- That hasn't panned out, and companies seem to be moving into self-driving , rather than flying cars.
- Over the years many inventors have patented designs of what a flying car could look like, although they never actually made it to production.
- Scottish leasing comparison startup LeaseFetcher commissioned a studio to render what these designs would look like if they were made.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Renderings reveal how failed designs from the past may have looked if they were made today
The classic 1982 science fiction movie "Blade Runner" predicted we'd have flying cars in 2019.
"Blade Runner" predicted that in 2019 we'd zoom around Los Angeles in flying cars, but that hasn't quite worked out. Although this forecast hasn't manifested in actual vehicles beyond basic prototypes, there's been no shortage of optimistic inventors eager to throw together their own designs.
Scottish leasing comparison startup LeaseFetcher charged creative studio NeoMam with the task of bringing patent sketches to life with realistic renderings. The patents span from nearly 100 years ago in 1921 to as recently as 2016.
Flying cars no longer seem like the clear vision of the future that they once were. Waymo , Uber, Tesla , and other companies have instead turned their efforts towards self-driving technology, but these renderings offer a look at how people in the past envisioned the future. Scroll to see drawings from patents, and how designers rendered them.
This 1921 design by Henry J Snook has propellers that lift it up in the air. Snook patented this design only eight years after the Model T became the first car produced on an assembly line.
The rendering of this vehicle looks almost like a bus with propellers on top.
LeaseFetcher
In 1939, Bruce L Beals designed a long, narrow flying car that resembled earth-bound cars of the period.
The studios rendering shows the car looks like a small plane from above, just with a car attached to the bottom.
LeaseFetcher
A 1959 design by Einarsson Einar has front and back propellers, plus adjustable wings.
Google Patent
Neomams rending of the design has the look of a classic 60s style car and shows the propellers in motion.
LeaseFetcher
Jung-Do Kees 1996 design almost looks like the front of a plane attached to the back of a car, with a propeller and wings coming out of the trunk.
Google Patent
Nomam kept this aesthetic, using different colors for an average-looking sedan and the rear wings and propeller.
LeaseFetcher
Around the new millennium, designs began to have more clean lines, like this 2001 Bradford Sorensen patent.
Google Patent
The rendering of this car almost does look like something out of "Blade Runner," more so than earlier models that looked like typical plane parts attached to cars.
LeaseFetcher
Another 2001 design, this one from Cheng Ji, also achieved a sleek look almost resembling wings in nature.
Google Patent
Although the wings on this car might be the largest, they feel more like part of the design, rather than pasting two different types of vehicles together at the end.
LeaseFetcher
Larry D. Longs 2003 design is a departure from earlier uses of wings and propellers, using rotors instead.
Google Patent
This design also resembles "Blade Runners" idea of flying cars of the future, not bogged down with wings or other features.
LeaseFetcher
The most recent design, Akash Girendra Barots 2016 car, also uses rotors and can fit two or more seats.
Google Patent
The designers took another average-looking sedan for this rendering, complete with rotors near the tires.
LeaseFetcher
See Also:
- Apple could release 5 new iPhones next year here's what we know about them so far
- A YouTuber launched a viral campaign to plant 20 million trees by 2020. Here's the list of prominent people who have donated, including Elon Musk, Jeffree Star, and even the CEO of YouTube.
- The most-viewed creators on YouTube in 2019 include PewDiePie, David Dobrik, and some of your favorite gamers
SEE ALSO: 5 tech predictions the original 'Blade Runner' got wrong about 2019