Futuristic, self-balancing Gyro-X to be restored

Alex Tremulis was an eclectic visionary who saw the future in swoops, curls, bubble tops, and hand-formed metal. At the precarious age of 19, without any training, he landed at Cord Automobile and helped develop the legendary Model 810. In the 1940s he penned the Tucker and the Chrysler Thunderbolt. When asked in 1957, "What will we be driving in the year 2000?" Tremulis came up with the Ford X-2000 -- a ridiculous bubble-adorned flying saucer with a concave Edsel grille and taillight nacelles ripped from the USS Enterprise, wrapped around a figure resembling a UFO. Indeed, during a brief stint in the Army Air Corps he speculated on the otherworldly craft in which aliens might visit Earth, coining the phrase "flying saucer."

And in fact, we can thank him for the most outlandish concepts Ford has ever produced. The Ford Seattle-ite XXI, for example, featured six wheels, replaceable fuel cells, steering by wire, computer navigation, nuclear power, and a 60-hp second car that detached from the front for around-town motoring. This nuclear thing was the only way to truly show the Trabbi-driving Commie bastards who was boss -- and Tremulis sought this out by working on the Nucleon, the one car that embodies the fearless optimism and woeful naivety of the 1950s, all incubated by the peaceful glow of nuclear power.

If anything, it's reason enough that time travelers exist in our midst.

One of Tremulis's last projects at Ford was the Gyron, a knife-edged two-seater with a jetlike exhaust at one end and a leering baleen grille at the other, gingerly perched on two skinny little tires. GM's Firebird III was then the most advanced concept car in the world, and Tremulis felt a duty to blow it out of the water. Hence, the Gyron was supposed to stay upright with a gyroscope -- but one of that size would be prohibitively expensive, so the Gyron was unveiled at the 1961 Detroit Motor Show with little outriggers coming out the sides. The PR team excused them as required for "low-speed driving." Regardless, the Gyron brought Tremulis -- now a man in possession of a healthy resume -- into the realm of gyroscope cars, which, like amphibious cars and electrics built before 1980, is a story that could only end in tears and vague conspiracy theories.

Meet the futuristically monikered Gyro-X. "Impossible to skid or flip!" Science Mechanics breathlessly declared on the cover in September 1967, "125mph on two wheels! Can bank at 40 degrees!" Science Mechanics also reported that the Gyro-X was powered by a small, 22-inch gyroscope that spun between 4,000 to 6,000 RPM, capable of generating 1,300 ft-lbs of torque. "It would take an H-bomb blast to topple the Gyro-X," its writer frantically reported. Science Mechanics suggested that with more torque -- and who doesn't love more torque? -- the Gyro-X could stay perfectly upright during a high-speed corner -- or, it could even lean in the opposite direction. Of course, it took three minutes to wind the gyro up to speed, necessitating those outriggers during that time.

Gizmag
The man and his creation.

Power came from an 80-hp, 1,275cc engine from BMC, which presumably was sourced from a wayward Mini. Eighty horsepower was all it needed, according to Science Mechanics, owing to its 1,850-lb weight and a little dark magic called aerodynamics. The gyro could even feed kinetic energy back into the drivetrain -- in essence, Tremulis and Gyro Transport Systems had invented the kinetic energy recovery system decades before Formula One ever mandated it. More power was always feasible, such as in the case of Tremulis's Gyronaut X-1 -- which set a land-speed record of more than 245 mph.

It could have been the future -- the company even proposed a four-seater with matching luggage room. But after Gyro Transport Systems went out of business, the Gyro-X languished, as these concepts usually do, at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tenn. Amongst the microcars, amphibious vehicles, and the largest collection of Czech cars in America, the Gyro-X was in fittingly oddball company. Yet still forgotten: a video three years ago showed the Gyro-X as missing its gyroscopic heart, held up by a pair of wheelbarrow wheels. On those shameful outriggers, no less.

Now, finally, the Gyro-X gets its due: it will be receiving a full restoration to celebrate Tremulis's 100th birthday next year. Lane will refurbish the once-shiny bits, while Thrustcycle Enterprises will meticulously dig through the gyro systems. "The Gyro-X uses hydraulic controls and a gyroscopic system that is quite different from what we're building today for our other vehicles," says David Ryker, Thrustcycle's Chief Technical Director. "Hydraulics present certain challenges for us, while also allowing us to do some things better than with pure electrics."

Ryker knows what he's doing: Not only is his company working on a gyro vehicle of its own, but Ryker himself was advised on the prototype by the man who developed the Gyro-X. "It's an honor to be asked to restore the system created by the man I consider my mentor," Ryker said.

And when the Lane takes it on the road on Jan. 23, 2014, when Tremulis would have turned 100, it will be a fitting tribute to the man who envisioned grand ideas for this precarious future we inhabit -- an unyielding futurist whose eyes were always focused forward. The Gyro-X is a perfect summation of his philosophies. But then again, so is the Subaru BRAT -- another Tremulis creation.

By Blake Z. Rong