Innovative Vehicle Ideas That Failed Immediately

Fuller Dymaxion

The Fuller Dymaxion was actually a partial prototype of the Omni-Medium Transport, a vehicle that never got made. The Dymaxion was built in the early 1930s, and was exhibited at the world’s fair in Chicago.

Buckminster Fuller, who designer this vehicular watermelon, never actually intended the vehicle to reach production—rather, he described it as a sketch of a potential future. The Dymaxion operated on three wheels, with two drive wheels in the front and one steering wheel in the back, like many light aircraft. Unfortunately, this made handling very tricky, and Fuller limited the driving to his employees.

Like the Amphicar, the Dymaxion was intended to be a multi-purpose vehicle, and as such it would inevitably do nothing very well, which would make for an annoying car but a very dangerous aircraft.