Wingless Wonders On Display Now
The propeller-driven vehicle was undoubtedly one of the most unique ideas for moving something along. To the modern eye these vehicles may look overengineered and more complicated than their standard counterparts. Yet when you place yourself in the context of the time that these were built, they make more sense. Marcel Leyat created his first propellor car in 1913, just ten years after the dawn of powered flight, at a time when the horse and buggy remained a popular mode of transportation!
Leyat was not alone in his effort; there were others melding engines with propellers and attaching them to existing vehicles. What propeller-driven vehicles have in common is that their engines do not power the wheels, the engine turns the propeller, pulling or pushing the car just like an airplane. When comparing the parts needed for a propellor car vs. a standard car with an engine, gearbox, and drivetrain, the propellor car starts to make more sense. Being propeller-driven, there is no need for a transmission, clutch, or differential, which both simplified and reduced weight. Propellors were also versatile and could be appropriately sized up or down depending on the vehicle. Despite their simplicity and versatility, propellor driven vehicles left a lot to be desired when it came to performance. Acceleration from a stop or up a modest grade could be lackluster or even impossible, bicycles equipped with propellors could be pedaled faster than the propellor could push you. They also proved to be quite uncomfortable as the sound and wind generated by the propellor buffeted any passengers. Although they had their advantages, propellor driven vehicles proved too cumbersome and quirky, meaning that mass production of these vehicles never really…took off.