Helicron propeller-driven experimental car
A propeller at the nose turns a road car into a very different engineering experiment.
1932 Helicron, Lane Motor Museum one-off propeller car · TaurusEmerald · CC BY-SA 4.0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
The Helicron was found in a French barn in 2000 after decades in storage. Its rebuild retained documented components while replacing the lost power unit with a Citroën GS engine. Helicron names this unique object; Lane Motor Museum does not identify a known production manufacturer.
Look a little closer.
Only the rear wheels are sprung, according to Lane Motor Museum.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Propeller clearance reorganized the chassis
With thrust generated at the nose, normal front steering would move wheels and linkages into the propeller's working space. Rear-wheel steering solved that packaging conflict, while direct drive eliminated a conventional gearbox. The result is a ground vehicle whose architecture is governed by aircraft-like propulsion without pretending it can fly.
Source: Lane Motor Museum · Helicron – 1932 ↗The running Helicron is also a restoration artifact
The Citroën engine makes demonstrations possible but does not reconstruct the lost 1932 power unit. A responsible profile must show the surviving frame and controls, the rebuilt structures and the modern powerplant as separate evidence layers instead of calling the present machine wholly original.
Source: Lane Motor Museum · Helicron – 1932 ↗Where these facts come from
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-14.