The vehicle design in Captain America is outstanding -- firmly rooted in the design aesthetics of the streamlined era while adding just the right amount of comic book oomph and Retro Futurism to reflect the characters and story. The best example being the Skull's Coupe...
"It is a completely made-up vehicle, but it looks believable for that time. I referenced one of the most beautiful cars of that era as a style guide for the front, the Mercedes 540K. The six-wheel chassis is inspired by another real era vehicle, the Mercedes G4. The massive supercharger is inspired by a Bentley. All those ideas are thrown in a basket and my job is to find the right balance and proportion, using my experience in car design. Schmidt's coupe is as big as a truck, a simple up-scaling would not have worked."
...explains Captain America's Vehicle Designer Daniel Simon in an interview at
MTV Geek discussing his design concepts as well as what it was like to work with Director Joe Johnston - an uber vehicle geek - on the film. It's an excellent piece and shows Simon (who also worked on TRON: Legacy) really understands how to translate fantasy vehicle concepts into reality. So, it is OK to love The Skull's Car... and I do.
Some shots of the Coupe at the LA Movie Premiere...
... and in action on the set.
I also highly recommend Daniel Simon's book
Cosmic Motors which is full of gorgeous detailed concept spaceships, vehicles and their pilots.
