March 22, 2008

Lightning Bug Car Is Crash Proof (Aug, 1936)

Filed under: Automotive — @ 1:49 am
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Aug, 1936

Lightning Bug Car Is Crash Proof

DR. CALVIN BLACKMAN BRIDGES, the Carnegie Institution of Washington geneticist, knows a lot about bugs, for he breeds them and studies their mechanism under the microscope. But his hobby is Safety First and car building. His three-wheeled “Lightning Bug” is said to be crash and carbon-monoxide proof. It is small and squatty yet perfectly streamlined, with tail-light and license plates recessed and the Pyralin windows flush with the body. The doctor’s aim is to demonstrate what can be done to attain small car safety and readability.

2 Comments »

  1. I don’t usually think of a 3-wheeler as a “safety” design. Also, it’s interesting how many early streamliners dispensed with a rear window.

    I wonder if this is rear-engined, or an early example of a hatchback.

    Comment by nlpnt — March 22, 2008 @ 6:24 pm

  2. And the car is “crash proof” because…?

    Comment by rsterling78 — May 11, 2008 @ 8:11 pm

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