Dorothy Hale and Isamu Noguchi at the premiere of “Four Saints in Three Acts,” February 7, 1934, Hartford, Connecticut
In 1934, the socialite and actress Dorothy Hale took a road trip through Connecticut with two old friends, writer Clare Boothe Luce and sculptor Isamu Noguchi. They drove in a special car Noguchi had designed with his drinking buddy, futuristic inventor Buckminster Fuller. The car was called the Dymaxion.
The Dymaxion Car
Buckminster Fuller with his portrait by Isamu Noguchi, 1929, photo by Noguchi
The 20-foot long aluminum-bodied Dymaxion car caused a traffic jam wherever it went. This was between the two world wars when cars were sedans and pick-up trucks. “Bucky” Fuller’s car was shaped like a teardrop and ran on three wheels. It went 90 m.p.h. and was fuel-efficient at 30 m.p.g. The 3-wheeler made a 360-degree turn on a dime. A periscope that came out of the roof gave extra visibility. It seated eleven passengers.
It was the car of the future – for a while. Unfortunately, only three Dymaxion cars were ever produced. Orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski bought one. Amelia Earhart was interested in investing. Financing was a problem and Fuller was running out of cash.
Aviator Amelia Earhart
Any hope of putting the Dymaxion in full-scale production dried up quickly when the car was involved in a fatal accident at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. Another car was blamed for the crash but that didn’t stop the negative publicity for the Dymaxion.
Sadly, only one of the Dymaxions exists today. You can view the restored exterior of the car at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada. Disappointingly, though, the car windows are painted opaque from the inside to prevent you looking inside. Evidently, the inside was in very bad shape when the car was acquired and little information exists as to its original look in order to guide the museum restoration artists. The rumor is that the car had been used as a chicken coop somewhere in the Midwest before it was discovered, which explains the wrecked state of the interior!
View this youtube video to see the amazing turning radius of the Dymaxion. While you’re viewing, keep a lookout for Amelia Earhart in the back seat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlLZE23EJKs&feature=related
For more on Dorothy Hale, see my most popular post, “Frida Kahlo: The Suicide of Dorothy Hale.”
Lisa's History Room 
Where did you find that photo of Noguchi and Dorothy Hale? Would appreciate receiving source as I would like to use it in my book on Fuller and Noguchi.
Shoji Sadao
LikeLike
Hi, Shoji, I found that photo on the wikipedia article for Dorothy Hale.
LikeLike
Thanks for the information. I’ll follow up on it.
LikeLike
OK
LikeLike
Hi Lisa – I ran across this post via the Dorothy Hale post. I’ve been searching for a good reproduction of the painting, but apparently it hasn’t been licensed for that; the only reproductions I can find are “100% handmade” – i.e., painted by a sweatshop artist working from a photograph.
I’ve been fascinated by Fuller since I met him at a Chicago bookstore signing in 1981. I saw the Dymaxion car in Nevada about 25 years ago, when it was part of a private collection that was sold and dispersed a few years later. I’m pleased to hear it’s ended up in a museum. At the time I saw it, there was no room for it indoors and it was parked, unlabeled, at curbside. The windows had not yet been painted, and I could clearly see the gutted interior.
Thanks for the blog. I’ll be following via RSS.
LikeLike
John, hi. Thanks for visiting Lisa’s History Room. Did you just bump into Fuller or was he doing a booksigning? I think the Dymaxion car is funny. I would love to see it. The gutted interior really takes away from the whole restored look. They should give it an acceptable inside, even if it’s not completely true to the original.
LikeLike
Fuller was signing for the book “Critical Path” (1981). He was over 85 years old and hard of hearing, but he gave full focus to each person who greeted him. I complimented his wristwatch, and he showed me its features. He also told me he liked my name (which I gave to the line attendant in full: John Dylan Cooper). I would have liked to have known him in his prime.
LikeLike
What a nice memory.
LikeLike