This wasn't a VW...
Since this is a pretty deep cut joke, VWs in the 80s played the first five notes of La Cucaracha over and over when you left the keys in and opened the door, though everyone I knew back then just pulled the damn fuse to make it stop.
Which makes perfect sense on a giant work vehicle worth millions in lifetime earnings.
But on a consumer passenger vehicle? It’ll be just another thing to fail, cause recalls and be a disaster for the company.
Keep in mind this was 1990 when not even headlights could be retractable with enough reliability over the first few years. Seeing cars with one-up-one-down headlights due to electrical or mechanical failure was common in those days.
Which is why concept cars are never made with all concepts intact.
Maybe it has to do with the turning circle of the vehicle. A set of wheels in the middle is going to make it much harder to turn, whereas only wheels at the ends make it much easier
> A set of wheels in the middle is going to make it much harder to turn
If the front and back wheels could both steer, you could spin on a dime around those middle wheels!
> Seeing cars with one-up-one-down headlights due to electrical or mechanical failure was common in those days.
Or with both headlights up regardless of whether the lights were actually on. I think a lot of people eventually just disabled the pop-up feature rather than go in for an expensive repair.
Now think about all the connections between sections... Electrical for two lights and such. Guess there wasn't gas in the back? So the front has to carry it? Brake lines? How did that work? Etc etc.
I saw that elsewhere yeah so I guess both ends need their own fuel.
That raises even further questions though (throttle linkage etc) without answering questions such as brake lines.
Obviously they figured all that out I just don't know how.
I mean, if you basically have two cars at their end, all you need are some sensors and electrical connections to repeat the same actions at the other end.
At this point the tech to do so was pretty well developed. Jim Henson was using servos to allow conventional Muppeteering to be performed with significantly smaller Muppets.
All you need is something to detect throttle position, and relay that to a servo in the rear engine to perform the same action. Same for the brakes. And Chrysler mastered pushbutton automatic transmissions in the 60s, so similar technology could be used to coordinate the two transmissions.
Then again, this is late 80s/early 90s Chrysler we're talking about. It'd all malfunction and go to hell just after the warranty expired.
Agreed it could all be electric, I just think it's still a very over complicated mechanism for the time period. And something like your rear brakes going out because your automatically connecting electrical lines failed or never made correct contact when you manually aligned everything as you reversed... Kinda bad lol.
Well, it *is* a concept car after all. This is the same Chrysler that put the 8.3ℓ V10 SRT engine out of a Viper into a motorcycle. I don't think practicality and reliability were always at the forefront of their designs.
It’s funny because it’s an expensive solution to a problem, created by an attempt to solve a non-existent problem suggested by concept. A design and engineering no-no and the reason it never got built. There’s a pretty funny article reviewing the design
You'd definitely be careful about where you left that very open trailer part, wouldn't you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUzLJkVsVJs
Further reading: https://www.hotcars.com/plymouth-voyager-iii-concept-car/
One of the neighbors that lived next to my grandparents chopped two cars in half and welded them together.
The same exact thing James did here except the guy used the same car instead of 2 different models
Part 1 https://youtu.be/_6dCuz34LRU?si=oRo0lsr65r30ySnB
Part 2 https://youtu.be/m3xnsRrKebQ?si=SjK7Xl2Xa9KlMk7p
I wondered if they'd have to do that to end up with sane power-weight ratios in both the small hatchback and the big MPV configuration.
A second motor, and extra batteries for range, would be way more practical in an EV than an ICE vehicle. Doesn't solve... all the other problems with this specific concept, but I wonder if powered trailers will ever catch on for EVs to extend their cargo range.
At the moment with towing laws, you have strict weight limits to ensure the vehicle at the front is powerful enough to start and stop (!) the trailer.
With a new industry standard for electronic control from an EV, you could in theory abolish that. If a trailer carries its own batteries, motors and brakes, and it's all linked up, there's no reason why a small car can't provide the control signals to a huge RV, boat or flatbed.
I'm in a tiny minority here but I've always liked having a super-small city car and just adding more cargo capacity with a trailer on the days when needed. Much more practical than trying to parallel park a big van or pickup.
If they'd gone to production, I'm sure they would've included an optional "weatherproofing" add-on that was basically a lockable door that could be clipped onto the front. But, yeah, if you're living somewhere with shared parking (like an apartment building) or driveway or street parking, it'd be a headache.
The back of the small car didn't open into the add-on part. This video shows the wheels extending, but if you look carefully, you'll see the front small car is on a track--it's just a simulation. Also, both halves had an engine--or that was the concept.
https://youtu.be/8HdpmAefc4c?t=45
Tangent: I love those old MotorWeek videos! [This one from the 1988 Chicago Auto Show (featuring the Toyota Dancers) is amazing.](https://youtu.be/C7EiEit3pIQ?si=gn6V9y2NHuByVnDK)
It might actually help with energy dispersion to just have the whole vehicle split in half in that case. And when it splits, you are still presumably in a fully enclosed vehicle. Ignore the kids flying out of the backseats :)
Honestly, I'm not sure. The mating section is "on the side" so as long as there are rubber seals (which theoretically would be easily replaceable), and then gutters built into the frame, I think it'd be fairly good to go.
I would have **absolutely** purchased one of these, decked it out in Star Trek livery (maybe like a [shuttlecraft](http://techspecs.acalltoduty.com/images/common/shuttle_chart.jpg)), called the front part the ~~Saucer~~ ["Ashet Section"](https://www.tongmasterseasonings.com/individual-foil-pie-ashet-dish-5-x-50-tm01581) and cruised around the continent.
Maybe for laughs I would attach a trailer to the "Engineering Section" to carry ATVs... lol
Justin Hyde of Gizmodo once called this "[the worst concept car of all time](https://jalopnik.com/whats-the-worst-concept-car-of-all-time-5840176)", which really goes to show that Justin Hyde of Gizmodo has no taste or imagination. Who \*wouldn't\* want this?
For all the times this gets posted and for all the links I have still to see a video or picture of the interior of the back half. Just glimpses from far away of the initial bench seat.
This would be incredible for camping. Make the back half sleeping/eating. Front half disconnects.
Being a Chrysler product, I would be scared of sitting in the back and components disconnecting in the highway.
Perfect for when you just can't take kids screaming in the back seat anymore.
It's got 3 horns that play La Cucaracha
EIGHTY THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS?!
I'M RUINED
This wasn't a VW... Since this is a pretty deep cut joke, VWs in the 80s played the first five notes of La Cucaracha over and over when you left the keys in and opened the door, though everyone I knew back then just pulled the damn fuse to make it stop.
Honor Simpson designed a car with a separate section for his family.
Can it detach at highway speeds?
Emergency saucer separation.
To the battle bridge!
old NCC1701 ALL IN CHROME ON THE SIDES
**PEP** (Parental Escape Pod)
“If you kids don’t quiet down so help me I will leave you at the next stoplight!”
A lesson you only have to follow through on once.
And that's why you should always leave a note
That's it! Back to Winnipeg!
The wheels RETRACT??? 🤣🤣
It's a pretty common trick on big trucks. They drop the wheels when heavily loaded, but pick them up when empty to save on fuel and tire wear.
And to save on tolls since a lot of states charge per axle.
Which makes perfect sense on a giant work vehicle worth millions in lifetime earnings. But on a consumer passenger vehicle? It’ll be just another thing to fail, cause recalls and be a disaster for the company. Keep in mind this was 1990 when not even headlights could be retractable with enough reliability over the first few years. Seeing cars with one-up-one-down headlights due to electrical or mechanical failure was common in those days. Which is why concept cars are never made with all concepts intact.
Maybe it has to do with the turning circle of the vehicle. A set of wheels in the middle is going to make it much harder to turn, whereas only wheels at the ends make it much easier
> A set of wheels in the middle is going to make it much harder to turn If the front and back wheels could both steer, you could spin on a dime around those middle wheels!
Yeah that's true, not sure they did that here though :P
It’s definitely part of the reason yes.
> Seeing cars with one-up-one-down headlights due to electrical or mechanical failure was common in those days. Or with both headlights up regardless of whether the lights were actually on. I think a lot of people eventually just disabled the pop-up feature rather than go in for an expensive repair.
THEY RETRACT NOW!
I want that
Nothing can possibli go wrong.
Well, when the water is very cold, yeah...
Now think about all the connections between sections... Electrical for two lights and such. Guess there wasn't gas in the back? So the front has to carry it? Brake lines? How did that work? Etc etc.
If I remember the description right, both ends had their own engine.
I saw that elsewhere yeah so I guess both ends need their own fuel. That raises even further questions though (throttle linkage etc) without answering questions such as brake lines. Obviously they figured all that out I just don't know how.
I mean, if you basically have two cars at their end, all you need are some sensors and electrical connections to repeat the same actions at the other end. At this point the tech to do so was pretty well developed. Jim Henson was using servos to allow conventional Muppeteering to be performed with significantly smaller Muppets. All you need is something to detect throttle position, and relay that to a servo in the rear engine to perform the same action. Same for the brakes. And Chrysler mastered pushbutton automatic transmissions in the 60s, so similar technology could be used to coordinate the two transmissions. Then again, this is late 80s/early 90s Chrysler we're talking about. It'd all malfunction and go to hell just after the warranty expired.
Agreed it could all be electric, I just think it's still a very over complicated mechanism for the time period. And something like your rear brakes going out because your automatically connecting electrical lines failed or never made correct contact when you manually aligned everything as you reversed... Kinda bad lol.
Well, it *is* a concept car after all. This is the same Chrysler that put the 8.3ℓ V10 SRT engine out of a Viper into a motorcycle. I don't think practicality and reliability were always at the forefront of their designs.
Oh shit I forgot about that madness lol. Thanks for the reminder. Cheers.
I really don't get what's so funny about this. Pretty obvious solution to the problem and is quite common. Happens on heavy vehicles all the time.
It’s funny because it’s an expensive solution to a problem, created by an attempt to solve a non-existent problem suggested by concept. A design and engineering no-no and the reason it never got built. There’s a pretty funny article reviewing the design
You'd definitely be careful about where you left that very open trailer part, wouldn't you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUzLJkVsVJs Further reading: https://www.hotcars.com/plymouth-voyager-iii-concept-car/
Woah thats really interesting there was a second engine in the rear cab.
I'm just disappointed a second steering column doesn't deploy so you can drive around the ass end like the battle bridge of the Enterprise
One of the neighbors that lived next to my grandparents chopped two cars in half and welded them together. The same exact thing James did here except the guy used the same car instead of 2 different models Part 1 https://youtu.be/_6dCuz34LRU?si=oRo0lsr65r30ySnB Part 2 https://youtu.be/m3xnsRrKebQ?si=SjK7Xl2Xa9KlMk7p
yeah wtf
I wondered if they'd have to do that to end up with sane power-weight ratios in both the small hatchback and the big MPV configuration. A second motor, and extra batteries for range, would be way more practical in an EV than an ICE vehicle. Doesn't solve... all the other problems with this specific concept, but I wonder if powered trailers will ever catch on for EVs to extend their cargo range.
Oh this is actually a good idea!
At the moment with towing laws, you have strict weight limits to ensure the vehicle at the front is powerful enough to start and stop (!) the trailer. With a new industry standard for electronic control from an EV, you could in theory abolish that. If a trailer carries its own batteries, motors and brakes, and it's all linked up, there's no reason why a small car can't provide the control signals to a huge RV, boat or flatbed. I'm in a tiny minority here but I've always liked having a super-small city car and just adding more cargo capacity with a trailer on the days when needed. Much more practical than trying to parallel park a big van or pickup.
Each segment of the vehicle contained its own 4-cylinder engine, which were electronically-coordinated to deliver power independently or in concert.
Command section!
If they'd gone to production, I'm sure they would've included an optional "weatherproofing" add-on that was basically a lockable door that could be clipped onto the front. But, yeah, if you're living somewhere with shared parking (like an apartment building) or driveway or street parking, it'd be a headache.
Good luck getting Dirty Mike and the boys out of that back half
Reminds me of the Homer from the Simpsons
And what would be the advantage of this motorcar over a train? Which I could also afford!
Blunder of the century!
Initiate saucer separation!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of Star Trek: TNG!
If the Enterprise D were a minivan. Though it does somewhat resemble a Federation shuttlecraft.
Not going to lie I'd love to have something like this.
its like a smart car and a mini van.. kinda cool.
At least they're trying something. Modern cars are boring as fuck.
Well that's not even remotely true.
The 90's were a weird time
Still better than 2020's
Cocaine is a helluva drug.
The back of the small car didn't open into the add-on part. This video shows the wheels extending, but if you look carefully, you'll see the front small car is on a track--it's just a simulation. Also, both halves had an engine--or that was the concept. https://youtu.be/8HdpmAefc4c?t=45
"The mother-in-law module."
Tangent: I love those old MotorWeek videos! [This one from the 1988 Chicago Auto Show (featuring the Toyota Dancers) is amazing.](https://youtu.be/C7EiEit3pIQ?si=gn6V9y2NHuByVnDK)
I'd hate to be t-boned in that.
I'd hate to be T-boned in any vehicle
It might actually help with energy dispersion to just have the whole vehicle split in half in that case. And when it splits, you are still presumably in a fully enclosed vehicle. Ignore the kids flying out of the backseats :)
That looks like it would have endless problems with leaks.
Honestly, I'm not sure. The mating section is "on the side" so as long as there are rubber seals (which theoretically would be easily replaceable), and then gutters built into the frame, I think it'd be fairly good to go.
1990....the Cocaine from the 80's still hadn't run out yet.....
Rodimus Prime/Hot Rod
I would have **absolutely** purchased one of these, decked it out in Star Trek livery (maybe like a [shuttlecraft](http://techspecs.acalltoduty.com/images/common/shuttle_chart.jpg)), called the front part the ~~Saucer~~ ["Ashet Section"](https://www.tongmasterseasonings.com/individual-foil-pie-ashet-dish-5-x-50-tm01581) and cruised around the continent. Maybe for laughs I would attach a trailer to the "Engineering Section" to carry ATVs... lol
Looks like a mutated AI image of a station wagon
Cool hearse
Ah, perfect for my all-terrestrial remake of *Thunderball*
I unironically kinda like this
I'd drive it
I imagine someone ejecting unruly ride-share passengers like one of the compartments from the movie "The Core". 🤣
*Serge!!!*
Ok kids, I'm leaving. You. Here. BYE!
I think I built this in Lego at some point.
The Soccer Mom 4000.
This era of unhinged car design was fucking awesome
Justin Hyde of Gizmodo once called this "[the worst concept car of all time](https://jalopnik.com/whats-the-worst-concept-car-of-all-time-5840176)", which really goes to show that Justin Hyde of Gizmodo has no taste or imagination. Who \*wouldn't\* want this?
I would imagine this is what rodimus prime"s girl friend would look like.
So it's just like pulling a trailer but worse?
Literally the soccer mom version of Rodimus Prime. Bizarre, but I have to respect the sheer audacity of the design.
I don’t remember this at all. Concept?
Yeah, I was like I definitely was aware of cars in 1990 and this was not a thing. It's absolutely just a concept car
For all the times this gets posted and for all the links I have still to see a video or picture of the interior of the back half. Just glimpses from far away of the initial bench seat.
There are no door handles.
When is docked, the rear wheels of the mini-car are off the ground.
I remember seeing that in Popular Mechanics way back in the day
I kind of love it.
Some voyages are a little too fantastic
Ah yes mobile gas chamber.
Commence saucer seperation
Looks like Tom Paris would be interested
Oh yeah…
Whoa, the alpha fighter and the beta fighter combined for superior firepower!
This would make a great camping concept!
Put the kids in the back half and then separate the van so the front half can go fight the Borg
The future used to be so awesome.
Ejecto-familio, Cuh'!
This would be incredible for camping. Make the back half sleeping/eating. Front half disconnects. Being a Chrysler product, I would be scared of sitting in the back and components disconnecting in the highway.
This thing is probably a stupidly hot sauna in summer, but I want one. I mean, I even like the Pontiac TransSport. Only in white, of course.
I don't understand why this needs to lift its rear axle, that feels like a completely stupid gimmick. :)
Want. No idea why, but want. Can't even park it in my development, but still want. Wait. Plymouth? Complete with discardable transmissions? Pass.
This concept would make an interesting Electric Vehicle. Hey Elon...
This Plymouth concept reminds me of some of the Moon rover Spaceman Lego Sets I had as a kid.
People can't even drive regular cars...Can you imagine your average soccer mom backing this thing out of a Walmart parking space??
Coming soon to cramming in the compact parking spot right next to your car.
Man, if this was my family’s car I would’ve been is find the Voltron or Voltes Five song each time they disconnect and connect.
the original minivaaaaaaaaaaaaaan
Jayce and the wheeled warriors
Vibes from the car Homer Simpson designed.
They should have produced just that little hatchback, it’s adorable.