Astra-Gnome

The Astra-Gnome is a concept car by industrial designer Richard Arbib using a 1955 Nash Metropolitan chassis. Described as a "Time and Space Car",[3] it features themes influenced by the space travel forms that were popular during the 1950s.[4] The vehicle represented Arbib's vision of what an automobile would look like in the year 2000.[5]

Astra-Gnome
Astra-Gnome rear end
Overview
ManufacturerAmerican Motors Corporation (AMC)
DesignerRichard Arbib
Body and chassis
ClassConcept car
PlatformNash Metropolitan
Dimensions
Wheelbase85 in (2,159 mm)[1]
Length162 in (4,115 mm)[2]
Width72 in (1,829 mm)[2]
Curb weightunder 2,000 lb (907 kg)

Design

American Motors Corporation commissioned Richard Arbib, a leading industrial designer of the 1950s, to develop a futuristic concept car.[1] Built in four months, the Astra-Gnome represented the work of product stylists to create "new and exciting shapes, textures and colors in a functional car."[2] Arbib had the wheels and tires hidden behind full fender skirts to achieve "a floating special quality" and to suggest a spacecraft or hovercraft.[1] The objective was to build excitement "about the cool stuff the 21st century was going to hold."[6]

The vehicle was featured on the 3 September 1956 cover of Newsweek magazine and was a highlight at the 1956 New York International Auto Show.[7] About 1,000 questionnaire cards were distributed to viewers at the auto show, with results indicating an 80% favorable response to the prototype.[4] Numerous photos were made of the car with Arbib, most often accompanied by attractive female models who explained to the media that the concept was never intended for production.[8]

Despite a 25% increase in size over the original Metropolitan body, the total weight remains under 2,000 lb (907 kg).[4] About 400 lb (181 kg) of aluminum castings and extrusions were used, including fluted aluminum side panels that had been anodized in different blending colors.[4] The bubble canopy provides an unobstructed vision all around; this covered the passengers, but could be raised to allow walk-in entry and exit. The Nash Metropolitan features the body work by Andrew Mazzara of New York.[2]

Among its many features is a Hamilton "celestial time-zone clock permitting actual flight-type navigation."[9] The acrylic glass bubble canopy also served as a sound chamber for the car's high fidelity radio and record player.[2] The car included air conditioning and wrap-around bumper protection that was matched to the height of full-sized car bumpers.[10] The 6-foot (1.83 m) width of the concept car was much greater than contemporary passenger automobiles and allowed for extra interior room, as well as storage and luggage spaces that included six pieces of matched integrated luggage.[2]

The concept car "disappeared into oblivion" to be recovered from New York City in 1980.[7] The car is restored and can be seen in a California museum.[11]

See also

Notes
  1. "Presenting the Atra-Gnome". Mac's Motor City Garage. 8 October 2012. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  2. Hacker, Geoff (4 October 2011). "Richard Arbib's 1956 "Astra-Gnome: Time and Space Car" – The Future is Now". undiscoveredclassics.com. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  3. Cranswick, Marc (2011). The Cars of American Motors: An Illustrated History. McFarland. p. 23. ISBN 9780786485703.
  4. "Car of tomorrow?". Modern Metals. 12: 48–49. 1956. Retrieved 3 June 2022 – via Google Books.
  5. Hess, Jeffrey P. (March–April 2000). "An Interview with Richard Arbib". HR Watches. Archived from the original on 18 July 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  6. Blackstock, Elizabeth (16 June 2018). "The Astra-Gnome Concept Is The Car Of A Utopian 21st Century". Jalopnik. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  7. Woodyard, Chris (27 June 2012). "Mystery Car 144: Explore the galaxy in the Astra Gnome". USAToday. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  8. Sharf, Frederic Alan (2006). Richard H. Arbib 1917-1995: Visionary American Designer. Newburyport Press. pp. 30–31. ISBN 9781882266166. Retrieved 3 June 2022 – via Google Books.
  9. "Astra-Gnome: $?". Popular Science. Vol. 169, no. 1. July 1956. p. 112. Retrieved 3 June 2022 – via Google Books.
  10. "The Astra-Gnome time and space car". The Retro Zone. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  11. "Museum". The Metropolitan Pit Stop. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
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