Engineering Memory of the Month

A radical ride

Concept cars can inspire valuable discussions of manufacturing, design, and the mechanics under the hood. With that in mind, the Stanford student chapter of the American Society for Mechanical Engineering worked with General Motors 50 years ago to stage an exhibit on the Quad for the company's Firebird III. The students also heard a lecture from visiting GM research executive William A. Turunen.

The Firebird III was no doubt a conversation starter not only because of its unusually placed fins and double bubble glass domes, but also because it had a gas turbine power plant, rather than a gasoline engine. It never became a mainstay of the American road, but at least for one day in 1959, it surely was the car everyone talked about at Stanford.

We are interested in your nostalgic photos and the stories they tell. If you'd like to share them with the Stanford Engineering community, e-mail them to David Orenstein , Manager, Communications and P.R.