Ford Levacar Mach I

Last updated

The Ford Mach I, also known as the Ford Levacar Mach I, is a concept car hovercraft developed by the Ford Motor Company in the 1950s. [1] The Mach I was a single-seat [2] automobile which rode on pressurized air, not wheels. Its name was inspired by the speed Mach 1, an aspiration speed not yet achieved by vehicles at the time. It used air pressure at a force of 15–100 psi (100–690 kPa) to provide lift and propulsion. [3] In experiments, 50–60 psi (340–410 kPa) was used so that 15 hp (11 kW) was needed for levitation and 2.5 hp (1.9 kW) propelled it 20 mph (32 km/h). [4] An advertisement for the Mach I appeared in the magazine Boys' Life in 1960, in which it indicated the single-seater's dimensions: 94 in (2.4 m) long; 48 in (1.2 m) high; 54 in (1.4 m) wide. [1]

Contents

The Levacar project was led by Andrew A. Kucher (a Ford Vice-President for Engineering and Research) and David J. Jay (a Senior Development Engineer). [1] Kucher had initially conceived the concept around 1930. [2] One of the lead designers was Gale Halderman, known for being the initial designer of the Ford Mustang. [5] In addition to the Mach I automobile, the project also developed a similarly outfitted scooter, the Levascooter. [1] In experiments on a circular track, [4] vehicles would raise .125 inches (3.2 mm) off the ground and could jump 1 inch (25 mm) obstacles. [1]

The Mach I was displayed for about two years in the late 1950s in Dearborn, Michigan. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horsepower</span> Unit of power with different values

Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the imperial horsepower, which is about 745.7 watts, and the metric horsepower, which is approximately 735.5 watts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Merlin</span> Aircraft engine family by Rolls-Royce

The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled V-12 piston aero engine of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce designed the engine and first ran it in 1933 as a private venture. Initially known as the PV-12, it was later called Merlin following the company convention of naming its four-stroke piston aero engines after birds of prey. The engine benefitted from the racing experiences of precursor engines in the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Mustang</span> American car manufactured by Ford

The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its seventh generation, it is the fifth-best selling Ford car nameplate. The namesake of the "pony car" automobile segment, the Mustang was developed as a highly styled line of sporty coupes and convertibles derived from existing model lines, initially distinguished by "long hood, short deck" proportions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet Corvette</span> American sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors (GM)

The Chevrolet Corvette is a line of American two-door, two-seater sports cars manufactured and marketed by General Motors under the Chevrolet marque since 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscle car</span> High-performance car

Muscle car is a description according to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary in 2022 that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The online Britannica Dictionary described these in 2022 as "an American-made two-door sports car with a powerful engine."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford GT</span> Flagship sports car manufactured by Ford

The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by American automobile manufacturer Ford for the 2005 model year in conjunction with the company's 2003 centenary. The second generation Ford GT became available for the 2017 model year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelby Mustang</span> Motor vehicle

The Shelby Mustang is a high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang built by Shelby American from 1965 to 1967 and by the Ford Motor Company from 1968 to 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Mustang Mach 1</span> Motor vehicle

The Ford Mustang Mach 1 is a combination performance and visual enhancement package offered as an option on the Ford Mustang, originally introduced in August 1968 for the 1969 model year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hovercar</span> Unrealized concept of a flying personal vehicle

A hover car is a personal vehicle that flies at a constant altitude of up to a few meters (yards) above the ground and used for personal transportation in the same way a modern automobile is employed. The concept usually appears in science fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Mustang SVO</span> Motor vehicle

The Mustang SVO is a limited-production version of the third generation Ford Mustang sold from 1984 to 1986, with fewer than 10,000 built. SVO is an acronym referring to Special Vehicle Operations, a Ford Motor Company skunkworks organized to produce high-performance vehicles. Although it departed both physically and mechanically from any prior version of the Mustang, it held the same spot within the lineup, both in terms of performance over "lesser" variants and in prestige, as had variants such as the Shelby-tuned and "BOSS" Mustangs of the 1960s and 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruf Rt 12</span> Motor vehicle

The RUF RT 12 is a sports car built by RUF Automobile of Germany and based on the 997-generation Porsche 911.

The General Motors Firebird comprises a quartet of prototype cars that General Motors (GM) engineered for the 1953, 1956, and 1959 Motorama auto shows. The cars' designers, headed by Harley Earl, took Earl's inspiration from the innovations in fighter aircraft design at the time. General Motors never intended the cars for production, but rather to showcase the extremes in technology and design that the company was able to achieve.

The Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle (CERV) is a series of Chevrolet experimental cars. Chevrolet Staff engineer, designer, and race car driver Zora Arkus-Duntov started development of the CERV I in 1959, and began work on the CERV II in 1963. Chevrolet chief engineer Don Runkle and Lotus' Tony Rudd discussed creating a new show car to demonstrate their engineering expertise in 1985; It would become the CERV III. Corvette chief engineer Dave Hill unveiled the CERV IV in 1993, a test vehicle for the 1997 C5 Corvette.

Jason Castriota is an automotive designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Mustang (first generation)</span> Motor vehicle

The first-generation Ford Mustang was manufactured by Ford from March 1964 until 1973. The introduction of the Mustang created a new class of automobiles known as pony cars. The Mustang's styling, with its long hood and short deck, proved wildly popular and inspired a host of competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluebird-Proteus CN7</span> Gas-turbine powered vehicle used to set a world land speed record

The Bluebird-Proteus CN7 is a gas turbine-powered vehicle that was driven by Donald Campbell and achieved the world land speed record on Lake Eyre in Australia on 17 July 1964. The vehicle set the FIA world record for the flying mile at 403.1 mph (648.7 km/h).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hovertrain</span> Type of high-speed train

A hovertrain is a type of high-speed train that replaces conventional steel wheels with hovercraft lift pads, and the conventional railway bed with a paved road-like surface, known as the track or guideway. The concept aims to eliminate rolling resistance and allow very high performance, while also simplifying the infrastructure needed to lay new lines. Hovertrain is a generic term, and the vehicles are more commonly referred to by their project names where they were developed. In the UK they are known as tracked hovercraft, in the US they are tracked air-cushion vehicles. The first hovertrain was developed by Jean Bertin in the early 1960s in France, where they were marketed as the Aérotrain before being abandoned by the French government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American automobile industry in the 1950s</span>

The 1950s were pivotal for the American automobile industry. The post-World War II era brought a wide range of new technologies to the automobile consumer, and a host of problems for the independent automobile manufacturers. The industry was maturing in an era of rapid technological change; mass production and the benefits from economies of scale led to innovative designs and greater profits, but stiff competition between the automakers. By the end of the decade, the industry had reshaped itself into the Big Three, Studebaker, and AMC. The age of small independent automakers was nearly over, as most of them either consolidated or went out of business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Mustang (sixth generation)</span> Motor vehicle

The sixth-generation Ford Mustang (S550) is a pony car that was manufactured by Ford from 2014 until 2023. In departure from prior Mustang models, the sixth-generation Mustang included fully independent rear suspension on all models, as well as an optional 2.3L EcoBoost turbocharged and direct injected four-cylinder engine. The Mustang was introduced as a 2015 model year vehicle, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Ford Mustang, which was revealed as a 1965 model year vehicle on April 17, 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Mustang Mach-E</span> Battery electric compact crossover SUV

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is a battery electric compact crossover SUV produced by Ford. Introduced on November 17, 2019, it went on sale in December 2020 as a 2021 model. The Mach-E is part of the Mustang series, with its name inspired by the Mach 1 variant of the first-generation Mustang. The car won the 2021 North American SUV of the Year Award.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Heys, Ed (June 2015). "Air Apparent to the Wheel". Hemmings Motor News . Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Locomotion" (PDF). The Engineer . June 3, 1960. p. 930. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-05-03. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  3. Rong, Blake Z. (March 19, 2014). "500-mph Ford hovercar is the future we were promised". Autoweek. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Ford, Jason (18 June 2019). "June 1960: Floating a new idea". The Engineer . Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  5. Cassingham, Randy (3 May 2020). "Gale Halderman". Honorary Unsubscribe. This is True. Retrieved 11 May 2020.