Author: Richard Heseltine
Photography: Buick
This tech overload foretold the future: sadly it didn’t write one for itself.
These days, even the most basic forms of motorised transportation feature a raft of computational devices that monitor just about everything. It wasn’t always thus, although the Buick Questor foretold the future more than 30 years ago. First seen at the 1983 Chicago Auto Show, this brave new world may have appeared relatively orthodox, but beneath the glassfibre skin lay some serious electronic hardware if the press bumf was to be believed.
The five-months-in-the-making Questor reputedly featured 14 computers and was operated by a ‘laser key’ which opened the driver’s door via an ‘invisible light beam’. This also turned-on the many on-board do-dads. These included the ‘sentinel’ which automatically adjusted the seats, pedals, steering column and in-car entertainment to the personal settings of the pilot. The car sat high when stationary for ease of access: when the door was closed, the car automatically lowered itself to its driving stance, but there was no actual ignition key. You merely pressed the laser thingamajig again to fire the engine, and in doing so an instrument panel would rise from the base of the windscreen.
This panel was transparent, with all relevant information being projected onto it in a pseudo aircraft-style heads-up display. Most of the physical gauges and controls were sited on either the steering wheel or on the transmission tunnel which divided the front seats. There were no exterior mirrors: a discreet camera gave a wide-angled rear view via a television monitor. Other niceties included a navigation system (a sort of forerunner to a SatNav) and a touch-screen command centre which allowed you to make calls on the move via a radiotelephone. One feature that resolutely anchored it in the early 1980s, though, was the cassette tape deck.
There were one or two unusual aerodynamic touches, too. Once the Questor reached 25mph, the nose lowered itself, apparently for better fuel economy, while the rear end rose by a full three inches when cruising. Why, precisely, it did so remains unrecorded. The rear spoiler also adjusted itself automatically in relation to your speed. Up front, a bank of headlights stretched the full width of the car, while the roof panel lifted out in true Targa-style. The Questor was unveiled in Chicago amid much hullabaloo, and was accompanied by several big-haired models wearing silver sci-fi-inspired outfits just to fully emphasise that onlookers were seeing the future.
The thing is, Buick’s bold new baby may have accurately predicted the future of car design, or at least technology-wise, but it lacked one rather important attribute: an engine. This was a static show queen, and nothing more for all the hype. Nevertheless, the Questor was well-received by the global media and continued to tour major exhibitions long beyond the lifespan of most cars of this ilk. Indeed, it made a repeat appearance at the 1995 Chicago Auto Show, a full 12 years after it had first been displayed. By this time, the original white hue had made way for a striking red and white two-tone combo. The car still exists, too, and currently resides in General Motors’ corporate collection.
Do you think the Buick Questor was visionary genius or just futuristic fluff? Share your take below.
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