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1956 Buick Centurion

Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956 - Interior
Buick Centurion, 1956 - Interior
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion, 1956
Buick Centurion - at 1956 Motorama
Buick Centurion - at 1956 Motorama
Buick Centurion - at 1956 Motorama
Buick Centurion - at 1956 Motorama
Buick Centurion - at 1956 Motorama
Buick Centurion - at 1956 Motorama
Buick Centurion, 1956 - Quaker State Motor Oil Ad
Buick Centurion, 1956 - Quaker State Motor Oil Ad
Images: GM; HIGH MUSEUM OF ART; shorey.net; ciadecarros.wordpress.com
Rating:  46    -19    +65
Buick Centurion XP-301 Showcar (Designer - Chuck Jordan), 1956.

Легкая стеклянная крыша превращала конструкцию двухдверного «хардтопа» в «кабриолет»
In his first car design, a young Chuck Jordan entered Motorama with style. The Buick Centurion featured an electric razor-like front grill and deeply recessed headlight pods. Aside from the transparent roof, the most outstanding design feature was the television camera mounted in the rear, which relayed a picture to a screen on the dashboard to replace the rear view mirror. Another feature was a dial in the center of the steering wheel which controlled the gear selections for the transmission. The Buick Centurion with its two tone paint made a dashing entrance for a future V.P. of Design.

GM Press Release


The 1956 Buick Centurion was an aerodynamic four-seat coupe with a patented rear-mounted television camera to provide a rear view to the driver. Front seats automatically slid back when the doors were opened for easier entry and also moved forward to provide entry and exit to the back seats. A cantilevered steering wheel positioned the steering shaft down the centre of the car, allowing more legroom for the driver.

www.autospeed.com


Аэродинамичное четырехместное купе со стеклянной крышей Buick Centurion появилось в 1956 году. Машина оснащена телекамерой заднего вида вместо обычных зеркал. При открывании дверей передние сиденья автоматически сдвигались назад для удобной посадки на передние сиденья и могли сдвигаться вперед для доступа на сиденья заднего ряда.

Газета АВТОРЕВЮ 2000 год / №11


Buick Centurion (1956) знаменит в первую очередь своей телекамерой, которая была смонтирована в хвостовой части и передавала изображение идущих сзади машин на крохотный черно-белый экранчик, долженствовавший заменить водителю зеркало заднего вида. Совершенно непонятно, зачем было в середине пятидесятых годов — в эпоху ламповой радиотехники — городить целую кабельную телестудию на автомобиле, имевшем прозрачную крышу, которая давала обзор в 360 градусов и в натуральном цвете... Впрочем, зеркала заднего вида почему-то не нравились многим тогдашним стилистам: кто-то порывался заменить их призматическим перископом, смонтированным в крыше, а кто-то — и телепередатчиком.

Андрей ХРИСАНФОВ - Газета АВТОРЕВЮ 2003 год / №18 (296) / Кунсткамера. Сны наяву
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Comments
Larry Vargo
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
Just spent an hour trying to find a picture of what kind of resolution, etc. the rear-view tv would provide compared to modern units. Out of curiosity. Then read elsewhere the system was only a mock-up.
Then read elsewhere that the vacuum-tube (valve) technology of the day would not have permitted this. I beg to differ, having worked on various military avionics systems in the 1960’s. There actually were small tubes the diameter of a pencil and around an inch long that could have been used for such a cctv system. It probably would have been costly, though; even common home radios and TV’s weren’t really cheap back then. And the reliability would be questionable. There was a reason they needed us electronic techs.
Since this was never a functional system I was thwarted in my search to find an actual look at the view provided. I’d guess it was like one of those small SONY black & white TV’s they sold in the late ‘50’s.
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