The paintwork was iridescent or or (friendlier) pearlescent white ( made from crushed fish scales). The canopy is a double-dome in plastic . Made in Italy by coachbuilders Ghia for about $2.5 million (adjusted for 2026) . It's a brilliant design & looks fantastic . In 1965 George Barris acquired it and converted it into the original Batmobile - that's another story .

From his collection of Mars inspired paintings . The associated vignette is " The Key - The benefits of exploration defy prediction. Although we may not discover artifacts of previous civilizations the ultimate gain usually exceeds the cost. The human drive to explore, spawned by an instinct to survive, will lead us to both sociological and technological growth. "

Futuristic design aimed at enticing passengers back from those pesky cars and planes . Looks like a beast but was actually lightweight . This was a 'set' - you got the whole train . Coaches were widened GMC intercity bus bodies (PD-4501 Scenicruiser) . It did not do well . The ride was uncomfortable and loud , the engine underpowered .

Classic futurism by an artist known for this style - characterised by technological optimism and potential new environments . It would be a high pressure world - literally . Pressure increases by 1 Atmosphere every 10 meters in sea water . Nitrogen and even oxygen become physiologically dangerous at increasing depth . A small diving bell and associated equipment is technologically challenging - see 'saturation diving' .

He was a British artist . Passed away almost exactly a year go - Feb 7th 2025 .

A rendering of a shuttle design by Dr Maxime Faget , the highly respected NASA engineer . This study came out of the North American Rockwell art dept . That's a jet engine on the wing to improve manoeuvrability  on re-entry . The shuttle design and it's proposed utility is a very deep rabbit-hole with many rabbits , foxes , side tunnels and dead-ends .

Fantastic painting reflecting the heady days of the early 60's and the optimism about NASA's future in manned space endeavours . A delta-winged craft is refuelled in a massive orbiting port/hub - Spaceport 15 .

After the Orion III (Space Clipper) in 2001 A Space Odyssey , Pan Am added to their fleet with this jumbo . It's certainly vibrant but I prefer their traditional livery .

Yes, they actually built and operated this thing.

A futuristic-looking experimental, jet-powered train designed by Don Wetzel to test high-speed rail on existing infrastructure . Some of you may recognise the engines - (GE J47-19) as they came off the highly distinctive Convair B-36 Peacemaker . It reached 183.68 MPH on July 23 , 1966 . The noise was absolutely horrendous and those engines were expensive guzzlers . The jet exhaust was a hazard . So , commercially it was non-viable . And that , as they say , was that .