Ford Levacar (Ground Effect Vehicle)

[Grey Havoc]

Hi,

here is a Ford Levacar,was it a real design ?.

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Real, but impractical.
AMT made a 1/20th scale model of it in 1961. The Fantastic Plastic site has this to say about the Levacar:

Ford Motor Co.'s Levacar Mach I appeared in the Ford Rotunda in spring 1959. A full-sized prototype, this was an one-man "flying car" that was "levitated" several inches off the ground by three powerful air jets located on the bottom of its chassis. Planned to be powered by a small-scale turbojet engine, the Levacar was purportedly designed to reach a top speed of nearly 500 mph! The only question was: How do you steer the damned thing???

Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands once found himself inside the vehicle. Not sure he was particularly happy about it, as it only ever ran on a small circular track.
This is neither a flying car, nor a roadable aircraft. It's a hovercraft.

Another of this era's optimistic designs

1959 Ford Levacar Mach I - Concepts

Ford Levаcar Mach I (Ford Levicar Mach I)

www.carstyling.ru

The designers clearly hoped that ground effect would be without downblast..Levitation was hinted at and of course in science fiction becomes the means for ground cars to float around. Sadly we are still stuck with the good ole wheel.

Ford Levacar Mach 1 — Curbside Car Show Calendar

Ford's levitating Levacar Mach I was one concept car that walked the walk, actually flying around a track in those optimistic days when it seemed like the perfect ride for a limitless future.

www.curbside.tv

When Cars Flew — Curbside Car Show Calendar

Hearken back to a time when automakers threatened to doom the tire industry to the history books.

www.curbside.tv

 

[Grey Havoc]

https://www.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/ix8emr

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/ix8emr/the_ford_levacar_mach_1_was_a_prototype_of_a/

 

[Grey Havoc]

https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroFuturism/comments/yu2q5o

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroFuturism/comments/yu2q5o/the_science_of_cars_boys_life_1959/

 

[Hydroman]

The Jetsons! Where's Elroy?

 

[publiusr]

I thought he died crying atop that skyscraper…

 

[uk 75]

Good Wikipedia entry on the subject

Hovercar - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Another bit of the future that stayed in the sf comic world.

 

[Foo Fighter]

As far as levitation tricks go, I thought the answer was the maglev train. Hovercraft/hovercars strike me as a singularly stupid answer to a question that should have been "Should we"?

 

[southwestforests]

Hovercraft/hovercars strike me as a singularly stupid answer to a question that should have been "Should we"?

Speaking of hovercar questions, I want to see the live demonstration of them dealing with 45mph, 72kph, and higher, gusty crosswinds on I-70 across Kansas and Colorado; and, I-25 in New Mexico; and, I-90 in Montana; and other similar places.

Sample references as to why I want to see that:

Truckers face ongoing rollover risk in windy Plains

Dangerous winds will slam areas of the Plains for the third consecutive day (video forecast included).

www.freightwaves.com

Strong winds blow over tractor-trailers, cause train derailment

Winds in the Southwest were much more than just a strong breeze. They were wicked enough to blow over tractor-trailers and even cause a train derailment.

www.ajc.com

Wind Induced Tip-Over | Airflow Sciences Corporation

Wind Induced Tip-Over An operational safety issue facing railroad operators is wind induced tip-over. Multiple studies were completed using CFD to develop a database of tip-over tendencies for a variety of car types within various railway fleet. The use of this database in the development of a...

www.airflowsciences.com

AND ...

I want to see them stay stationary in line at a traffic lights and stop signs in those winds in our little midwestern far burg out near I-70.

As well as,

stay in place at traffic lights in Norfolk, Virginia, that time in the mid 1980s when seasonal winds made a wind tunnel out of a downtown street and nearly blew me and several other pedestrians off our feet; we occasionally had to take several fast steps back merely to remain standing.

 

[Hydroman]

Sure it's not a Phord. Had a Fjord F-150 in Norway.

 

[publiusr]

As far as levitation tricks go, I thought the answer was the maglev train. Hovercraft/hovercars strike me as a singularly stupid answer to a question that should have been "Should we"?

Maglev looks to be a bit nearer perhaps:

Magnetic levitation: New material offers potential for unlocking gravity-free technology

Researchers at the Quantum Machines Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) are studying levitating materials—substances that can remain suspended in a stable position without any physical contact or mechanical support.

phys.org