Innovative Vehicle Ideas That Failed Immediately

AVE Mizar

Unlike the Dymaxion, the AVE Mizar is a flying car that actually took to the skies. But rather than designing it from the ground-up, the creators of the Mizar just made a mashup of a Ford Pinto and a Cessna Skymaster. Unfortunately, instead of being the next step on the road to the future, the Mizar ended up filling the next page in an air crash investigator’s notebook. The concept was for a modified Ford Pinto to drive to the airport, bolt on a set of wings and an engine, and take off.

By using the car’s engine as well as the propeller, it was capable of remarkably short take-off runs. Plus, by using all four wheels for braking, it needed less than 550 feet of runway to stop after landing, which is pretty remarkable. Unfortunately, despite claims to the contrary, the Skymaster—from which the wings and engine were taken—was never rated to carry the weight of a Pinto, let alone passengers and fuel. Add to that a poor structural design, bad welds (according to the National Transportation Safety Board), and an inexperienced pilot, and you get a tragic accident that kills the vehicle’s creator—and the project along with him.