Italian architect and industrial designer Gio Ponti designed a new car concept in 1953 that many called “too radical” back in the time. Obviously, our modern society is much more open to this kind of experimentation. Stay tuned for the Grand Basel car show coming this autumn: there is going to be a unique droplet-shaped vehicle Ponti himself would have been proud of.
The Automobile by Ponti Project was curated by one of the top managers of Fiat-Chrysler Automotive. The car was build based on Ponti’s own blueprints.
Back in 1953, the designer called upon the car manufacturers to conceptualize cars differently. He didn’t like how “bloated” they appeared with tiny windows and dim interiors. Instead, he proposed to make them large and spacious, with huge glass windows, well-lit interiors and spacious luggage compartments. His dream car had the approximate shape of a raindrop.
The concept remained on paper, however, and manufacturers only started to implement certain Ponti’s designs in mass-produced vehicles two decades after their creation. And who knows, maybe today someone would actually want to live Ponti’s dream and launch mass production of raindrop-shaped cars?...
Photo: motorauthority.com