Within the Fifties and Sixties, Ford was one of the crucial energetic carmakers when it got here to conceptual design. Virtually yearly, the American model introduced prototypes with futuristic seems to be or superior options. One such instance is the Gyron, an odd two-wheeler that appears like an actual UFO (or UAP for those who desire).
A laboratory on wheels (not too quick)
The thought for the idea was solely launched for experimental functions solely. Ford had no intention of manufacturing a manufacturing mannequin, however just for advertising and marketing and aerodynamic analysis functions. It was a form of design experiment for a automotive that was certain to get observed.
Picture : Ford
Ford Gyron Idea (1961)
The physique is made from fibreglass and the automotive is powered by two wheels. The entrance wheel is manoeuvred utilizing a knob on the console, whereas the rear wheel propels the Ford, because of a small electrical motor, to a most pace of round 5 mph. When stationary, the Gyron is held in place by two facet stabilisers and two small wheels.
An unlucky historical past
The true particular function of the Gyron is the one which determines the very identify of the automotive. The automobile is stored in steadiness by a fancy system of gyroscopes, and amongst different oddities, there’s a cell phone positioned between the 2 seats within the passenger compartment.
Exhibited on the Detroit Auto Present in 1961, the Ford was displayed at Ford Rotunda, one of the crucial visited exhibition complexes in the USA on the time.
Sadly, the construction and design have been destroyed by hearth in 1962. Because of this, all that continues to be of the Gyron are two non-functional prototypes produced within the early phases of growth. The primary was bought at public sale in 2012 for round $40,000 (£32,000), whereas the second was lately exhibited on the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
