Futures of the past

It is so difficult to imagine what transport design will be like in twenty years time. Our imagination is limited by the things we see around us. This vision of the future from the 1890s for instance previews the ubiquity of motor buses but retains their coexistence with horses. Enlarge image

In this impression from 1923, the artist has previewed the construction of dual carriageways and invented a truck that can be extended in sections. Enlarge image

Looking forward twenty five years, this designer has created a bus with all the space and facilities of an ocean liner for crossing deserts. In concept, it is not far removed from the trans-Arabian bus service operated by Nairns in the 1930s. Enlarge image

Design students from Coventry University presented this concept vehicle at the 1996 British motor show as a prediction of how cars would look one hundred years hence. The vehicle had no wheels or windows and ran on a fictitious 'slug drive' system.

This General Motors concept car of 2001 is a pointer to the future of fuel cell vehicles. The power and fuel cell was built into a chassis onto which a variety of body styles could easily be connected.