Tales of Future Past v2

In its August 1944 issue, Popular Science's fictitious garage mechanics, Gus and Stan, looked at the postwar car of the future as designed by the magazine's readers. It wasn't called the "Democricar", but it should have been.

Despite reading a futurist magazine like Popular Science, the readers were fairly down to earth – coming up with a composite car that looked more like a heavily tweeked Detroit model than a Dymaxion car.  Some of them were good suggestions, such as front bonnets that allowed for better visibility, a more ergonomic design, and a keen interest in safety features such as seat belts. They were also pretty accurate predictions because along with the dashboard navigators and rear-view periscopes there were demands for things like sunroofs, air conditioning, and windscreen defrosters that would one day be as standard as steering wheels.

One idea that I'm sorry never made it off the letters page: Seats that turn into a comfy bed. It would have made the aftermath of many a domestic argument that much more easy for the husband to bear.

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