Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 39 minutes ago
The weirdest car features automakers actually built (kinda) from nuclear-powered dream machines to electric Corvairs and two-speed axles for performance gains. Today we’re diving into the forgotten experiments that shaped the future of the automobile.
If you love deep-cut automotive history and strange engineering ideas, this one’s for you.
Subscribe for more Autorestomod stories from the hidden corners of car culture.
In 1968, Mercury explored one of the strangest performance ideas of the era: a two-speed rear axle called the Streeper, paired with its own dedicated shifter behind the transmission. The idea was simple but wild — a selectable “highway” gear and a “performance” gear right in the rear end. It never made production, but it stands as one of the boldest drivetrain experiments of the muscle-car era.
Next up: Wrist Twist steering — Ford’s 1960s experiment that replaced the steering wheel with two linked wrist-operated dials. The design promised better visibility, more cabin space, and effortless steering with your arms resting on padded armrests. What stopped it? Safety concerns… and probably the fact that it looked like spaceship controls.
Then there was GM’s Autronic Eye, an early automatic high-beam dimmer mounted right on the dashboard. It sensed oncoming headlights and dipped your brights for you… at least in theory. In reality, it was overly sensitive and inconsistent, causing the feature to fade away despite its futuristic promise.
Chrysler wasn’t about to be outdone. The 1967–68 Imperial Crown Coupe Mobile Director turned your car into a rolling office. Chrysler literally built 253 of these, complete with a swiveling passenger seat, fold-out table, reading lamp, two-way radio, TV, and even a typewriter. Imagine closing a business deal while cruising down I-95.
Speaking of Chrysler: the legendary Turbine Car. Built from 1963–1964, it packed a gas turbine engine, and 203 real drivers racked up over 1 million miles during the public-user program. Only 55 were ever created, and today just a handful survive. It remains one of the most ambitious engine experiments in U.S. automotive history.
GM jumped into the future too with the Electrovair II — a 1966 electric Corvair powered by a 115-hp motor and a 532-volt silver-zinc battery. It could do 80 mph and had an estimated 80-mile range. Basically, an EV decades before EVs were cool.
And finally, the most jaw-dropping concept of all: the 1958 Ford Nucleon. A nuclear-powered car. A miniaturized reactor in the rear was supposed to heat steam to drive a turbine. In reality, the idea crumbled under the weight of physics, safety issues, and the tiny problem of putting nuclear reactors in every driveway.
If you enjoy deep automotive history, engineering oddities, and the stories behind forgotten prototypes, hit subscribe — more is on the way.
Driven by Possession, not the YouTube Algorithm.
Episode 721 Autorestomod
1963 Chrysler Turbine: Ultimate Edition - Jay Leno's Garage
youtu.be/b2A5ijU3Ivs?si=csN9FbrPC0dB-R0g
___________________________________
Sponsors:
nationalpartsdepot.com
eatondetroitspring.com
Contact:
Jford@autorestomod.com
Insta: @autorestomod
patreon.com/gasolinemedia
#Autorestomod #WeirdCarTech #ConceptCars #CarHistory #RetroCars #FordTurbineCar #ChryslerImperial #GMHistory #MercuryCougar #CarEngineering #ClassicCars #VintageCars #AutomotiveHistory #CarCulture #UnusualCars
The weirdest car features automakers actually built (kinda) from nuclear-powered dream machines to electric Corvairs and two-speed axles for performance gains. Today we’re diving into the forgotten experiments that shaped the future of the automobile.
If you love deep-cut automotive history and strange engineering ideas, this one’s for you.
Subscribe for more Autorestomod stories from the hidden corners of car culture.
In 1968, Mercury explored one of the strangest performance ideas of the era: a two-speed rear axle called the Streeper, paired with its own dedicated shifter behind the transmission. The idea was simple but wild — a selectable “highway” gear and a “performance” gear right in the rear end. It never made production, but it stands as one of the boldest drivetrain experiments of the muscle-car era.
Next up: Wrist Twist steering — Ford’s 1960s experiment that replaced the steering wheel with two linked wrist-operated dials. The design promised better visibility, more cabin space, and effortless steering with your arms resting on padded armrests. What stopped it? Safety concerns… and probably the fact that it looked like spaceship controls.
Then there was GM’s Autronic Eye, an early automatic high-beam dimmer mounted right on the dashboard. It sensed oncoming headlights and dipped your brights for you… at least in theory. In reality, it was overly sensitive and inconsistent, causing the feature to fade away despite its futuristic promise.
Chrysler wasn’t about to be outdone. The 1967–68 Imperial Crown Coupe Mobile Director turned your car into a rolling office. Chrysler literally built 253 of these, complete with a swiveling passenger seat, fold-out table, reading lamp, two-way radio, TV, and even a typewriter. Imagine closing a business deal while cruising down I-95.
Speaking of Chrysler: the legendary Turbine Car. Built from 1963–1964, it packed a gas turbine engine, and 203 real drivers racked up over 1 million miles during the public-user program. Only 55 were ever created, and today just a handful survive. It remains one of the most ambitious engine experiments in U.S. automotive history.
GM jumped into the future too with the Electrovair II — a 1966 electric Corvair powered by a 115-hp motor and a 532-volt silver-zinc battery. It could do 80 mph and had an estimated 80-mile range. Basically, an EV decades before EVs were cool.
And finally, the most jaw-dropping concept of all: the 1958 Ford Nucleon. A nuclear-powered car. A miniaturized reactor in the rear was supposed to heat steam to drive a turbine. In reality, the idea crumbled under the weight of physics, safety issues, and the tiny problem of putting nuclear reactors in every driveway.
If you enjoy deep automotive history, engineering oddities, and the stories behind forgotten prototypes, hit subscribe — more is on the way.
Driven by Possession, not the YouTube Algorithm.
Episode 721 Autorestomod
1963 Chrysler Turbine: Ultimate Edition - Jay Leno's Garage
youtu.be/b2A5ijU3Ivs?si=csN9FbrPC0dB-R0g
___________________________________
Sponsors:
nationalpartsdepot.com
eatondetroitspring.com
Contact:
Jford@autorestomod.com
Insta: @autorestomod
patreon.com/gasolinemedia
#Autorestomod #WeirdCarTech #ConceptCars #CarHistory #RetroCars #FordTurbineCar #ChryslerImperial #GMHistory #MercuryCougar #CarEngineering #ClassicCars #VintageCars #AutomotiveHistory #CarCulture #UnusualCars
