter True! Still impressive that these technologies were being explored, even if they were in a crude stage of development.

[@townhall05446]

Imagine being back then and having a job where you worked every day on making something like this come to life. Had to be one of the greatest jobs ever.

[@Appalling68]

This video is totally amazing in so many different ways. Too bad this country doesn't exist anymore.

[@randalldraco3822]

this world doesnt exist. in the 60' those people wew able to send a man to the moon. in 2022 we are discussing if man have penises and woman a vagina. end of the road m8

[@shanemedlin9400]

There once was a great country, called America.

[@ellenwalker7892]

Rebuild it!

[@genericalfishtycoon3853]

R.I.P. America. How I wish it still had a future worth looking forward to.

[@MarinCipollina]

@@shanemedlin9400 On a clear day, you can see America

[@chris-hayes]

From the drive by wire to the sensors in the road to guide cars, they clearly were thinking way out. It's amazing to see they actually built the prototypes.

[@nunyabusiness863]

Yes the joystick steering is way ahead of its time.

[@daniels7907]

Remember that when they came up with this concept the interstate highway system was only just beginning to be built. It was a time of new infrastructure, and hence new ideas. Today we're just trying to keep our bridges from collapsing.

[@21stcenturyfossil7]

I'm sure the car was a test lab for dozens of patent applications. And I'd be shocked if more than a couple ended up having any practical application.

[@21stcenturyfossil7]

Just imagine how exciting a cross country trip could be if a 60 year old 'guide by wire" system was part of our infrastructure. A smile every mile!!

[@continentalgin]

And how do you like those nifty braking flaps? I guess they're for when you approach your driveway doing 300 mph.

[@silentotto5099]

I saw the Firebird III at Sloan Museum in 1967 when I was six. Needless to say, I was greatly disappointed when I got to the future and there was nothing like the Firebird III around. I was LIED to!

[@ronalds.658]

It was all public relations.

[@daniels7907]

Back in the 1950's, when the future was supposed to be AWESOME!

[@None-zc5vg]

...they meant "AWFUL"

[@daniels7907]

@@None-zc5vg Well, in those so-called "conservative" congressmen didn't argue that you should be allowed to lie to the FBI or while testifying before Congress. Nor did they imagine that we would ever reach such a point.

[@timyumichuck9262]

It was going to be but then chose multiculturalism instead

[@SilverSergeant]

It was...until the Government started over-regulating every part of our lives.

[@daniels7907]

@@SilverSergeant - You would have actually hated life in the 1950's then. Because government was actually *more* powerful back then, not less. Do you think that today's Gravy SEALs would be so eager about the U.S. fighting wars if *they* had to face the risk of being *drafted?*

[@HalJalikakik]

Whoever got GM to pony up the cash was a fantastic salesperson.

[@stevedrake1861]

During this time in history, GM was rolling in money. Now, it's doubtful that they will remain in business for very long.

[@russellking9762]

All due respect...it was the time when the American industry was King....we will build it..even though no one will buy it....in fact no one would even be seen dead in it...that is why ...WE WILL build it.. because this is America..and we can...and not just this anything...we had the guts to do this sort of thing...and we haven't even gone to the moon yet...you had to be alive in America to appreciate the confidence and the positivity we had...unlike now

[@daniels7907]

Back in those days, tax laws were such that corporations faced heavy taxation EXCEPT when they invested profits back into the business. This was what created that age of R&D. Spending money on new technologies was an easy out for corporations to reduce their tax burdens. Unlike today's no-string-attached tax breaks that just get "invested" in executive compensation and stock buy-backs.

[@JimButler1234567890]

Not quite... Back then the dollar had a lot more value and companies had enough extra money to comfortably invest in this kind of research without putting any kind of strain on their bottom-line. Now I know what some will say in response: "today's companies are richer than any companies in American history". That is true, for a select few like Amazon. The rest of them have to cut expenses all the time just to keep from operating in the red (so much so that we even saw G.M. have to be bailed out by the government in the 2008 collapse). When this car was made however, companies operated with a lot more financial comfort and could spend their disposable income without significant risk of going into the red. America truly was great, and those days of this kind of prosperity are what I hope we someday get back to.

[@daniels7907]

@@JimButler1234567890 - Back then, companies weren't allowed to rack up such huge amounts of debt, mostly due to M&A activity becoming preferred over organic growth. Why compete if you can just buy up your competitors? You can gain market share faster by *buying* it than you can by engaging in a competitive marketplace. The debt gets swept into the background, avoided in most discussions of corporate earnings and definitely avoided when talking about the public's often shallow understanding of stock prices versus real valuation. This is a major reason why so many of the older, hugely successful corporate giants of that era (e.g. Sears, IBM, etc.) have fallen by the wayside. Executives have become vultures, seeking to pick the still thrashing not-quite-carcass of the company clean so that they can walk away with a yacht-loads of money when the truth about corporate financial health finally leaks out.

[@yamatodamashii1179]

The most amazing feature of this car was the twin turbo encabulators. I know everyone gushes over the dual canopies but the real beauty was getting away from conductors and fluxes to produce power and going with the modial interaction of magneto-reluctance and capacitive diractance instead. What a time to be alive!

[@veenk]

I see what you did there. 😂

[@PetesGarageandperformance]

As much as I hate to admit it; the Chrysler engineers hit it out of the park with the turbo encabulator. Especially at a time when little to nothing was known about modial-interaction or magneto reluctance.

[@gray_space_alien]

Not to mention the sperving bearings.

[@bucky4752]

It don't have a backlashaftershafter.

[@61rampy65]

Crap, I only have one turbo encabulator on my Corvair... but I have a window sticker that says so!

[@toyz4oldboyz625]

The future is now , where's my turbine car ???

[@avada0]

You can get something a lot better. Electric cars. (Although EV's were possible since the beginning)

[@toyz4oldboyz625]

I can't argue with you about that , ounce i get my promotion at work i'm getting a chevy BOLT

[@maconp1119]

Hidden under 600 METRIC tons of bullshit regulations

[@jaapvanderveen1289]

The Fat Biker e

[@andyharman3022]

EV's were invented before the gasoline car, but were forgotten after the invention of the self-starter in 1912. Ever since then, EV advocates have been saying "You just wait 10 years when good batteries are invented that will make electric cars as good as gasoline cars". 100 years later, and it still hasn't happened.

[@solosailorsv8065]

The mock-up pin-board was SO much faster, collaborative, and easier than CAD , LoL !!

[@PrettyChrome]

This is so cool, thank you for uploading it! Neat to see whats under the skin, ive seen this car at a show once

[@42lookc]

There was a film so hopeful and full of promise I didn't want it to end!

[@geneobrien8907]

I was 8 years old in 1958, I used to buy packs of cards similar to baseball cards, with photos of cars. The back of the cards had info on the cars and the Firebird III was my favorite! In '58 the future looked so exciting, so many technological advancements to look forward to. As a kid I was hoping to see an actual FB III and I was also hoping in '68 that by 2001 space travel would allow us to travel to other planets. Oh well!

[@calebfuller4713]

I cannot imagine the frustration of watching the 60s space race happen, getting excited, then dealing with the reality up to now...

[@geneobrien8907]

@@calebfuller4713 It seems like you have some idea but the reality of living through it is so much worse. I've been alive since Ike and have memories since Kennedy. The lack of progress is very disappointing.

[@Lopyj]

The future is not what it used to be either...! (I can understand. I am bit younger, but as a kid I read all those books from my elder brothers full of futuristic cars and space ships, so I also was waiting for that to happen in my life time..)

[@zbdot73]

The assassination of JFK is where all this future vision of humanity started to die. Sure we got to the moon but that was his legacy. Instead we got Vietnam and other pointless wars & conflicts, 9/11, etc, etc. The dark hats took over the narrative.

[@凯思]

If only all that money hadn’t been sucked up by the military-industrial complex.

[@DavidLS1]

"Pass me a beer." "I can't. We're in separate bubbles."

[@davidreames8752]

Future COVID pandemic safe separate bubble driving!!

[@scottmcmaster4927]

Nothing like individual bubbles to stop the passenger and driver from being able to easily converse with each other. Great concept.

[@scooter2329]

Nothing like individual bubbles to stop the passenger and driver from being ejected from the same window.

[@longboardfella5306]

That’s the cone of silence Chief. Right Max. What did you say?

[@greglansberry4376]

In '59 my fathers buddy was a supervisor at the Mesa AZ , GM proving grounds , He had some 8mm film of the Firebird III . I remember seeing it as a young boy of 5 yrs old . He also later in '64 owned a "trick" Cadillac that all the dashboard lights were illuminated by fiber optic lines & one or two easily accessible bulbs .

[@Michael_Lorenson]

Oh, that is just too COOL! Paper mockups, just like I did things in my own little shop back in the day. Of course, by the time I did it, GM was using CAD/CAM. But, the budget is what the budget is, and the budget didn't include an IBM mainframe or any of its accoutrements.

[@lovelessissimo]

This period of time was the pinnacle of America.

[@Alto_C]

this looks straight out of speed racer and i love it

[@jezzaboi2168]

Like a real life mach 5

[@rickewilde]

I was thinking how the exterior shots of the GM factory resembled a set for Thunderbirds.

[@mackchannel6348]

Watching videos like this only gut punches me about how cheated we are of the future we were supposed to have.

[@tonyeff4447]

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks like that

[@avelkm]

That's cool looking but a bad everyday car. There are reasons it is not on the roads. Overcomplicated, very unsafe from all points starting from a joystick steering, loud as a fighter jet, zero place for stuff or even big people.

[@JimButler1234567890]

Oh absolutely. We have been cheated indeed, and it is no accident.

[@utnaturalem4379]

We got affirmative action instead

[@JCAtkeson3]

We got computers more powerful than they ever dreamed of. This car is a dinosaur by comparison.

[@olsonspeed]

Firebirds are GO! Be advised your future may vary significantly from this GM concept.

[@Confused_Philosopher]

Firebird one, Firebird two Firebird three. Firebirds are GO!

[@ernestogasulla7763]

Ideal for tight space parallel parking.

[@MM-vv8mt]

And finally, after 14 years of further development...The Vega! Well done, GM, well done.

[@leokimvideo]

It always starts with cardboard cut outs. This car was designed for gamers to control, so ahead of it's time its not funny.

[@wickedmuffin76]

CAD - Cardboard Aided Design

[@GewelReal]

except it's an awful idea to put a steering... thing this far away. Very uncomfortable to use and thus inaccurate

[@Thr33-Quarters]

Except that "gamers" came a few decades after this car.. Not only that, but this is a horrible way to control a car. No gamer uses a mouse for a driving game...

[@Gargantupimp]

By gamers, for gamers. Alas what could have been...

[@anthonyz7000]

Can you imagine accidentally bumping that joystick and sending your car into the ravine or off the bridge?

[@jimsteele9261]

I grew up a couple miles from the GM Tech Center. The big silver dome, and the chrome plated (?) water tower always wowed us kids. A very sci-fi vibe. I didn't know about this car, but I did hear about the Chrysler turbine car from a few years later. They built 50 of them and loaned them to the public for a month (I think) to gage public reaction. I remember my dad applying for one, but we didn't get it.

[@BitSmythe]

*GAUGE*

[@careless3241]

@@BitSmythe relax grammer Nazi. This isn't a spelling bee

[@autumn1231]

one of my neighbors in Royal Oak, MI got one of the Chryslers.

[@russellking9762]

wow..to think that this was in the time of the BelAir….and look how beautiful that was…such was the latitude that GM gave to their designers…literally heres the pen …dream the dream…and go for it…THATS WHEN AMERICA WAS FEARLESS AND GREAT!!

[@intuitive7274]

Yep it's amazing

[@hankkingsley9300]

Oh...I thought it was Joe Friday

[@hankkingsley9300]

If they hadn't been doing this stuff 50-plus years we would not have what we have today even though it looks pretty primitive

[@hankkingsley9300]

I would have bought this GM piece of s***

[@russellking9762]

@@hankkingsley9300 Exactly. but not just with automobiles..but with aircraft as well ..this is the time of Chuck Yeager and Neil Armstrong.. the SR 71 Blackbird is on the drawing board and the Apollo Programme is just around the corner..Boeing has seen the seeds for the 747...and a French British consortium will have the audacity to give us Concorde ..it was a great time to be alive.. the confidence our designers had and instilled in us was off the charts

[@TheDanno210]

40 & 50 years later, the rewards of this technology could be seen in some of GM’s best-selling cars like the Buick Century, Pontiac Grand Am, and Chevy Cavalier, said no one ever.

[@markhartman9189]

I’m so excited I can’t wait for 1978!

[@viking_II]

Meanwhile, in 2022 this still looks like science fiction.

[@sheldonbass4238]

This is an excellent piece of yesteryear. Definitely a must-see for any and all car buffs who get that tingly feeling over the histories of automobile technologies, and the resulting cars that were produced. What I wouldn't give to get my hands on the original sketches and brainstorming notes of these engineers, architechs and designers! Thanks for the great upload--keep them coming!

[@gartblaum]

Back in the days when the US was still the engineering and manufactory superpower

[@izemanevobike]

Well, one of them at least :)

[@dontrustwhiteyevery1]

China runs the show now!

[@TheDddkkk]

after stealing it from the germans hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[@kipter]

@@Number__00 DDT saved literally millions of people's lives and was only banned because of idiot environmentalists who didn't want to be mean to mosquitoes. How many millions more wouldnt have died from malaria had that not been the case?

[@tommaguzzi1723]

Wasting millions of $ making cars like this believing they were the were the future is why Honda and Toyota grew so fast.

[@jourwalis-8875]

Sorry, but the remote, "ultrasonic" key, which automatically opened the door (and started the motor) was really futuristic...

[@1ivannthegreat]

Jourwalis - Right, When it seems that it was ahead of it’s time, more like ( 2018 and less)

[@VictorWirtz]

If you had the right ultrasonic frequency you could steal the car using that though

[@avelkm]

There are reasons we don't see all that stuff around us. Radio waves are much better, can carry much more information and therefore encryption. and my car can be opened and closed from much further away.

[@21stcenturyfossil7]

Futuristic? Ultrasonic remotes were in use on some TV sets back then. Considering the wide range of outdoor noises, it would be impossible to keep it locked all the time. Philco had a radio controlled remote for a few of their fancy radios in the late 30s, but the remote was bulky because it used vacuum tubes and batteries.

[@erwinh847]

I'm thrilled to have seen all three of the Firebirds on an exhibition at the famous Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao in Spain, in 2022. Now to watch this film forms the completion of it. What an ingenious engineering already back then, in 1958, even before I was born!

[@Midnightrundj]

When engineers were real engineers!

[@ضياء-ح7ز]

You are right ☺️ I am think the same your idea today engineer how is speaking well no more or have short course in sth

[@donaldsalkovick396]

Right because the best engineers use colored yarn and pins

[@steveeddy6876]

Yes before Billy Boy by the lake!

[@ShamileII]

Man.....I love the optimism of the times back then!

[@scottprather5645]

I wonder if this car still exists? very cool concept car basically a fighter jet with wheels

[@ebayerr]

Scott Prather: All three Firebirds in this series still exist. The Firebird I and Firebird III were featured on Jay Leno's Garage in 2018. Jay drove the Firebird III on his show.

[@scottprather5645]

@@ebayerr oh very cool!! So glad that car still exists that's a piece of Automotive history for sure. thank you for the update

[@ebayerr]

@@scottprather5645 : You're welcome.

[@scottprather5645]

@@ebayerr I just re-watched that documentary such an interesting window into a golden age of American industrialism. Makes me realize how much the world has changed

[@robertabrams8562]

Wow, what an imaginative design! Those engineers in the 50’s couldn’t have more incorrect about the future…

[@cooperyoung1928]

Almost like they anticipated less government regulations and over reach in the future.

[@daniels7907]

@@cooperyoung1928 - Actually, this was THE era of big government! Eisenhower pushed through the Interstate Highway System, which the U.S. had never had before. This kind of advanced turbine engine was likely to be MORE fuel efficient in the long-term than traditional piston engines. Which is why the OIL INDUSTRY were so opposed to evolution of automobile technology. It had NOTHING to do with "government regulations".

[@georgedang449]

@@daniels7907 Maybe for the Chinese inter-provincial highway system. Our current interstate is nowhere close to, and was never designed to be, as straight and uncongested enough for turbine to be more efficient than piston engines. The slow up and down throttle inherent in turbines will not only put fuel efficiency into the dumpster, it'll be an absolute pain in stop and go traffic. They envisioned a car for future infrastructure that never came to be, at least not here.

[@daniels7907]

@@georgedang449 - Consider what you just said. The U.S. has 320M people. China has *1.5B!* How, or why, have we never expanded and advanced our highway system? Why has it, in fact, been allowed to *decay* so badly as it has? Why do so many politicians want tax cuts over infrastructure spending, yet complain about our infrastructure when there's a problem (and I'm thinking of a specific congresswoman from my state)? That's my whole point. In the Eisenhower era, Americans dreamed about the *future!* Today, they're obsessed with the present, and themselves. "Patriotism" is defined as selfishness and insularity, as well as a rejection of the new.

[@georgedang449]

@@daniels7907 Every empire go through stages from rise to stagnation to decline, following the same pattern. The Roman empire also collapsed under its own weight, where entrenched interests that conflicts with the overall interest of the state as a whole, to a point where existing infrastructure can no longer be supported by dwindling resources left after all the aristocrats have been taken care of. This is to be expected, the only thing worth getting upset over is how fast this seems to be happening in our case - our golden age was far too short compared to other examples in history. In any case, the kind of futurism from the Eisenhower era aren't quite rational to begin with. Too much emphasis was put on the highway system - all eggs into one basket. Turbines are a better fit for rail than the road anyway. Had we invested into a high speed passenger rail network, we wouldn't needed such an extensive and high maintenance interstate network. Rail complement highway system, moving more volume more efficiently, where highways take over when flexibility is needed. The sum of their parts are greater than their parts. Had we built a high speed rail network, turbine powered trains could have been a reality, at least for the half century before electrical high speed train technology catches up and surpass it.

[@NikoxD93]

Interesting to see how they designed without computers

[@tsbrownie]

Which came first, the Firebird 3 or the Batmobile? 😁

[@MikeLaRock88]

2:57 That drawing they have is timeless. Would even fit in the Cyberpunk world today.

[@coffeetime1001]

Amazing. Way ahead of its time. The first Batmobile and Speed Racer Mach 5 were probably inspired by Firebird.

[@bobblum5973]

The 1966 TV Batmobile was built from the Ford Motor Company Lincoln Futura concept car, from 1955, so technically it predates the Firebird III. But the Futura didn't have a turbine engine!

[@williamthethespian]

Wow. Keyless entry,self-driving,and more, all actualized more than 60 years ago.

[@startingbark0356]

I dont think it can drive itself

[@williamthethespian]

Check time 12:12 of the video.

[@21stcenturyfossil7]

I laughed out loud when I saw the keyless entry. It looked like nothing more than an adaptation of the Zenith space command remote control. Ironically, you could change channels on the TVs of that era just by jingling your keys.

[@krissyramsey3934]

Mr. Sulu, Warp 1...engage! I'm still waiting for the one that flies

[@strattos]

When we see what car we have know, we can think what have they done since 1958..... These cars make you dreaming....

[@Lebenkraft]

HOLY Firebird Batman, it's the Batmobile!

[@notarealhandle123]

Back in the day, they had a closed back room where presenters would go to laugh their ass off between the shoots. Five stars for the pan faces!

[@TheKingTywinLannister]

Why would they laugh?

[@Jsteelies]

@@TheKingTywinLannister probably because they are supposed to be so serious while presenting that it's hard to keep a straight face

[@notarealhandle123]

@@TheKingTywinLannister Because selling BS for hours with a straight face takes a toll.

[@21stcenturyfossil7]

I'm sure they quit laughing after Homer Simpson ripped off so many Firebird 3 ideas for his car of the future.

[@TheKingTywinLannister]

But it’s the coolest design ever. It would be awesome if those cars would drive around. There is nothing to laugh of. If I would laugh at some cars it would be nowadays wagons that 90% of people drives around.

[@oscarantoniomoreno5247]

I'm still looking for the flying car. Everytime I ask a car salesman, they laugh.

[@GTMemes2]

Fun fact The mattel hot wheel modeled after this was known as the "banana split" Its one of the most rare ,highly sought after and insanly expensive hot wheel ever

[@shable1436]

I have the actual firebird hot wheels in a box still, found it in a collection left behind in an abandoned apartment I cleaned out, along with thousands of dollars in tools, amazing what ppl leave behind, and why it happens. To tell the whole story I had to call the police because I found drugs and baggies everywhere as well, so in case we found a large stash we would be covered easier

[@johnkanzler6646]

Had one (i think)! All those bubble car types were popular with us kids back then. They did not last long 😆

[@orion14operative]

Even Hot Wheels are all cheap plastic now

[@joejack8659]

ok, these guys had a GREAT job!

[@1Bandit455]

Cool this would go great with the Classic Sci-Fi movie ( THE FORBIDDEN PLANET ) Robbie the Robot etc. :)

[@Michael_Lorenson]

One of the all-time great Sci-Fi movies. It defines the transition from Flash Gordon kind of stuff to Star Trek kind of stuff. Good call.

[@solosailorsv8065]

@@Michael_Lorenson my mind still can't grasp the knowledge of the Krell

[@echodelta9]

@@solosailorsv8065 Drop some Acid then you will. That's why they were gone. They'd need a 4 by 4 to get around on Altair 4 though, no roads. Rock dings all over that smooth skin.

[@None-zc5vg]

@@solosailorsv8065 (This is "off-piste" but someone has just acquired a 'Robby The Robot' movie-prop (including the transporter) for hundreds of thousands of dollars).

[@80sOutrunFan]

I love these old videos, fantastic.

[@scottfranco1962]

Unmentioned: The car had the acceleration of a dump truck, and about the same fuel economy. It takes to long to spool up the turbine, and turbines do not do well in stop and go driving. There's a reason why they are limited to airplanes, which fly long distances at the same speeds without stopping.

[@salt-monkeymcgee401]

These retro futuristic ideas were actually awesome. Its a shame that war and greed gets in the way of things. Imagine how far we could be now

[@theariesexperiment4642]

That braking system is incredible. I'm sure it was way to expensive to option on any production cars,...but just WOW!!!! I wonder if they implemented those in their racing program??? I'd just like to have that fully outfitted frame with no body. So cool.

[@grantlauzon5237]

Some modern cars (mostly electric) have brake by wire brakes, but it’s still through a petal.

[@danbrown586]

I was just thinking what a crazy design decision it was to make a wheel a wear item.

[@21stcenturyfossil7]

@@danbrown586 A wear item and a damage item. Smack your wheel over a bad pothole and tear up the brake, too. Good chance the cracked drum would lock the wheel. Who cares about control in an emergency? This is the FUTURE, 1958 style!! Of course, disk brakes came on strong a few years later, much to the disappointment of the Buck Rogers crowd.

[@denislesperance852]

@@21stcenturyfossil7 Citroen had front disk brakes in 1955 and Jaguar sedans had 4 wheel disks in 1956. Americans just made complicated gadgets but no real applicable engineering.

[@21stcenturyfossil7]

@@denislesperance852 Chrysler and Crosley offered 4 wheel disk brake systems in 1949. I don't know what "complicated gadgets with no real engineering" might be. Automatic transmissions? Air conditioning? Power steering or power brakes? All of these developments are now common all around the world. As far as the Firebird concept cars go, they're just silly vehicles full of silly ideas. Those goofy wheel/brakes look like the giant drums used on large trucks with additional wheel mounting beads. Detroit's concept cars are where bad ideas went to die.

[@egobuilders415]

Legend has it they are still working on the Firebird IV as of today, for tomorrow, for you.

[@johnburakowski61]

Wow , it even has a cone of silence for the wife . They really thought this one through .

[@TheMintyMelon]

Such a terribly tasteless and misogynistic comment…… I love it..!!

[@outerrealm]

Thunderbirds 1, 2, & 3 are GO!

[@coriscotupi]

LOL They put a gas-turbine engine AND a piston engine in the same car, and then manage to say it while talking about "efficiency" in the same sentence. Gotta love the 50s.

[@pickmeaname]

1st hybrid car

[@falklumo]

„This certainly is the future“ - famous last words

[@StrongHarm]

I've always dreamed of a car with fighter aircraft type controls ... but as a former military engineer, I can tell you that the turbine would be a nightmare... and so would the wire based guidance system. I did "kind of" get my fighter jet styled vehicle with the 2014 Chevy Camaro 2SS. The driver area is modelled loosely to seem like a cockpit, and I have a heads up display (HUD)! I call it The Raptor.

[@phillipgarrow2297]

My C7 Corvette has heads up display I love it

[@tindustries]

Super cool and interesting

[@Schnecke-20]

Phenomenal...... the General Motors automobile of 1958. Well, that's how people imagined the future of the car back then. Citation: The future used to be better.

[@peterf4552]

I had a friend whose parents traded a beautiful '69 Caprice Coupe with a 300 hp 350 V8 for a spanking new Citation in 1980. Whoops.

[@Carewolf]

Or maybe this was the brainfart that made US car manufacturers fall behind.

[@MarinCipollina]

@@peterf4552 That must have been a distinct bummer

[@peterf4552]

@@MarinCipollina It certainly was for my friend! He was furious at his parents.

[@xzendor7digitalartcreations]

Great Stuff; It Brings Back The Memories.

[@markricher7362]

The Pontiac Firebird was a nice looking car and it made it into production.

[@m42037]

Not like this, far from. Now it's a egg car

[@iunnox666]

@@m42037 Egg car?

[@m42037]

@@iunnox666 Today's concept cars, you do know what a "egg" is? Maybe you are from another galaxy

[@iunnox666]

@@m42037 You're talking about today's concept cars, the Firebird III, or the production Firebird, which isn't made anymore? No one mentioned concept cars in this thread until your last comment. Obviously I know what an egg is, but it isn't clear what car you're referring to, or in what way it's egg like. No Firebird looks like an egg, and no other cars were mentioned.

[@m42037]

@@iunnox666 Anyone made after 81 is garbage, the newer they got the more ugly they were. Do the letters FO mean anything to you

[@thedarkknight1971]

I kept looking at that wedge shaped nose and the profile angle to the ground and thought, "High speed? nah, front end is gonna get a tad light with ALL THAT air being allowed under it" hahaha... Cool concept though, especially those aircraft wings 'bolted onto it' 🤔😏 😎🇬🇧

[@bigdog2145]

That was cutting edge technology in 1958.

[@alexandrossotiropoulos5621]

I think it is still cutting edge!

[@nathenstram6697]

I wish manufacturers still had fun like this and created insane one of a kind stuff. Not just the same ol cookie cutter cars they all do now days.

[@TexasRedFam]

If these men were around today, with modern tech, we'd have our flying cars

[@1024dram]

Nope, not in a multicultural society controlled by semites. This generatiin are the men who (by fighting FOR bolshevism instead of joining germany) stopped us from experienicing a meaningful technological revolution.

[@jigglepuff871]

More like if the powers that be would stop stealing/buying all the patients to tech like this, this is why we don't have cars that get 200 miles per gallon even though it's already been done. They either buy your patient or kill you and steal it if you don't sell.

[@fitfogey]

Whoever developed the algorithm to put this in my feed, thank you.

[@metzmetz3948]

I wish GM has this kind of projects these days too

[@Thomasnmi]

They build concept cars these days

[@metzmetz3948]

@@Thomasnmi yea right but not as futuristic as back then

[@jway-o1u]

"The thrill of a lifetime!" Cue clips of mans hand gently moving a joystick as the car slowly moves around.

[@zaikoji]

I wanna live in THIS future, not the one we ended up with 😭

[@netmatrix75]

Watching this from Tomorrow, it is confirmed that we will not be getting these amazing looking machines.

[@pauliedweasel]

At age 68 the future kinda sucks!

[@netmatrix75]

@@pauliedweasel Yeah man. Even car design sucks.

[@SaronS8]

Deveria ser uma visão ultra futurista para as pessoas da época, imagino. Muito legal.

[@royrice6060]

I wouldn’t want to be stopped behind this at a light! 👍👍👍

[@srfrg9707]

Oil cooling was standard in the Citroën 2CV conceived before WWII and every french farmer enjoyed it long before that futuristic prototype... Someones future is somone elses past.

[@steveeddy6876]

Yes good point Citroen was ahead in engineering stuff!

[@R0yB477y]

Who needs computers when you have yarn.

[@Mass360VR]

RIP my ears at the beginning!

[@61rampy65]

That double-bubble top reminds me of the "Cone of Silence" as used on "Get Smart". I picture the passengers trying to talk to one another, and only people outside could hear them.

[@calebfuller4713]

I had an old book when I was a kid where vehicles like this were shown as "cars of the future". What did we get instead - ugly, boxy tanks like the Toyota Kluger and Mitsubishi Pajero...

[@inevitablecraftslab]

i had those books too, and according to those we also live in underwater cities :)

[@calebfuller4713]

@@inevitablecraftslab Yes! Everyone goes on about flying cars but where are our underwater cities?

[@PRH123]

@@calebfuller4713 there was New Orleans :)

[@numbblackpicture]

Well, I think this thing is ugly. But lets just say we agree that this car looks cool, can we also agree that those wings do absolutely nothing and are probably more a pain in the ass for example when parking and a proper way to slice pedestrians in half so not at all a good design for an everyday car? And of course you can't even talk to the person next to you because he literally would sit in his own claustrophobic bubble. This car might look like a kids dream, but it's a nightmare when it comes to everything a car is today. It's like homers car.

[@wyldelf2685]

Even this prototype looks more Batmobile than the last 5 Batman movies , , ,

[@manonmars2009]

"Electronic computers." We're talking vacuum tubes for 1950s technology. Does the car have to pull a trailer to house the computer to carry out the commands made by the driver?

[@PRH123]

Active memory cores at that time were already being made of copper rings and wires. This car though wouldn’t need RAM, it would have been hardwired for real time operation, and so could have had transistors etc on boards, as aircraft of the time already had.

[@rockyourworld5374]

Why do I feel like Jeff Tracey from The Thunderbirds( International Rescue) will be called to send Scott in thunderbird 1 to test this sucker. 🤣😉

[@danielbarton9291]

I had no idea these were operational concepts. absolutely fabulous 👌

[@continentalgin]

Too bad they didn't have one of these as the pace car at the Indy 500.

[@jeremymanuel5069]

It had some Dr. Who influences, the "Sonic Key" also know as Dr Who's "Sonic Screwdrivers"

[@babbalonian2]

Probably sitting in a barn in Tennessee.

[@rbushutube28]

So you mean to tell me that they had keyless entry more than 60 years ago and we just got it now? Those bastards!

[@jag0937eb]

holy moly, even batman didn't have this technology in 1958

[@barryrudge1576]

Just imagine driving that car on a warm sunny day, air con on full but still absolute torture, but it looks nice

[@franciscodanconia4324]

Can you imagine if today everybody's car sounded like a taxiing 737? And would incinerate passing pedestrians?

[@steveeddy6876]

Hmmmm great cure for those aggressive Tailgaters!

[@Coasterr200145]

I am not sure I would want one, but I am certain that this level of imagination is not in the current automotive industry.