Ford’s Nuclear-Powered 1962 Concept Car Is a Fascinating Atomic-Age Fantasy

The late ’50s and early ’60s gave us some intriguing flights of layout extravagant in an era of unprecedented American optimism. Ford new opened its Heritage Vault, total of just about a century of archived product. It is a reminder that the automobile market was at the forefront of sci-fi daydreams in the Jet Age. For instance, in just a five-year span, Ford arrived out with not a person, but two nuclear-powered strategy autos. Nuclear!

Ford’s first foray into atomic-driven cars and trucks was the taxi-ahead Ford Nucleon. Followers of the Fallout sequence of video clip online games could identify this vehicle’s resemblance to the Corvega Atomic V-8, manufactured by Chryslus Motors before the nukes started off dropping. In the online video video game, they make really enjoyable targets to blow up when managing all over the ruins of Boston or D.C.

That is how neat/batshit this design and style was: its structure is even now remaining referenced to this day. The extremely superb Max Finkel actually wrote about this notion on Jalopnik again in the day, describing the interesting Chilly War procedures that propelled its structure:

Ford’s eyesight with the Nucleon was basically to get the premise driving nuclear propulsion as utilised in submarines and plane carriers and adapt it for road use. The advantages of nuclear-run highway autos appeared obvious at the time. Ending the need for frequent gasoline stops could be adequate, but the prospect of driving the auto of the foreseeable future may well have even been a lot more pleasing.

Like in an early nuclear submarine, the nuclear reactor would electricity two steam turbines. One particular would drive the wheels right the next would generate an electric generator to power the lights, local climate manage and other characteristics.

Apparently, Ford’s engineers intended the powertrain to be modular. A amount of replaceable ability-packs were being envisioned, including a performance design and an cost-effective model with taller gearing. The electricity-packs ended up predicted to supply 5,000 miles of assortment, which is not ample to past the lifespan of a motor vehicle but undoubtedly is additional time concerning fill-ups than any internal-combustion or battery-electrical vehicle can deal with these times by orders of magnitude.

To shield the travellers from, you know, lethal radiation, the little reactor was place in the back of the motor vehicle, whilst the passenger compartment was pushed toward the entrance axle, presumable with a great deal of lead shielding. It appears to be like a fairly risky style, truthfully, specifically when you consider that street deaths and crashes had been just as significant of a problem as they are today.

The Nucleon never ever went outside of the scale-product phase, but that does not indicate Ford was performed. As a substitute, the enterprise took a decidedly Room Age track with its next nuclear-driven principle, the Seattle-ite XXI:

Ford unveiled this imagined experiment in 1962, just 4 years soon after the Nucleon. The fins are a great deal extra subdued, but there is even now a good deal likely on with this idea. Ford returned to the idea of acquiring an simply detachable gas mobile or nuclear reactor as the electrical power resource, but added a entirely removable entrance conclusion to the structure. From 1962 marketing supplies:

The overall front conclusion of the Seattle-ite XXI would uncouple from the passenger compartment and an optional electric power device could be promptly installed. All controls would be carried out by way of a flexible coupling that would only plug into the passenger compartment.

It also would come with what appears like an early head-up display and an attempt at Stage 1 self-driving technological innovation, which Ford known as Fingertip Steering:

Fingertip steering and a vacation programming computer system are amid the inside attributes of the Seattle-ite. Practically easy fingertip steering would let precise “zeroing in” at all speeds. A viewing monitor would display engine functionality qualities, road and temperature disorders, positioning of the vehicle on an quickly rolling road map, and approximated time of arrival at any selected designation.

I’m not absolutely sure what “zeroing in” at all speeds genuinely usually means (possibly a pc that allows lane-keeping), but the relaxation of that seems like what Apple CarPlay and Android Automotive do for us now. The cockpit of the motor vehicle is plainly inspired by fighter jets and spacecraft of the period as well:

The previous site of the advertising substance truly claims it all. Guaranteed, these tips look very much-fetched, but we’re just possessing entertaining imaging what the potential may well be like:

Considered experiments like this seldom observed the light of working day, but they retained items fascinating for Significant A few designers and engineers, and they are fascinating to contemplate in hindsight.