The Forgotten Concept: Plymouth Voyager III | Daily driving | Consumer Guide® The Daily Drive

newsofmax03/16/2023

4 2 minutes read

Concept Plymouth Voyager III

This is part of a series of articles looking back at the cars on show that we feel deserve a little more attention than they really are. If you have suggestions for the Forgotten Concepts theme, feel free to drop us a line or leave a comment below.

Plymouth Voyager III

First shown: 1990 Chicago Auto Show

Description: Economy car and two-in-one minivan

Sales pitch: “Challenge conventional automotive design and solve future transportation problems.”

Many concepts are forgotten

Plymouth Voyager III

Detail:

First seen at the 1990 Chicago Auto Show, Voyage III is something out of the Saturday morning cartoon where it should have stayed. The two-piece passenger van has a removable front module powered by a three-cylinder, propane-powered engine and seats three passengers. The front part is designed to be efficient and easy to maneuver when operating independently.

When backed into—and combined with—the passenger module, the Voyager III Concept seats up to 11 passengers (3+8). The rear module is powered by a 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine that, when operated in tandem with the front module’s engine, produces 250 hp. The rear engine can be engaged and deactivated when power demand is met, improving fuel economy when flying or under light loads.

When connected to the rear module, the rear wheel of the front module retracts into the vehicle to reduce drag and improve maneuverability.

According to Plymouth, the fully assembled Voyager III is just 8.5 inches longer than the production Plymouth Grand Voyager. Sadly, it’s difficult to get inside pictures of Journey III.

The Forgotten Concept: Dodge Kahuna

Plymouth Voyager III

CG says:

If you’ve never wondered why you can’t connect your cars together, the Plymouth Voyager III might not make sense for you. It doesn’t matter, because it doesn’t make any sense to me either. According to legendary auto executive Bob Lutz, then with the Chrysler Corporation, the Voyager III would cost too much to bring to market, so the chances of it being produced were slim.

The truth is, as novel as the idea is, it makes no more sense than just owning an affordable commuter car and a minivan, and NOT pairing them together. Consider this: Travel III, with all its potential complications and costs, is just a single car—the latter half won’t operate independently of the front half. So Travel III is like paying for two cars and owning only one.

Also…propane, really? Imagine the complexity of transporting both pieces of your extra-large pickup truck down to the local propane distribution station to fill each one up. Interesting to look at, the Travel Concept III doesn’t really solve transportation problems in any convenient or logical way.

The Forgotten Concept: Mercury Marauder Convertible