Mayan magnum
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Mayan Magnum, the car of a science fiction writer engineer

Designing a car is not an easy task, but we all want to be able to design our perfect car. Dean Ing, an aerospace engineer, science fiction writer and college professor, in the 60s, indulged himself by creating the Mayan Magnum in his own home.

Sometimes, when a manufacturer presents its latest novelty and we see those shapes, that design that seems to have been done blindfolded... Has nobody realized that this is bullshit**? It has happened to all of us at some time, we have seen something that we do not like, that does not fit with our idea of ​​something aesthetic that, however, many other people do like. Because? Well, we don't know, obviously, because, as they say, for tastes the colors

Designing a car is not an easy task, there we have some current models whose lines are at least controversial, others with ornate designs and cluttered with lines, while others offer cleanliness and simplicity in their forms. You have to offer something that many people like, but at the same time and here is what is really complicated, You have to comply with the demands of the managers, with international regulations and of course, do not exceed the planned budget

Obviously, are things that go into the background when you set out to build your own car, also having to design it. There are no longer managers to convince, nor regulations to comply with and also, we must not limit ourselves to a specific budget since everything comes out of our pocket and we do not have to give explanations to anyone (at least if you are single, of course). This is perhaps why amateur cars are so strange and so flashy, they have been based on nothing more than their own taste and that sometimes has very curious consequences. 

So what if a science fiction writer designed his own car? What if that writer is also an aeronautical engineer? Indeed, it can be something really strange and striking, perhaps with crazy solutions or, on the contrary, going for proven and reliable things. Is about a combination, science fiction and engineering, which can be very promising, but also, insane, Right? 

All made in the garage at home, like a good Yankee fan 

Dean Ing, a United States Air Force veteran, aerospace engineer, and a university professor with a Ph.D. in communications theory, best known for his survival and technology-oriented science fiction books, has the answer to those questions. . Or rather, he answered those questions in the 60s by creating the Mayan Magnum, a car designed and manufactured by a science fiction writer engineer. Dean enjoyed his creation for many years, until his death in June 2020, when the car passed to less than his relatives who put it up for auction (it appeared on Road & Track in September) but the reserve was not reached and the car was not it sold. 

The entire construction of the car was carried out in the home garage, where Dean also invented and created all kinds of things that he ended up giving away to third parties. He never registered anything or charged for them, his goal was to enjoy the design and creation and that later, the rest could enjoy his creations. All but his car, the Mayan Magnum, which he used from time to time, mostly for Christmas parades in his adopted hometown of Ashland Oregon. 

Looking at the car carefully, you realize that it does not really surprise anyone when it is said that its designer and also its manufacturer was an engineer who made his living writing science fiction stories. Their forms are "very sixties", but very unconventional.. The front is long, with very smooth lines but without openings of any kind. It is also very low, causing the wheel wells to stand out a lot in the overall face of the front. 

The roof looks like it was drawn by Zagato, with two large bubbles that hide the hinges of the doors, two gull wings that open the entrance to a small cabin with two seats and dominated by the color brown. A soft brown, almost like latte, with seats without headrests and equipped with two-point belts (waist, as in airplanes), with two additional straps that clip on the backrest and go over the shoulders to connect at waist height. 

Located at the rear, everything is less ingenious, with two simple circular lights placed on a gigantic hood that tilts in the center of the car. Once lifted, it reveals the intricacies of the rear area completely and even allows access to the cabin since it is not separated from the engine by any partition. Ing himself once commented that the body design was inspired by the Glöcker Porsche, built to race the 1954 Mille Miglia. 

Engine hanging behind the rear axle, fiberglass, balsa wood, epoxy ... 

All that striking design hides some very interesting things that would only have occurred to an engineer, but not to just any one, but to one specialized in aeronautics. The Mayan Magnum body is made of fiberglass, an element that Dean could work and mold in his own garage, not like steel or aluminum, although there are also of these materials, including titanium, epoxy or balsa wood. 

Said bodywork is mounted on a tubular chassis whose base comes from a Volkswagen Beetle, while the suspensions are from Porsche. It is not clear which Porsche model is the origin of that suspension, but due to the date of manufacture of this strange car and given that it mounts elements of the chassis of the beetle, they are surely suspensions of a Porsche 356. In fact, it is possible that the 356 also It was the model from which the engine was taken, according to the data that can be found, although it does not currently mount said engine. 

Currently, the Mayan Magnum equips a block from the Chevrolet Corvair, a six-cylinder boxer with 2.296 cubic centimeters and 84 hp, which is hung behind the rear wheels. That is, it has a boxer engine positioned as in the Porsche 356 and the Volkswagen, although this time it is of Yankee origin. In any case, the history of the Corvair deserves a bit of attention, as the Volkswagen Beetle has part of the limelight. 

The car was recently restored, but the original color was not preserved, a green hue that has given way to white. The rest have remained original, such as the 15-inch lenticular wheels or the interior upholstery.

What do you think?

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Written by Javi Martin

If you ask me where my love for motoring comes from, I wouldn't know how to answer. It has always been there, although I am the only one in the family who likes this world. My father worked as a draftsman in a metallurgical company with a lot of auto parts production, but there was never a passion like I can have.

I really like automobile history and I am currently creating a personal library dedicated exclusively to motor history in Spain. I also have a huge collection of scanned material and have written the book "The 600, a dream on wheels" (Larousse publishing house).

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