At a special exhibit at the Portland Art Museum called The Shape of Speed: Streamlined Automobiles and Motorcycles, 1930-1942 several unique, one-of-a-kind automobiles were displayed.
1934 Bendix SWC Sedan
Vincent Hugo Bendix invented the Bendix starter drive and developed hydraulic brake systems. His automotive empire included Bendix Aviation, Bendix Brakes, and Stromberg carburetors. Developing an advanced automobile was a top secret project as he did not want to alienate his Detroit clientele. Former Packard engineer Alfred M. Ney was hired to design the car. The car cost $84.000 to build (just over $2 million in today’s currency). The finished prototype was shipped to Europe as a way of encouraging the European automakers to buy Bendix components.
According to the display:
“Its hydraulic four-wheel, duo-servo Bendix drum brakes were adjustable from the outside. Slotted wheel covers directed air into the brake drums. The Bendix SWC’s aerodynamic styling and innovative drivetrain were ahead of their time.”
1935 Hoffman X-8
The Hoffman X-8 is a bit of a mystery car. Roscoe C. “Rod” Hoffman was an inventor and engineer in Detroit who specialized in contract chassis and suspension design for General Motors, Studebaker, and Packard. There are some clues that the Norwalk Company in Ohio was established by the famed Fisher brothers to finance two prototypes by Hoffman which were built around a rear-engine X-8 engine. The unitized steel body for the prototype may have been built by Detroit’s Budd Company.
1936 Stout Scarab
The radical sedan concept which resulted in the Stout Scarab came from William Bushnell Stout who believed that lightweight and streamlined aircraft construction techniques could produce a faster and more economical automobile. According to the display:
“The Scarab’s interior was as striking as its exterior. The passenger compartment, positioned within the car’s wheelbase was extremely spacious. While the driver’s seat and the wide rear bench seat were fixed, the other seats could be repositioned so the front could accommodate three passengers across, or moved so passengers could sit around a small table. Stout’s practical, comfortable, and versatile configuration anticipated the minivan we know today.”
The unique beetle-like shape was designed by John Tjaarda. It was named Scarab for this shape and the fact that ancient Egypt inspired the Art Deco design world.
The Scarab was expensive--$5,000 as compared with $635 for a Ford four-door sedan—and failed to find customers. Only six Scarabs were built and five survive today.
1937 Airomobile
In the 1930s, there was an idea that airplane streamlining could be applied to automobiles. Paul M. Lewis envisioned the Airomobile to be the distinctive car of the future with a sheet-steel body and a three-wheel chassis. Designer John Tjarrda actually made the first sketches of the Airomobile. Lewis made one prototype of the car, which was projected to sell for $550 (the Ford Tudor sold for $579 at this time). He drove the car all over the United States to promote it, putting 45,000 miles on it and averaging 43.6 mpg. The car failed to attract enough investors to put it into production.
1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt
At the 1940 New York International Auto Show, Chrysler touted the Thunderbolt Roadster as “The Car of the Future.” According to the display:
“Sporting a smooth, aerodynamic body shell, hidden headlight, enclosed wheels, and a retractable, one-piece metal hardtop (an American first), the roadster was devoid of superfluous ornamentation, with the exception of a single lightning bolt on each door. It stood apart from everything else on the road, hinting that tomorrow’s Chryslers would leave their angular, upright, and more prosaic rivals in the dust.”
The high price--$8,250—coupled with the start of World War II ended this concept which was not revived after the war.
More Automobiles
Shape of Speed: An Overview (Photo Diary)
LeMay Family Collection: An Overview (Photo Diary)
LeMay Family Collection: Cars before 1920 (Photo Diary)
America's Car Museum: Master Collectors (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: 1930s Fords in the Classic Auto Museum (photo diary)
Museums 101: 1950s Fords in the Classic Auto Museum (photo diary)
Museums 101: Automobiles of the 1960s (Photo Diary)