Fads & Failures

In the eureka moments of research, development and testing, it is hard to know what new products will succeed or fail. What is the difference between the vehicles that are runaway successes like the Ford Model T in the early 1900s and the catastrophic failures like Ford’s Edsel brand of cars in the 1950s? Fads & Failures delves into some of the vehicles that got left behind in the evolution of transportation.

In the early 1920s, John Domenjoz became interested in gliding. He based the airframe of this sailing glider on the Bleriot but added a mast, bowsprit, mainsail and jib. Domenjoz believed that, once airborne, the sails would keep the aircraft aloft. How an experienced sailor, pilot and mechanic could come up with this seemingly aeronautically impossible contraption remains unanswerable.

Antoine Gazda’s dream of a jet-powered helicopter was immediately derailed since no small jet engine existed in 1943. However, the Austrian pilot and entrepreneur still thought he could improve on Igor Sikorsky’s helicopter designs.

Unlike today, tricycles were for adults, not children, in the late 1800. They were far more easily mounted than the high wheeler bicycles, their riders didn’t have to worry about balance the way they would on what we now consider a “normal” bicycle and women could ride them with little danger of catching their heavy skirts in the gears.

Instead of pedaling or pushing, the Ingo-Bike rider powers the bike by pulling on the handlebars while bouncing on the platform.

When the Colson Corporation, a bicycle maker, adapted their parts to wheelchair manufacturing, the company could sell products to those who wanted the independence of a bicycle, but could not maintain the balance or strength to ride one.

In the early 1900s, Francis A. Woods thought he could build a better car than Henry Ford did with the Model T. Woods believed he could make a smaller, less expansive car than Ford. While the quality of Woods’ vehicles could compete with similar mass produced cars, their price points could not. The Mobilette, like so many other innovative designs of the era, was no match for the inexpensive and widely available Ford Model T.

In the 1930s, Samuel Eliot tried to re-imagine the entire automobile. The Cricket III features a stainless steel body and overhead steerable lighting. Unlike a traditional steering wheel, Eliot created a control stick more reminiscent of flying an airplane. While big manufacturers acquired ideas from inventors like Eliot, no one was interested in Eliot’s vision of the future.

In the 1920s, the Austin Motor Company in England found success in Europe by selling the relatively tiny Austin Seven. Buoyed by European success, Austin officials decided to build and sell their small cars in the United States. A wholly new company, the American Austin Car Company, was created to bring the car to America's roads. Tragically, within weeks of its debut at the 1929 New York Auto Show, the nation was rocked by the infamous Wall Street Crash of 1929.

As Europe recovered from World War II, more people wanted to get on the roads. Between the centuries-old, narrow roads and wartime damage, many cars were too big to navigate the small spaces and too ponderous to avoid the rubble of war. This opened up a market for small, nimble scooters and motorbikes like the Vespa. While sales for scooters skyrocketed, many wished for something with better protection from the weather. The Isetta was created to fill the gap between motorbike and full-size automobile.

The Centaur Suitcase Scooter was marketed as a versatile all-terrain vehicle for hunters, shoppers, campers, commuters, college students, boaters and pilots. Undo the seat strap, open the hinged seat and everything else folds up into the engine box; the front wheel detaches from the fork so it can be stowed inside. The rear wheel can be partially retracted so you can roll the bike like a wheelbarrow while it’s folded up. While compact in size compared to other motor scooters, the Centaur’s 90 lb weight was far from ideal.