The 1959 Ford Levacar Mach I was one of Ford’s more unusual experiments with futuristic transportation.
Developed under Ford engineering executive Andrew A. Kucher, the Levacar was a small, single-seat vehicle designed to ride on a thin cushion of compressed air instead of conventional wheels. Air was forced through circular pads beneath the vehicle, which allowed the prototype to hover slightly above a specially prepared surface.
Ford demonstrated the Levacar on a circular test track at its Rotunda complex in Dearborn, Michigan, during the late 1950s.
The company imagined that future versions might travel on dedicated guideways at extremely high speeds, with some promotional material suggesting speeds approaching 500 mph.
But the Levacar never became a production vehicle, since it required specialized infrastructure and offered few practical advantages over conventional cars.
2 Comments
NutinButNet@hilariouschaos.com · 2 pts · 16d
I wonder why it needed a special road system. This seems like a great solution for difficult terrain like icy roads, in theory.
But I do wonder how it brakes itself, especially when it was thought to eventually reach speeds of 500 mph. Did it rely on flaps like an airplane?
PapaSkwat@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 16d