A Times piece about the World’s Ugliest (but Safest) Car and its eccentric, possibly corrupt, holy inventor. Was this one of history’s big What Ifs?
Where Juliano got it all wrong was in the drivetrain. The Buick’s engine had not been started in more than four years.
Worse, he did not clean out the fuel lines before scheduling a media event in New York City in 1957, to which he planned to drive the Aurora for its world introduction.
He arrived hours late, because the Aurora broke down 15 times en route and needed to be towed to garages to have its fuel system purged of gunk. Although New Yorkers marveled at the futuristic-looking machine when it finally arrived, they had no reason to be impressed by its performance, especially relative to its price tag.