Cars Ahead OF Their Time

When it comes to technology in cars, it seems somewhat futuristic. Think of the touch screen or some type of radar sensing equipment. Some of this technology seems new from the 90s into the 2000s. It really is nothing new. Some technology in cars today existed decades ago. Here are a few cars that had some technology that was ahead it its time.

1959 Cadillac Cyclone

One vehicle from the 1950s is the 1959 Cadillac Cyclone. The car had a futuristic look with a clear roof and the rear fins. The engine in the car was set at 325 horsepower. The automatic transmission was rear mounted. The car was also built with an all-wheel independent suspension.

The exhaust came out by the front wheels instead of out of the rear of the car. It also had four headlights that would fold out of the front grill area of the car. The front end had pointy like cone cylinders that attached to each side of the front of the car. Those cone shaped cylinders make the car look like it had side missiles.

That was not just for looks. It also had a futuristic technology built inside of them called “The Collision Avoidance System.” It is like a radar system that would alert the driver about any objects that are ahead and would calculate how long it would take to reach where ever the object is which was based on how fast the driver was going.

There are car commercials today advertising this type of system as if it was new technology. Based on the 1959 Cadillac, that technology already existed.

1953 Firebird

An airplane looking car with a tail fin is the 1953 Firebird made by GM. This car is considered the first car that was built with a gas turbine engine which is basically a jet. An airplane with that engine would go pass the speed of sound. The horsepower rating for the engine in this car is rated at 370. This is one of the first to go 200 miles per hour. That was mainly a concept car.

1936 Scarab

A vehicle that was considered the world’s first minivan is the 1936 Stout Scarab. This car was not well received because it looked ugly according to the people who first saw it back then. It had a living room type of look on the inside of the car. The front driver and passenger seats can turn a complete 360 degrees.

It had a back seat that would turn into a couch once you fold it out. Along with the couch, a table would also fold out. It is like a minivan motor home.

1956 Buick Centurion

The next car that had technology ahead of its time is the 1956 Buick Centurion. This car also had a see through roof. It also looked futuristic at the time it was built. The hubcaps were made as if they had fan blades. The blades sucked in air to help with the cooling of the brakes. The cooler brakes are when it is time to stop, the better braking power a car has.

The main ahead of its time technology was the backup camera. People think cars today with back up cameras is new. It was not. This car was built without mirrors. The car relied solely on the backup cameras. The car was only a concept car. It was built without a gas tank. It never was mass produced.

1986 Buick Riviera

When it comes to cars with TV screens, people think of the 1983 Firebird Trans Am from Knight Rider. Although that was a television show, it did inspire technology that the car had in the show to become realistic. The first car that had a real touch screen is the 1986 Buick Riviera. With the touch screen, you can turn the air conditioning on and off and adjust the fan speed. The screen showed a trip odometer.

It also would tell you how much gas was in the car along with how much brake pad was left on the brakes. It would also do its own vehicle diagnostic test. That type of technology is thought of from today's standards. Some of the features in cars today were around long before the 2000s. Some technology may have been hidden for decades that no one knows about. Think Area 51.