I joke about this to myself, but my 1972 VW Type 3 (eg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1966_Volkswagen_1600_Squareback.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:

I joke about this to myself, but my 1972 VW Type 3 (eg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1966_Volkswagen_1600_Squareback.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1966_Volkswagen_1600_Squar...) actually has a lot of similarities with the Tesla; 1) [X] no radiator 2) [X] grill-less front end (see also (1)) 3) [X] smooth underbody 4) [X] "frunk" (front trunk) 5) [X] storage in rear, in addition to frunk. I guess the point is, in some ways, we've been "living in the future" for a long time; it's just that we haven't been marketed-to enough to realize it. Tesla is interesting to me, and I'm not trying to diminish what they've accomplished, but at least some of the little things that "fell out" of the design that people seem to impressed by are 50 years old. It's just interesting, that's all. ====== Interesting fact: 1968 VW Type 3 is the first volume produced auto to ship electronic fuel injection. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_air-cooled_engine#Type_1:_1.1.E2.80.931.6_litres http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_air-cooled_engine#Ty...)