Monday, November 9, 2015

The 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket Was a Retro-Futuristic Wonder Machine

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.
 
golden-rocket

The 1950s was a decade of signature design elements that are immediately recognizable over 60 years later. From fashion to cars, style was influenced by technology and the idea of the wonders that would become a part of our daily lives in the future. The 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket exemplifies this mindset with a retro-futuristic design that was as striking then as it is today.
 
It debuted at the 1956 GM Motorama looking one part jet fighter and one part Jetson’s space ship. The rear fenders looked just like rockets and Oldsmobile carried that design all the way through the side of the body to the front with bumpers that looked like bullets. Though most pictures of it are in black and white, it was painted gold, because the future of the 1950s was all about sparkly metallic colors.



golden-rocket-02

It seated two people and had a fabulous retro interior with blue and gold upholstery. It had a speedometer that was in the center console and a tilt steering wheel which was a new feature for the time. Even the way the car opened was unique.
 
Upon opening a door, a roof panel raised up and the seat came up 3 inches to make it easier for passengers to enter and exit the car. No having to do things yourself in the future, this car tried to bring the seat right to you. The aptly named Golden Rocket was never intended as more than a concept car and traveled the show circuit for several years as an example of what the future might hold in automotive design and innovation.



golden-rocket-03

No comments:

Post a Comment