How incredible 50s speedster dubbed ‘jet fighter with wheels’ & hailed as ‘car of the future’ vanished from existence
AN incredible ‘jet fighter with wheels’ that was unveiled back in the 1950s was once seen as the future of motoring.
But the bizarre looking set of wheels never entered production and has since become a mere museum piece.
Engineered by General Motors, the Firebird - or, as it was officially known, the XP-21 - was a concept car for the Jet Age first developed in 1953.
Designed by GM genius Harley Earl, have described it as “basically a fighter jet with wheels”, with its body built using fiberglass-reinforced plastic that was heavily inspired by the Douglas F4D Skyray fighter jet.
Naturally, the Firebird didn’t just resemble a fighter jet; it also adopted the power of a fighter jet with a two-part turbine engine.
Known as a Whirlfire Turbo Power gas turbine, this outrageous powertrain had just two speeds, generated 370 hp, and expelled its jet exhaust at a scorching 677 °C.
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It’s said that, theoretically, the car could reach a top speed of 200 mph, yet nobody was quite brave enough to go more than 100 mph during testing.
The XP-21 Firebird later made its debut at the 1954 Motorama, a sort of futuristic flavoured car expo, and it was by-far the most talked-about design at the event.
The XP-21, also known as the Firebird 1, was followed by three additional jet-inspired concepts.
However, while the name Firebird has become synonymous with GM’s car brand Pontiac, the jet-engined version was never put into production and, like many other concepts, is now part of the corporation's Heritage Center.
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The Firebird 1 isn't the only bizarre concept from that age, as the equally strange Cadillac Cyclone is famed for its rocket-inspired design.
The futuristic-styled car even boasted a Plexiglass bubble canopy and an intercom system that allowed passengers to communicate with people outside.
It was certainly high-tech for the time, even featuring black cones at the front that contain the radar for its crash avoidance system - an early forebearer of today’s adaptive cruise control.
Sadly, the Cyclone, much like the Firebird, wasn't mass-produced and was merely a concept car used as a testbed for future car tech.
Elsewhere, one of eleven Lewis Hamilton-inspired Mercedes G-Wagons with a rectangular steering wheel could be yours for £541K.
The "Sir Class" has just been unveiled by HOF, a brand known for making tuned versions of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Images show the car with a silver-to-black finish, inspired by the team’s racing colours, with Petronas Tiffany Green accents on the 23-inch wheels, wing mirrors, and throughout the interior.
The outline of the Yas Marina circuit, where the Abu Dhabi GP is held, is embroidered into the car’s headliner.
Other features pictured include the rectangular F1-style steering wheel and racing bucket seats.
