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The Dymaxion car was a concept car built in 1933 and designed by Buckminster Fuller. The car was a high efficiency vehicle with a then unheard of fuel efficiency of 30 miles per Gallon and it could move 11 passengers along at 120 miles per hour.
The car was exceptionally large, 20 feet in length, but could do a U-turn in its own radius. This turning ability was due to the fact that it turned via a single rear wheel. This configuration unfortunately made the car somewhat counterintuitive to operate, especially in crosswind situations. The unusual steering ultimately led to the invention's demise when an accident, likely caused by the driver of another vehicle, caused investors to abandon the project, blaming the accident on the vehicle's unusual steering.
However according to Art Kleiner in his book "The age of heretics", Dymaxion said the real reason why Chrysler refused to produce the car was because the bankers threatened to recall their loans as they felt the car would destroy sales for both vehicles already in the distribution channels and second hand sales. If this were true, the short sighted move may have cost Chrysler a chance to out-compete Honda and Toyota who are currently eating into their market share.
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