The past’s ‘futuristic’ cars coming alive today

10/23/2007

Manila — Since the introduction of motion pictures, film producers have romanticized the concept of the flying car — from space oddities and popular sci-fi flicks of the 1960s — to Back to the Future’s time-traveling DeLorean. And as the movie-going public, the world over marveled at the sensational flying automobile, director Robert Zemeckis even included an on-board device called “Mr. Fusion” in the BTTF sequel, which converts solid waste into spontaneous energy for the flying DeLorean.

A glimpse into the future? Perhaps then it was. But as more and more ideas are spawned by bespectacled Hollywood writers, we come to realize that NOW is the depicted future in those motion pictures. The modern-day automobile may not be as clean and efficient as say — George Jetson’s flight pod — but then again, George never got the sheer thrill of cornering with Traction Control.

Back on the ground, the automobile is still arguably the most exhilarating creation of the 20th century, and to which German technology has contributed – in great part — its precision and continuous innovation for safer mobility, now producing cars that run on alternative fuels; and perhaps some day, even spontaneous combustion.

Modern innovations have seen the development of the F-Cell Mercedes A-Class, which is powered by compressed hydrogen, and the BMW Hydrogen 7, which is based on the Bavarian manufacturer’s 12-cylinder luxury sedan.

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