23 Amazing Soviet Visions For The Future Of Transportation

Tekhnika Molodezhi, or “Technology for the Youth”, is a Soviet and Russian monthly science magazine that’s been published since 1933. Like its US and French counterparts, Popular Mechanics or the Le Petite Journal, the magazine is famous for its spectacular covers — often depicting fantastic scenes from the possible future.

Zhrunalko — a russian site devoted to rare Soviet and Russian magazines — has an awesome collection of Tekhnika Molodezhi, where you can easily lose yourself amongst the amazing and weird Soviet visions of future. The following collection of 23 covers shows us what kind of transportation the Soviets dreaming about.

1937: An Arctic crawler, essentially a ship on treads.

1938: Zeppelins powered by a lattice of a dozen propellers.

1945: A lively Post-war street scene.

1946: A speed record-breaking car on the beach.

1948: A huge submarine tank, also on treads:

1949: An airliner that looks very much like the Bell X-1.

1949: This enormous flying boat could even carry cars.

1952: A spaceport in the middle of the city.

1952: Unloading a cargo ship.

1953: Another multifunctional underwater vehicle.

1954: Rocket planes high above glittering cities.

1955: Another busy street scene, with glass walkways.

1956: A streamlined airfoil ship.

1960: A flying car.

1963: And then, a two-wheeled car.

1963: This is most amazing airfoil ship concept I have ever seen.

1964: A flying saucer.

1969: Space sailboats.

1972: Aircraft with four tilted engines.

1974: A personal ekranoplan — or ground effect vehicle — and submarine for sea travel.

1974: Some kind of wing-bodied car — actually a Miura prototype.

1978: Maglev trains of the future.

1983: An all-terrain vehicle.