GM's Lean Machine - Covered Motorcycle

General Motors claimed the Lean Machine was the only new style of road vehicle invented during the 20th century. Named for is slender silhouette and tilting capabilities, the Lean Machine look like, and weighed as mush as, a motorcycle. It could accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in 6.4 seconds, and could travel up to 200 miles per gallon. With one wheel in front, two wheels in back, and a closed cabin made of fiberglass and plastic, General Motors planned not to make the Lean Machine resemble a motorcycle in too many ways, and avoided the requirement of propping the vehicle upward with a bar by adding an extra wheel at the rear. The elongated passenger pod, pivoting at either end above the power pod, rotated horizontally and separately from the lower body unit. Pedals controlled the rotation, enabling the driver to lean into a turn as motorcyclists do to move inward with the center of gravity. The passenger compartment included protection during adverse weather conditions. Steering, braking, and throttle controls were combined in handlebars while an automatic transmission linked to a rear-mounted, liquid-cooled, 30-horse power engine shifted gears.