Instagram Jump Start: Lane’s oddball Dymaxion is a real jaw dropper

06 March 2017

We love survivor cars. Oh, the stories they tell, both literally and figuratively. For obvious reasons, replicas generally don’t possess the same magnetism. But don’t sell them all short; reproductions often tell stories that might otherwise go untold. Take, for example, Jeff Lane’s head-turning, what-in-the-world-is-that replica of a 1933 Dymaxion.

What’s a Dymaxion, you ask? It’s an odd-looking, three-wheeled car built by architect, engineer and philosopher Buckminster Fuller during the Great Depression. Fuller and his team somehow found enough financial backing to produce three of the futuristic 11-passenger aluminum-bodied automobiles at their workshop in Bridgeport, Conn. One was destroyed by fire and another eventually met its doom at a scrap yard; the only surviving Dymaxion resides in the National Auto Museum in Reno, Nev. So Lane, owner/founder of the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, spent nine years meticulously building a replica, which he drove to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in 2015, leaving jaws agape across Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

We’re fascinated with the crazy thing, and apparently, we aren’t alone. We posted a photo of the Dymaxion – which got its name by shortening the words DYnamic MAXimum TensION – on Instagram last week, and it was the most popular post on HagertyClassicCars. Here are the top five:

1933 Dymaxion replica (1,317 likes) – Designed by the American inventor Buckminster Fuller, the Dymaxion was designed with aerodynamic bodywork for increased fuel efficiency and top speed. Only three prototypes were ever built. Photo by Gabe Augustine.
1951 Ford F-1 pickup (1,311 likes) – Introduced in 1947, first-generation Ford F-Series trucks were the first post-war truck design by Ford. Known as Ford Bonus-Built trucks, they replaced the previous car-based pickup line. This 1951 F-1 is owned by a Hagerty employee right here in Traverse City, Mich. Photo by Yoav Gilad.
1967 Triumph Spitfire Mk3 (1,238 likes) – Advertising for the 1967 Triumph Spitfire Mk3 highlighted the British sports car’s slightly more powerful engine and updated design, but anyone who has ever owned one would likely shake their head after reading this artful marketing: “Brawnier muscle. Racier beauty. Flick-over top. New Triumph Spitfire Mk3.” Photo by Jeff Peek.
1971 Chevrolet Chevelle (1,234 likes) – In the wee hours of the morning, you might be lucky enough to catch a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle in its natural habitat. Photo by Justin Warnes.
1959-60 Cadillac Series 62 (1,228 likes) – The sixth-generation Cadillac Series 62 is most remembered for its iconic huge tail fins and bullet tail lights. However, as recognizable as the model is, it only spanned two model years, 1959 and ’60. Photo by Jordan Lewis.

You Liked It, We Love It – Every week there’s a photo on HagertyClassicCars that we think deserved a lot more likes than it received. This shot of a 1911-15 Flying Merkel motorcycle is one of those. Photo by Stefan Lombard.

Best of the Rest – As we scroll through hundreds of auto-related photos on Instagram each week, we often find ourselves wishing we were behind the wheel of whatever car we’re drooling over at that particular moment. Sometimes it’s the car that reels us in. Sometimes it’s the speed. Or the location. Or maybe the story it’s telling. This photo of an MGB in Vancouver (taken by @andrewhollidayphoto) has a lot going for it, but most of all it resonates the joy we feel whenever we drive our favorite classic. For those of us who look out our window and still see snow, it also offers hope that spring is just around the corner.