Japanese automotive designers, much like their American counterparts, have been offering glimpses into the future for more than half a century—too bad it's a future we'll never get to live in.

Looking at these images — and a whole bunch more over here — conjures visions of a jetpack/floating sidewalk/personal hovercraft future that never actually came to pass. Sure, most of these are completely impractical, which is why they were never more than prototypes, but looking at the unbridled creativity brought to bear on cars that would never hit the road… it's just proof that some of the world's most impressive futurism is happening in places you'd never think to look.

Pink Tentacle, via Blastr