This 1983 Buick at a Chicago motor show predicted the future of cars and it got almost everything right

The ‘1995’ Buick Questor concept car from GM was a bold leap into the digital future long before touchscreens and keyless entry became the norm.

Unveiled at the 1983 Chicago Auto Show, the Questor imagined a world where computers ruled the dashboard and lasers replaced keys.

It looked sleek enough to blend into any sci-fi movie of the era, but its tech was even more radical.

Decades later, it’s astonishing how many of its futuristic ideas actually became standard features in the cars we drive every day.

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This Buick concept car was an after-hours project

The Buick Questor was the product of a passionate after-hours project by a group of GM engineers, who brought their high-tech vision to life in a matter of months.

While it might have looked like a typical Buick coupe from a distance, underneath its fiberglass body was an electronics experiment unlike anything else on the road.

It was said to feature 14 onboard computers, all working together to manage comfort, convenience, and performance.

Even starting it was cutting-edge for its time: a ‘laser key’ would unlock the door with an invisible beam and activate the car’s systems.

Once inside, the driver was greeted by the ‘Sentinel’: an automated assistant that adjusted the seats, pedals, steering column, and even the stereo to individual preferences.

The car sat high when parked for easier entry, then automatically lowered itself into a sporty stance when the doors closed.

Pressing the laser key again fired up the engine, causing a transparent heads-up display panel to rise from the base of the windshield.

This projects all the driving information in front of the driver’s eyes, which is similar to what modern fighter jet helmets can do.

The 1980s was a wild time for concept cars

Exterior mirrors were replaced by a rearview camera that fed into a dashboard monitor.

The center console featured an early touchscreen command center, where you could make phone calls through a radio-telephone or access a primitive navigation system.

Despite all its forward-thinking innovation, the concept car still had a casette deck, because it was still the 1980s.

Though it never reached production, the Buick Questor wowed the press and went on to tour auto shows for years.

Today, it joins a long and illustrious list of concept cars that were born in the 1980s.

Somehow, many carmakers in the 1980s collectively went wild with outlandish car designs, like this trapezoidal concept car presented by Citroën.

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