TheFord Gyron was a futuristic two-wheeledgyrocar first shown to the world in 1961 at theDetroit Motor Show[1] as aconcept car designed bySyd Mead andMcKinley Thompson.[2][3] One wheel was at the front and the other at the rear like amotorcycle and the car was stabilized bygyroscopes. The two occupants of the vehicle were seated side by side and, when the vehicle was stationary, two small legs appeared from the sides to support it. The vehicle was created for research and marketing purposes, with no intention to put it into production.
Alex Tremulis was the designer and the gyroscopic systems were based onLouis Brennan's theories. TheFord Motor Company of Detroit gave credit for the Gyron to Louis Brennan. Alex Tremulis had started his career with the US Air Force and worked in 1948 at theWright-Patterson Air Force Base on the concept ofMilitary flying saucers. He then became the chief designer for the ill-fatedTucker automobile before joining Ford, and was also involved with the Tuscan gyroscopic motorcycles and the Gyronaught XU1 gyroscopic car.
The original fiberglass concept was destroyed in the1962 Ford Rotunda fire.[4] Only the studio model remains today, it was sold at an auction in December 2012 for $40,000. A second model was recently discovered in the collection of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles and displayed as part of the 2024 exhibition, "Eyes on the Road."[citation needed]
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