What's the story on the updated Dymaxion Car?

April 12, 2020 5:52 PM

Buckminster Fuller designed an automobile he called the Dymaxion Car in 1933. Only three were built. A couple images of an updated, or custom version appear occasionally, without any attribution I've seen. I'd like to know if it's real, and if so, who built it. Not interested in exact replicas of the original, although several of those have been constructed.

A prominent dorsal fin has been added, along with a lot of chrome trim, and tail-lights on a rear stabilizer. The first one I noticed is green, possible unreal -- this rear view looks particularly fakey. Recently, a blue one has shown up, photographed in what looks like Europe somewhere. Can it actually be roadworthy? Another view of that one, on the Playa if I'm not mistaken.

posted by Rash to Travel & Transportation (3 answers total)

These are probably all renders against more or less photorealistic backgrounds, your green model shows up in the range of Bus Maxis 3D models and the blue is 1938 Dymaxion | 3D Art by James47 in Art Gallery on Feb 16, 2018.
posted by channaher at 7:28 PM on April 12, 2020

There are other cars - although your linked images are just renders. Dymaxion No.4 was built for the architect Norman Foster by Crosthwaite & Gardiner back in the Noughties. It is an extremely faithful replica of the final Dymaxion - Foster was taught by Fuller as a student and considered him a mentor. The project was very well documented - there's even a book.

There is also another replica, built a few years later by Jeff Lane and based on the rather more basic first Dymaxion prototype. It was built in the Czech Republic by Ecorra. Again, lots of information online, including harrowing driving videos.
posted by srednivashtar at 2:44 AM on April 13, 2020

Response by poster: Renders, eh? So... nothing is real. Too bad.
posted by Rash at 4:01 PM on April 27, 2020