After the 1929 stock-market crash, English airship expert Dennis Burney road-tested a car he thought would appeal to Depression-era drivers. According to Burney, his airship-inspired Streamline consumed only half the fuel of conventional automobiles, thanks to its crescent-shaped body, rear-mounted engine, and inset headlamps and door handles. Wind resistance was so minimal that if the Streamline were to accelerate to 180 mph-which, at 22 horsepower, it could not-Burney claimed it would actually take flight. Fuel efficiency wasn't enough to entice drivers, however, and the Streamline never made it to market.
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