Gallery: 10 Cars Way Too Far Ahead of Their Time | Autopia | Wired.com: "Some of the coolest automotive technology came about before the public was ready for it. But we can look back and see the cars that featured it were well ahead of their time. And so we present Autopia’s top 10 cars that were ahead of their time. Each contributed something significant to the mix: They often fell flat in the showroom, but sooner or later the innovation they heralded changed the face of motoring.
1898 Lohner-Porsche Mixte-Hybrid
The world’s first gas-electric car (pictured above) was built by 18-year-old Ferdinand Porsche as he worked his first job with coach-builder Jacob Lohner & Co from 1898 to 1906. Propelled by four electric-drive hubs, the gas- and battery-powered car carried almost two tons of lead-acid batteries and reached a top speed of 37 mph. Three hundred were sold during Porsche’s eight-year tenure with Lohner. In 1906 Porsche was recruited by Austro-Daimler as chief designer. When he left, Lohner said, “He is very young, but is a man with a big career before him. You will hear of him again.”"
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