There’s no denying that innovative features have played a major roll in getting the automotive industry to where it is today, but some of the more interesting design ideas implemented in cars never quite made the cut. That’s exactly the case with the Ford Wrist-Twist steering control introduced as a concept in 1965. This funky take on a steering wheel promised to make seeing your gauges and the road in front of you much easier, among other things, but the steering wheel won out, making this vintage concept video of the Wrist-Twist we found on AOL Autos quite an interesting look back.

The Ford Wrist-Twist steering control was intended to make it easier to enter and exit a vehicle, allow the driver to see what was in front of him better and also reduce the amount of movement needed to steer. Promotional material for the Wrist-Twist system also promised (in a very sexist way) to make parallel parking easier. With two five-inch metallic rings connected by a brace to make up the conceptual design of the Wrist-Twist on an experimental Mercury Park Lane convertible, this Ford promotional video shows how it works.

While the perks of the Wrist-Twist seem to have some backing by test data, the unique design feature never quite made it to production. Had it, the steering wheel may have long been a thing of the past- an odd idea considering it’s prevalent roll on all current vehicles. Luckily, you can thank previous Ford enthusiasts for keeping the steering wheel around.

What other conceptual features do you remember that never made it into the Ford production line-up?