Viking I

The Western Washington University’s Vehicle Research Institute conceptualized and produced the groundbreaking Viking I, an automobile specifically intended to compete in the Urban Vehicle Design Competition held at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan.

The innovative and revolutionary “extreme Ackerman steering” feature of the car enabled it to fit into parking spaces with only 10 inches of extra space from the car’s length. The Viking 1 won an award for its unique maneuverability and parkability feature finishing third overall in the competition behind the University of British Columbia and the University of Florida.