The Dymaxion car was a concept car, the basic layout was designed by U.S. inventor and architect Buckminster Fuller in 1933. The word Dymaxion is a brand name that Fuller gave to several of his inventions, to emphasize that he considered them part of a more general project to improve humanity’s living conditions. The car had a fuel efficiency of 30 miles per US gallon (7.8 L/100 km; 36 mpg-). It could transport 11 passengers. While Fuller claimed it could reach speeds of 120 miles per hour (190 km/h), the fastest documented speed was 90 miles per hour (140 km/h).
Starling Burgess is, in some ways, the unsung hero of the saga of the dymaxion car. According to Jay Baldwin, “Burgess did all of the engineering and most of the design work once the basic layout of the car was determined by RBF … It appears likely that Burgess made all of the calculations and hard engineering” (personal communication).The final design of the Dymaxion car, with its wooden-ribs and nautical interior, owed much to Burgess’s experience with yacht design.
It was Burgess who courageously tested the first chassis built in Bridgeport, just six weeks after work had begun. When, during the test, the car developed uncontrollable steering oscillations, similar to the “death wobble” feared by motorcyclists, Burgess redesigned the chassis so that the back wheel would no longer lean on turns, making it remain vertical at all times.