Skip to ContentSkip to Footer
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Best cars
  • Accessories & tyres
  • Advice
  • Vans
  • Sell a car
  • Car deals
Subscribe

Find a car review

Make
  • Abarth
  • Alfa Romeo
  • Alpina
  • Alpine
  • Ascari
  • Aston Martin
  • Audi
  • Bentley
  • BMW
  • Bristol
  • Cadillac
  • Caterham
  • Chevrolet
  • Chrysler
  • Citroen
  • Corvette
  • Cupra
  • Dacia
  • Daihatsu
  • DFSK
  • Dodge
  • DS
  • Ferrari
  • Fiat
  • Fisker
  • Ford
  • Genesis
  • Great Wall
  • Honda
  • Hyundai
  • Infiniti
  • Invicta
  • Isuzu
  • Iveco
  • Jaguar
  • Jeep
  • Kia
  • Koenigsegg
  • Lamborghini
  • Land Rover
  • LDV
  • LEVC
  • Lexus
  • Lotus
  • MAN
  • Marcos
  • Maserati
  • Maybach
  • Mazda
  • McLaren
  • Mercedes
  • MG
  • MINI
  • Mitsubishi
  • Morgan
  • Nissan
  • Noble
  • Perodua
  • Peugeot
  • Pininfarina
  • Polestar
  • Porsche
  • Proton
  • Renault
  • Rivian
  • Rolls-Royce
  • Saab
  • SEAT
  • Skoda
  • Smart
  • SsangYong
  • Subaru
  • Suzuki
  • Tesla
  • Toyota
  • Vauxhall
  • Volkswagen
  • Volvo
  • Westfield
Model
News
  • Home
  • News

Future cars from the past in new exhibition

Past predictions of how future cars would look on show in US exhibition - some are more accurate than others

by: Auto Express team
22 May 2014

The 'Dream Cars: Innovative Design, Visionary Ideas' exhibition is currently taking place in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. 

The exhibition is a celebration of innovative automotive design that brings together 17 concept cars from Ferrari, Bugatti, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and other manufacturers from Europe and the United States.

The cars shown range in age from the early 1930s to the present day. These are a reflection of design trends born from the contemporary social and political developments of the time that pushed the designers' imagination. In addition to the cars on show, the exhibition features conceptual drawings and scale models to demonstrate the stages of the car design process. 

Here we take a look at some of the most visionary designs at the Dream Cars exhibition. In many cases it's amazing how many of the ideas have carried over into production cars of today... 

  • L'OEuf electrique (1942)

    The three-wheeled L'OEuf electrique ("the electric egg") was created by French artist, industrial designer and engineer Paul Arzens. The L'OEuf electrique was conceived for Arzens' personal use as an urban city car in Nazi occupied Par

  • Tasco (1948)

    The Tasco (The American Sports Car Company) was developed by designer and engineer Gordon Buehrig. While the Tasco never reached production, it was one of the first concept cars to use a vacuum-forming process to create small 3-D model

  • Edsel Ford Model 40 Special Speedster (1934)

    The Model 40 Special Speedster was an American car based on European models that Edsel Ford, then-president of the Ford Motor Company and son of Henry Ford, had seen on his travels abroad.  Designed by Eugene T. Gregorie, the M

  • Stout Scarab (1936)

    The Stout Scarab was designed by aviation and automotive pioneer William Bushnell Stout, and was arguably the precursor to today's MPVs. The Scarab's design was influenced by nature, in particular the shape of the scarab beetle. It cou

  • Voisin C-25 Aerodyne (1934)

    Designed by French aeronautical engineer, automobile designer and maker Gabriel Voisin, the C-25 Aerodyne was born as a result of Voisin's bankruptcy. Not a fan of popular aesthetics, the C-25 Aerodyne bucked against the popular US-inf

  • Chrysler Thunderbolt (1941)

    The Thunderbolt was touted by <a href="/chrysler">Chrysler</a> as "The Car of the Future", in order to educate the public about aerodynamics and streamlining. Devoid of any protruding exterior features, the Thunderbolt was tested in a

  • The Chrysler Ghia Streamline X was a streamlined, wedged-shape car with a design influenced by the early Cold War's emphasis on jet power and space travel. Designed by Giovanni Savonuzzi and Virgil M. Exner, the Streamline X illustrate

  • General Motors Le Sabre XP-8 (1951)

    The Le Sabre XP-8 was described by GM as "a mobile experiment" and its radically low-slung body was made of then exotic materials, sheet and honeycomb aluminium, magnesium castings and fibreglass. Like the Chrysler Thunderbolt, its hid

  • Buick Centurion XP-301 (1956)

    Like the Le Sabre XP-8, the Buick Centurion was another General Motors Experimental Vehicle. In addition to its striking aerodynamic body, the most intelligent feature of the Centurion was a rear mounted camera with a wide angle lends,

  • Cadillac Cyclone XP-74 (1959)

    Another GM concept, the Cyclone was introduced in 1959 following the first Daytona 500 NASCAR race. With a panoramic bubble top that retracted fully when the doors opened or closed, sharp fins and afterburner-style taillight housings,

  • General Motors Firebird XP-21 (1953)

    The Firebird was the first gas-turbine powered car built in the US to figure out the practicality of the gas turbine for use in future vehicles. Described by the motoring press at the time as a "jet fighter on four wheels" the Firebird

  • Pininfarina (Ferrari) Modulo, 1970

    In the late 1960s <a href="/ferrari">Ferrari </a>approached Carrozzeria Pininfarina to design the astounding&nbsp;<i>512 S Modulo</i>&nbsp;concept car. A<span>t the time, automobile designers and makers were engaged in an ongoing battl

  • Bugatti Type 57S Competition Coupe Aerolithe (1935)

    The Bugatti Type 57S Competition Coupe Aerolithe&nbsp;was unveiled at the 1935 Paris Motorshow. The Aerolithe's&nbsp;<span>body was fabricated in Elektron magnesium alloy, a material that was very difficult to weld. The rivets along it

  • Lancia (Bertone) Stratos HF Zero (1970)

    Launched at the 1909 Turin Motor Show, t<span>he Zero was merely 33 inches off the ground. A<span>&nbsp;hydraulic mechanism opened the wide Perspex windshield that was the car's only entry point, as there are no doors. Inside, occupant

  • Normal Timbs Special (1947)

    <span>Mechanical engineer Norman Timbs created the Timbs&nbsp;</span>Special<span>&nbsp;for his personal use. It took Timbs&nbsp;<span>more than two and a half years to complete the car, and it cost him around $10,000.</span></span>

  • Porsche 918 Spyder Concept Car (2010)

    The 918 Spyder Concept Car was part of Porsche's&nbsp;<span>experiments with how their luxury brand could address consumer interest in green technology, environmental impact, and high performance. The car combines high-tech racing feat

  • BMW GINA - interior

    Of more concern was the slightly risque way in which the bonnet opened, with the two sides of the bonnet separating to reveal the engine.

Most Popular

“Mid-sized electric cars are way beyond the financial reach of most mums and dads”
Opinion - electric car prices
Opinion

“Mid-sized electric cars are way beyond the financial reach of most mums and dads”

Mike Rutherford thinks the industry needs to face the fact that a lot of people can’t afford a brand new factory-fresh car
16 May 2022
Best electric cars to buy 2022
Best electric cars
Electric cars

Best electric cars to buy 2022

There are more electric cars than ever to choose from, so we've picked some of the best you can buy in the UK now
28 Apr 2022
Shell and ABB team up to deliver world’s fastest electric car charger
Shell charger
News

Shell and ABB team up to deliver world’s fastest electric car charger

New Shell and ABB-developed Terra 360 EV charger can add 62 miles of range in less than three minutes
16 May 2022
Skip to HeaderSkip to Content
autoVia
  • Valuations
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Evo
  • Carbuyer
  • Buyacar
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Preferences

Try Auto Express magazine today

Get EVEN MORE amazing content every week
Try 6 issues for just £1 + FREE welcome giftTry 6 issues for just £1 + FREE welcome gift

Copyright © Autovia Ltd 2021. All rights reserved.
Auto Express™ is a registered trade mark.