Dan Neil: Dymaxion Car-Cool, How Does It Drive?

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Buckminster Fuller's 1933 foray into automobiles gave us the Dymaxion Car, and enthusiast Jeff Lane has one of the only working replicas in the world. WSJ's Rumble Seat columnist Dan Neil takes the road zeppelin for a spin...or should we say wobble?

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This looks so awesome.
Just heard about Buckminster Fuller yesterday and love all his inventions!

AlexCio

you could NOT accuse the man of never thinking out of the box.

BruceTheSillyGoose

the designer of this car was heading in the wright direction !

jezztech

We are currently restoring Buckminster Fuller's dome home in Carbondale Illinois. I am trying to upload a video of the progress every day on my channel.

TheMechanicalPhilosopher

The rear wheel steering on such a long car wasn't the best of ideas, rear wheel drive and front wheel steering would have been a lot more stable. But like most cutting designs it pushed some preconceived ideas on automotive design in that era.

lefthandedluke

Was in Montreal and went to a Buckminster Fuller exhibit. I referred to him as "Bucky" to my wife. A docent overheard me and was shocked that I'd called him "Bucky." I told him that I'd heard him speak and he was introduced as Bucky. the docent was so impressed that I'd heard him speak that he gave us a private tour.

roamic

It should have been given rear wheel chain drive and front wheel Ackerman steering.

TimpBizkit

Road zeppelin. Bucky! Storm bridge. "Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa, " like taxiing a plane down a runway at high speed. Nice little journey. Thanks.

Tipjar

You should look up the Wikipedia article on this car in order to revise your description of the fatal accident at the Chicago world’s Fair. This account indicates that a Chicago politician who wanted a closer look ran into the Dymaxion at 70 mph, killing the driver who was a professional race car driver. The people you indicated were in the other car were actually passengers in the Dymaxion. If you have better info you should update the Wikipedia article.

ronwwallace

"Oh My God! That's a design flaw right there"
....
"I didn't see that car right there.."
You're a design flaw

jamesbulldogmiller

Buckminster Fuller invented the geodesic dome. a design from 1930 ~just change the steering? pretty good! check out the Bucky houses that never took off in Wichita KS because "they" wanted it a certain way and Bucky said no. Wish he had caved. We'd have solar houses that turn like a clock with the sun and so much more. The Dymaxion house is like "The Jetsons" ~check it out and enjoy! PS while you are at it read/ingest 'Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth' and so many more (but don't expect to comprehend it all unless you are a rocket scientist! ~the man was a genius.

foggyozarkgal

Do keep in mind that this car was envisioned and designed in the 30s ... you just cannot expect modern day car dynamics in this ... but in its days it would be like a spaceship more than an MPV

alexhong

Fuller didn't invent the geodesic dome; that was Walther Baursfeld (look it up!) but he gave it its name and popularized it.

GoodbyePanama

The future is heading for a scary ride, seriously that's the point you want to make ? I don't know if you've driven any old cars

rtyankeedoodle

The Dymaxion was later totally reinvented atop the Chevrolet Corvair chassis with a new name, Ultra Coach, as the most aerodynamic motorhome. Thereafter it assumed a similar shape to ita original but with four wheels in the rear. It sold as a GMC and came with the Oldsmobile Rocket 455 V8.

angelperez