Artifact Mazda’s Suitcase Car from the ’90s Is the Luggage We Need in 2022Some updates would be required.

In 1991, Mazda ran an event within its organization to see which group of employees could whip up an innovative “moving machine.” In a year the Ford Taurus would be the best-selling car, Nirvana would burn up the charts with its iconic Nevermind album, and Terminator 2: Judgement Day would clean house at the domestic box office, we’d also get a glimpse into innovation that was way ahead of its time.

At the time, people cruised on simple (non-motorized) skateboards and rollerblades. The idea of turning a Samsonite suitcase into a vehicle? Pfft, that’s ridiculous!

But the competition was on, and a group of seven engineers sparked the idea and got to work. From Mazda.com:

They purchased the largest Samsonite suitcase they could find and a Pocket Bike motorbike. The 33.6cc, 1.7hp two-stroke engine, handlebars and 4-6 inch-diameter tires from the Pocket Bike were then fitted into the suitcase. The rear wheels could be slotted onto the outside of the case while the front wheel would pop through a removable hatch in the front. The suitcase car took just a minute to assemble and had a top speed of 30km/h. While the original prototype was accidentally destroyed just a few months after the Fantasyard event, one suitcase car still remains in existence.