34 / goodwood THE SEASoN

t h e d y m a x i o n has to be the weirdest

car you will ever see. An utterly faithful, fully

functional recreation of the original has been

commissioned by world-famous architect Lord

Foster, and built by Crosthwaite & Gardiner, the

leading specialists in this line of work. It will be

a participant in the Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’

automobile concours d’elegance at Goodwood’s

Festival of Speed this year.

If a car designer built a house, what would it

be like? I envisage a huge, luxurious garage with

just a small flat above to live in. The Dymaxion

{fig.1}, on the other hand, is a car designed by

an architect. Its creator was the eccentric but

visionary American architect, Buckminster

Fuller (aka ‘Bucky’), who turned his mind to

motoring 80 years ago. The result is a sci-fi

fantasy from a different age. But don’t laugh –

the Dymaxion car is no joke and it has a message

of powerful relevance today.

In 1933, when no one else had thought about

‘green’ issues, Bucky sought to champion

sustainability: his famous geodesic dome was

created as a housing solution that minimised

heat loss and materials. He introduced the

highly influential school of thought known as

‘synergetics’ – a process by which parts interact

both independently and with each other. Bucky

set out to build the world’s most fuel-efficient

motor car and created the Dymaxion, which

could go at least twice as far on a gallon of

petrol as any other car with a similar engine.

It also a great deal faster, despite having a huge

and very comfortable interior.

The secret was in the aerodynamics. The shape

he came up with resembled an aircraft fuselage

without wings. Although the Dymaxion was

powered by a large, side-valve V8 engine, it delivered

a remarkable 35mpg. As for performance, Fuller’s

claims were extravagant but it’s definitely quick

enough to cruise comfortably with the faster

traffic on motorways today.

It was a remarkable technical achievement

but Fuller aimed yet higher. He built a series of

three prototypes and planned an even more

advanced model, which would lift its rear wheel

off the road at speed. Setting off, it would be

steered normally but, as the speed built up, the

rear would rise up into the air and steering would

be by a rudder on the tail, like a light aircraft.

That model was never built. Lord Foster’s

Dymaxion is a recreation of an earlier prototype

but the technical details are still utterly

astonishing. It’s a rear-engined three-wheeler

with front-wheel drive and rear-wheel steering.

It’s 20 feet long and can turn round in its own

length. Driving this bizarre machine is very

different from driving any other car, of any age.

The pedals, steering wheel and dashboard

instruments are all familiar but you need to retrain

your mind before taking a spin in a Dymaxion.

For one thing, there is no steering feel

whatsoever in the cable-driven system and there

are 12 turns from lock to lock. At speed, The

Dymaxion is surprisingly stable and very little

steering input is required but, to repeat Fuller’s

favourite party trick and turn round in a narrow

street, you must slow right down before twirling

the wheel, rather like a boat – and round it goes

in the most amazing way. The driver must pay

great attention to which way the rear wheel is

pointing before setting off, otherwise the tail

could swing out instantly, with disastrous results.

By modern standards, there are serious flaws

in basic safety and the average motorist would

probably get into deep trouble. A sudden

cross-wind at speed is not a happy thought but

Fuller’s astonishing automotive vision from

1933 still has the power to make us think.

As a young man, Norman Foster collaborated

with Buckminster Fuller on bold designs for

highly innovative buildings. His reproduction

Dymaxion car represents a personal tribute to

his extraordinary mentor.

Tony Dron is a motoring author and journalist who

has frequently competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans

A more advanced model, never built, would have used a tail rudder, like an aircraft, at speed

fig.1

Time capsule

W o r d s T O N Y D R O N

The Dymaxion concept car, invented by the remarkable Buckminster Fuller, would have been fast

and green but a beast to steer. Now Norman Foster has recreated his mentor’s design

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