Rear-Mounted Engine

Ralph Lysell’s visionary automobile as featured in Daily News Sun, November 4, 1934. This newspaper article introduced Lysell’s radically streamlined car, a teardrop-shaped vehicle that embodied cutting-edge design principles of the era. Engineered to run on either crude oil or gasoline, the car featured a rear-mounted engine, gearless transmission, and a one-piece stamped frame, unheard of innovations at the time. Lysell planned to offer three versions with power outputs ranging from 40 to 160 horsepower, promising 40 miles per gallon on crude oil and 28 miles per gallon on gasoline. Though the article suggested that the first prototype was nearing completion on Long Island, the car never made it into production. Various accounts claim that the U.S. auto industry forced Lysell out, a flood destroyed the factory, or he simply ran out of funds. Whatever the truth, this ambitious project remains one of the great "what-ifs" of early automotive history.

A rear-engined automobile designed by Ralph Lysell in the 1940s. Showcasing his passion for streamlined, futuristic vehicles, this concept featured an aerodynamic body and an innovative rear-mounted engine. Lysell’s automotive designs often pushed boundaries, blending efficiency with bold, unconventional styling.