Photos: When GM's designs ruled the road

The front seats of the two-door 1956 Buick Centurion Dream Car concept slid back automatically when the doors opened, to allow for easier entry, according to GM. But the astonishing technological element is this: the vehicle had a rear-mounted television camera that sent images to a TV screen in the dashboard, in place of the rear-view mirror. It's only now, 50 years later, that video cameras and displays have started showing up in any appreciable numbers in production vehicles to replace mirrors and give a view into blind spots. The engine: a 325-horsepower V8.