That old magazine from 1995 said we'd all have flying cars by 2020

Found a box of Popular Mechanics from the 90s in my uncle's garage last month. One article predicted flying cars in every driveway by now. Also said we'd be commuting via personal hovercrafts. Meanwhile I'm stuck in traffic watching a guy eat cereal in his Honda Civic. The article even had a mockup of a flying Ford Taurus. Looked like a pizza box with wings. They got the internet part right I guess but totally whiffed on the transportation stuff. Anyone else find old predictions that make you laugh?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan_torres3420d ago

My neighbor still drives a 1995 Ford Taurus to work every day. It has 280,000 miles on it and the check engine light is basically a permanent dashboard ornament. Meanwhile the flying car in that magazine article looked like a pizza box that failed a wind tunnel test. At least we got the internet, but I'd trade a few cat videos for a hovercraft that doesn't require a CDL.

reese55020d ago

Been there. I'd actually argue that the Taurus is the real achievement here. The flying car proves we can make something fly, but the 95 Taurus proves we can make something that keeps working long after it should have been scrapped. That's harder. Your neighbor gets 30 miles per gallon from ancient technology and doesn't have to worry about a single recall for a software glitch that drops his car out of the sky. The internet is cool and all but between a car that dies with a system update and one that just keeps going after the light's been on for a hundred thousand miles, give me the gas guzzler with the permanent check engine light.