Buckminster Fuller built a strange rear-steering car in the 50s, called something like the Dymaxion. Is it possible to parallel park without going in reverse with this thing? I can picture doing so in my head but I’m not too sure.
Have you ever backed into a parking space perfectly? Of course you have, so of course it’s possible to pull into a parallel parking space perfectly with a rear steering car.
To up your odds significantly though you’ll need four turning wheels or, of course, a nose-in parking space!
About 10 or 15 years ago I read that within a few years Detroit was going to start producing cars with front and rear wheels that would both turn. The selling point was that you could parallel park more easily. I have yet to see one.
I did find this. Looks like what you’re talking about.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/CarTech/cartech5.html
Peace,
mangeorge
Some high-performance cars have front and rear-steering, but they only turn a little, helping to corner or whatnot.
Well, my car has a passive steering rear-axle (I guess this is what Horseloverfat means as well). It’s a 1996 Peugeot 306, and it always wins in Hot Hatch tests when it comes to cornering.
I’d say the phenomenon is prettyr rare though. I remembered the Mazda 626 and Honda Prelude having full 4WS in the late 80’s (as described in mangeorge’s link), but those systems never really took off.
Current cars that have 4WS, to my knowledge:
- Peugeot 306;
- Citroen Xsara (basically has the 306 floor and axles);
- Some Mercedes models;
- Some Volvos.