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The Cadillac Cyclone is a
GM Heritage Collection
File:Cadillac Cyclone Concept.jpg
File:Cadillac Cyclone 2019 1.jpg, Front view
File:Cadillac Cyclone 2019 2.jpg, Side view
File:Cadillac Cyclone 2019 3.jpg, Interior view
File:Cadillac Cyclone 2019 4.jpg, Rear view
"1950-59 Cadillacs" by the Editors of Consumer Guide
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1959 Cadillac Cyclone XP-74
{{Cadillac Vehicles
The Cadillac Cyclone is a concept car
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
built in 1959 by Cadillac
The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed ...
. The Cyclone was never mass-produced as a production model. It currently resides within thGM Heritage Collection
Overview
One of the last cars designed byHarley Earl
Harley Jarvis Earl (November 22, 1893 – April 10, 1969) was an American automotive designer and business executive. He was the initial designated head of design at General Motors, later becoming vice president, the first top executive ever ...
, the Cyclone was a testbed for futuristic styling and technology. Built on a 104" wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (fron ...
chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpar ...
, it featured a front-mounted 390in3 engine, rear-mounted automatic transaxle, and an all-wheel independent suspension. Uniquely, the Cyclone's engine exhaust was ported out just ahead of the front wheels. It also featured a radar-operated collision avoidance system
A collision avoidance system (CAS), also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system, or collision mitigation system, is an advanced driver-assistance system designed to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision. In its ...
, with the radar sensors mounted in twin "nose-cones" on the front of the car.
Of the Cyclone's stylistic features, the bubble top canopy was the most prominent. Silver coated for UV protection, the canopy automatically opened along with the sliding electrically operated doors. The canopy could also be stowed in the rear compartment, where it rested on a special air-bag base.
The Cyclone's design was heavily inspired by the aviation and rocket designs of the 1950s. The original design of the Cyclone included larger tailfins (similar looking to the 1959 Cadillac lineup), adorned with the logo of the General Motors Air Transport Section (GMATS). These fins were reduced in size in 1964 (and the GMATS logo removed) to look more like the 1963–64 Cadillac range.
Gallery
References
Further reading
"1950-59 Cadillacs" by the Editors of Consumer Guide
*
1959 Cadillac Cyclone XP-74
{{Cadillac Vehicles
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an an ...