About the weirdest car ever

[MattP]

https://www.wolseley.dircon.co.uk/gyro.html

Designed by a Russian Count, and built by an English manufacturer, all before the first World War. Nifty.

 

[Sherlock]

Great link... A rather interesting car to say the least.

And... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif Why did Wolseley destroy it after so many years of preserving it so well... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif

 

[waltesefalcon]

Wow thats cool. A real shame they decided to break it up.

 

[Steve_S]

Ok, that's cool!!!!!

 

[MattP]

https://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/TRANSPORT/gyrocars/schilovs.htm

I found some more including blueprintish drawings, and pictures of it putting around London.

 

[aeronca65t]

Wow! Sort of a giant version of Dean Kamen's Segway.

 

[Radford]

[ QUOTE ]
Wow! Sort of a giant version of Dean Kamen's Segway.

[/ QUOTE ]
Just 80 years before he "invented" it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Guest]

That is definitely different!!

 

[curtis]

"Why was it destroyed?"

In 1930 it was on the scrapheap at the factory and an unusual decision was made to dispose of it by digging a hole and burying it!!
In 1938 they decided to dig it up and it was placed in the company's private museum.
And finally in 1948 the order was given to destroy it.
The reason given for its' destruction was that "it was hard to store as it always had to lean against something"

A weird end for a weird vehicle. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nopity.gif

Curtis

 

[Tullamore]

Imagine what that car would be worth today.

 

[MattP]

[ QUOTE ]
"Why was it destroyed?"

In 1930 it was on the scrapheap at the factory and an unusual decision was made to dispose of it by digging a hole and burying it!!
In 1938 they decided to dig it up and it was placed in the company's private museum.
And finally in 1948 the order was given to destroy it.
The reason given for its' destruction was that "it was hard to store as it always had to lean against something"

A weird end for a weird vehicle. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nopity.gif

Curtis

[/ QUOTE ]

Strange about it having to lean, if you look at the diagrams it had a mechanical system that was meant to drop some support wheels if the gyro went below a certain RPM.

Probably froze up over the years, particularly those underground. I kinda wonder what was the deal with storing cars by burial. I understand Bugatti, he buried his cars so the Germans wouldn't find them, but I don't remember any front even aproaching the Wolesley factory.

 

[curtis]

Apparently it was hidden for a time when France fell and a German invasion was feared and it also escaped being scrapped during the war when many metal items like fences,lamp posts etc were melted down to be used in the war effort.

Curtis

 

[frankenstang57]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gifThat thing is @#$#@! nuts! Too cool!