Several armored cars from the WW2 period had this setup, notably the German ARK series (SdKfZ 234 8-rad, aka the "Puma" family), and the big British/US T18E2 Boarhound 8-wheeler.
In their case, it was due to the impracticability of trying to turn the darned things around in anything smaller than a 40-acre field, even with 8-wheel steering. The Boarhound was considered so impractical that it never got past the pre-production stage; only 20 were built out of an original order for 2,500 for the British army, and none saw combat service.
The most obvious flaw in this critter is that when you're "driving backward", the B-pillars are doing a wonderful job of keeping you from seeing crossing traffic at any intersection you approach.
The people who design these things should be required to test-drive them in person.
From the position of the "rearview camera" on the hidden side [and the wireframe that shows the seating layout], I think the design is actually rotationally symmetrical.
Consequently, the B-Pillar will only ever block your view if you happen to be driving on the left side of the road.
Nothing new here. A double-ender car was introduced in the Finnish film "Uuno Turhapuro Epsanjassa". The director, Pertti "Spede" Pasanen, had built a double-ender Wartburg by joimning two Wartburg bows together. Completely driveable, also sideways.
6 comments:
Someone's been watching repeats of Top Gear I see...
Several armored cars from the WW2 period had this setup, notably the German ARK series (SdKfZ 234 8-rad, aka the "Puma" family), and the big British/US T18E2 Boarhound 8-wheeler.
In their case, it was due to the impracticability of trying to turn the darned things around in anything smaller than a 40-acre field, even with 8-wheel steering. The Boarhound was considered so impractical that it never got past the pre-production stage; only 20 were built out of an original order for 2,500 for the British army, and none saw combat service.
The most obvious flaw in this critter is that when you're "driving backward", the B-pillars are doing a wonderful job of keeping you from seeing crossing traffic at any intersection you approach.
The people who design these things should be required to test-drive them in person.
cheers
eon
I'd prefer a car with retractable wheels that rotate at right angles to the body. 'Twould make parallel parking much easier:-).
eon;
From the position of the "rearview camera" on the hidden side [and the wireframe that shows the seating layout], I think the design is actually rotationally symmetrical.
Consequently, the B-Pillar will only ever block your view if you happen to be driving on the left side of the road.
Nothing new here. A double-ender car was introduced in the Finnish film "Uuno Turhapuro Epsanjassa". The director, Pertti "Spede" Pasanen, had built a double-ender Wartburg by joimning two Wartburg bows together. Completely driveable, also sideways.
I thought this was the car from 'I Robot'.
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