The Noguchi Museum in Queens NY just opened a new exhibit about the friendship between sculptor Isamu Noguchi and Buckminster Fuller. David at ironicsans blog has a great post about the show here. Snip:
Fuller’s Utopian vision extended beyond [geodesic domes as] homes. In 1933, he built a prototype Dymaxian Car, a highly efficient vehicle that seated 11, reached 120 miles per hour, got 30 miles per gallon (unheard of at the time) and did it all on only 3 wheels. It was 20 feet long, but barely needed more space than that to do a full 180 degree turn. Sadly, an accident at the 1933 World’s Fair prompted investors to abandon the project, and the car never passed the prototype stage. It’s a shame it never went any further in development. It’s hard not to imagine how automobiles would be different today. For the current exhibit, the Noguchi museum has brought together models, pictures, and video footage of the car in action.
Reader comment: J. Tony says,
Regarding your Boing Boing notice today mentioning Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion Car…
The last known prototype of the 3 that were built can be seen at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada. Their page on the Dymaxion can be seen here.
I'm not much of a car nut, but this is one of the best, coolest museums anywhere, with more one-of-a-kind cars than you'd ever imagine (including my favorite, the Phantom Corsair and several Big Daddy Roth cars). Link.
