1. General Motors Firebird Series
In the 1950s, General Motors pushed boundaries with its Firebird I, II, and III prototypes—cars that looked like they belonged on a runway rather than a road. Inspired by fighter jets, they featured bubble canopies, exaggerated tail fins, and gas turbine engines.
These futuristic showpieces were meant to usher in a jet-age era of motoring, but their complex turbine powertrains proved too expensive and impractical for everyday use.
More at Smithsonian Magazine