14/08/2026
On August 13, 1941, Henry Ford unveiled his “Soybean Car” at the annual Dearborn Days festival.
Dealing with a metal shortage, Ford Motor Company wanted to introduce alternate methods of car production, especially in a way that brought industry and agriculture together. The Soybean Car had a steel frame with plastic panels made of soybean fiber, according to its head designer, Lowell E. Overly, and weighed 1,000 pounds lighter than the average steel car. Henry Ford claimed these plastic panels were safer, and he even hoped that the soybeans would replace most metals used in the auto industry.
With World War II underway, the soybean car was set aside. Recovery efforts further stalled any hope for the soybean car’s return, so the concept was eventually dropped. (Pictured: Overly inside the Soybean Car)
