Technologies that can no longer be ignored from cars today, such as navigation and an on-board computer, were already on the unusual concept car. Nuclear propulsion has not yet made its way into the auto industry, but the Seattle Ite was ahead of the curve in a number of other areas. The car’s name is a play on words of ‘Seattle’ and ‘Satellite’. At the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, Ford unveiled the Seattle-Ite XXI Concept, a six-wheel symbol for the future of the American auto industry. Ford Seattle-Ite XXI Concept (1962)Ī small nuclear reactor that powers your car? It doesn’t get much more ‘Atomic Age’ than that. ![]() The dashboard (photo 4) seems straight from an episode of Star Trek. Inside the La Galaxie beats science fiction clear the clock as well. In addition, the styling of the rear side windows immediately catches the eye. The roofline is also special, with a rear window that appears to be tilted in the wrong direction. At the front there are two large round headlights, but somewhere it looks like you are looking at the back of the car. The study model was without a doubt startling, although the real Ford Galaxie has little to do with it in appearance. The Ford La Galaxie was one of the first Ford concept cars to be designed in the ‘Space Age’ style. To illustrate, the ultra-efficient 2009 Volkswagen XL1 had about the same level of aerodynamic efficiency. Especially for its time, this was an absurdly low value. In the end, the BAT 7 achieved a Cw value of 0.19. The extravagant design of the three cars, with tail fins, sealed wheel arches and sloping side windows, thus did not merely serve an aesthetic purpose. Ultimately, Alfa Romeo, in collaboration with design house Bertone, built three BATs in consecutive years: the BAT 5 in 1953, the BAT 7 in 1954 and the BAT 9 in 1955. Alfa Romeo wanted to use the study models to investigate how it could achieve the lowest possible Cw value. You don’t need to be able to speak Italian to find out the meaning of this. The abbreviation stands for Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica. ![]() No, the Alfa Romeo BAT was not meant to be the new Batmobile, even though the fictional character Bruce Wayne could do just fine with it. ![]() The Alfa Romeo BATs below are a good example of this. Yet in Europe people also participated to a certain extent in the ‘Space Age’. The Cadillac DeVille is one of the most famous examples of this with its iconic tail fins. The American brands in particular eagerly applied the design style to their concept models, but also to production cars from the 50s and 60s. Round shapes, extravagant flukes and large glass areas were omnipresent. ![]() In the concept cars of that time, this was mainly reflected in the futuristic looks. In the 1950s and 1960s, both the Cold War with its nuclear threat and the emergence of the space age had an impact on industrial design. In this edition of De Vluchtstrook: five sensational concept cars from the ‘Space Age’! These cars were clearly inspired by space travel and science fiction and were definitely ahead of their time. In principle, freak concept cars are timeless, but during the ‘Space Age’, which started in the 50s, manufacturers revealed very startling models.
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