1959 Cadillac Cyclone

The 1959 Cadillac Cyclone was designed to test new styling and engineering ideas. The two-passenger automobile has a clear plastic cover that fits snugly against the panoramic windshield to give the driver true 360 degree vision. When not in use, the power-operated canopy folds backward beneath the surface of the trunk deck. It automatically lifts out of the way when either door is opened. At a touch of a button, Cyclone`s doors move outward from the car three inches. Moving smoothly on ball bearings, they can be slid back for easy entrance. Among its advanced engineering features is a radar device which scans the highway, and warns the driver electronically of objects in its path. Large, twin nose cones in the front of the car house the proximity-sensing units.

They electronically alert the driver with both an audible signal and a warning light if an object is in its path. The Cyclone is powered by a 325 hp engine that is positioned in the nose of the car. It features a low profile carburettor, cross flow aluminium radiator and twin fans. The muffler and exhaust are located in the front engine compartment with the exhaust outlets just ahead of the front wheels. Inside, instruments are clustered like an aircraft dashboard before, and between, the two passengers. An intercommunication system allows passengers to converse with persons outside the automobile without raising the canopy.

1959 год очередной раз показал, что фантазии шеф-дизайнера GM нет предела. Компания Cadillac продемонстрировала двухместный автомобиль Cyclone. Можно подумать, что кузов его спроектирован авиационным конструктором Келли Джонсоном: буквально все пластические элементы напрямую заимствованы из авиации. Проект Cyclone – самый приближенный к авиационной стилистике автомобиль эпохи аэростиля.