One of the reasons that I love cars from the 1940’s & 50’s so much is because they were still full of crazy ideas. People weren’t afraid to think outside the box to try to make life easier. If somebody decided that driving on 3 wheels was better than 4, poof, a new 3 wheeled vehicle arrived on the scene. You want your high beam headlights to dim when another car is driving at you, poof, done! You want an extra wheel to pop out of your trunk and help you parallel park, poof……wait, huh?
One guy in California back in the 1950’s realized that a 5th wheel was necessary. See, back then, cars in America were absolutely massive. Parallel parking a 21 foot long car with 6 feet of Detroit-built trunk space behind the rear axle was an obvious challenge. The solution? A 5th wheel that retracts from the trunk, lifts the car up, and allows the car to swing itself out of parking spots. It’s fascinating really. But what else can you use it for, you ask? Well, imagine you have a small driveway and you are terrible at backing into it. With the new “Park Car”, you can pull into the driveway, drop the 5th wheel, spin the car 180 degrees and back into your garage with ease. The video claims that “Even the worst driver can make the garage without denting a fender with the aid of 5th wheel driving”. Just imagine the antics that you could get yourself into when it’s snows outside. Your snowy parking lot donut skills would be unmatched by all.
Can’t see the video? Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=296E57CxNw4
Ahh, life before litigation!