The Future that Was after all?

Remember the science fiction of half a century ago? With all those Art Deco monorails and aircars? Those stories were set in the times we ought to be living in today. Where did that future go?

Japan, it seems.

OK, so it's not actually a monorail, but the styling is pure Flash Gordon. I can see this appearing on a Traveller planet as the shuttle between the starport and the city.

Notice that dirty great flange on the font end. Surely this is the ultimate solution to level crossing accidents, straight out of the "Think of it as evolution in action" school of design. Don't get your ground car in front of that thing....