The term concept car has taken on many meanings over the past few decades. Sometimes they’re thinly-veiled previews of upcoming production cars, but the original intent was to showcase a dream, a direction, an intent. These cars weren’t actually meant to be built, but they preview the future of an automaker’s regular cars, or a possible future of the industry itself. However, not all of these latter examples should’ve stayed on auto show floors. Today we want to ask which concept car you think should’ve been built for public consumption.
While there are many magnificent concept cars we’d love to see grace the roads, one stands out in my heart as not just special enough to make the hairs on your neck stand right up, but actually viable. I’m talking about the magnificent, beguiling, razor wire-sharp sculpture of four-door excellence that is the Lamborghini Estoque.
Powered by a front-mounted 5.2-liter naturally-aspirated V10, it would’ve been a god among ultra-sedans, a weapon to surpass the soaring highs of the fifth-generation Maserati Quattroporte, which isn’t to be confused with the Dodge Dart switchgear-sharing exercise in parts bin buffoonery known as the sixth-generation Quattroporte. Sadly, the Estoque was not to be. In 2008, one particular story was dominating the headlines, and it would’ve been a bit crass to launch a four-door Lamborghini while people were losing their shirts. Instead, we eventually got the Urus, which as far as I can work out, is basically a Porsche Cayenne for people with irritatingly expensive hoodies and rehearsed lines on how cryptocurrency is “totally not a pyramid scheme, bro.”
So, what concept car do you think should’ve been built? Whether it’s something fast like the Volkswagen Golf W12 or something practical like the Toyota A-BAT, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
(Photo credits: Lamborghini)
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Lamborghini Marzal
Jaguar XJ13.
Yes.
Hyundai HCD III
No.
I remember seeing the estoque in an R&T mag article when i was younger and i thought it looked so awesome
Still does
Surely, someone has mentioned the Nissan iDx by now? It probably would have been a financially disastrous decision to have built it but isn’t that what Nissan is for?
For much the same reasons as the Estoque wasn’t, the BMW CS concept from 2007.
https://www.xoutpost.com/members/lemansx5/BMWCS_10.jpg
The Chevrolet Code 130R. A small, affordable RWD coupe.
Yes.
I forgot about that one. +1 for that one.
bonus points for putting the steering wheel on the other side and sticking a holden torana badge on the boot.
They should build ALL the small affordable RWD coupes, dammit.
The Buick Avista coupe, Mazda RX Vision, Cadillac Ciel, Ford 021C (gas or electric), MB EQXX, and VW XL Sport are a few recent ones that come to mind…
Yes, no, yes, no, no, yes.
No to the RX Vision and you call yourself a designer!?
Too much dash to axle. It’s like a cartoon.
Also I’m an agent of chaos.
How about the original “New” gas-powered VW bus concept shown in the early aughts? The new Beetle was killing it and the iron was hot. Such a wasted opportunity.
Yes.
Jeep XJ-001
Bloody hell no.
I love seeing Adrian lurking in the comments, ready to deliver judgement in a simple Yes or No.
With my vote going to the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve
No.
Usually I go interesting then move on as concept cars tend to be about the tech and mechanicals testbed vs the car itself.
With that said, the Pontiac Banshee would have interesting to see in production.
Maserati Alfieri. I guess some styling cues made it into the 2nd generation Gran Turismo, but the Alfieri was smaller and cooler.
Jaguar CX-75 even if a few built for the Bond movie Spectre did end up getting sold but they didn’t have the clever powerplant of the concept
Yes and yes,
Ford GT90
No.
Tesla Roadster.
The reason why it wasn’t produced is certainly mitigating (Ford GT and all), but how cool would it have been if Ford made the Ford Shelby Cobra for a few years in the mid-2000s?
Not to take away from Beau’s achievement, but more of them running around might mean more parts/donors, just in the case of emergency…
Love it. More Daisies for everyone!
Even though it went into production, the wow factor was lost, Suzuki Kizashi
front
back
Technically a show car, but:
Holden Effigy
No and no.
Incorrect. That Suzuki is fire.
Porsche 989
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_989
Far better looking than the Panamera
No.
Cadillac. All of them. Ciel, Cien, Elmiraj, ALL OF THEM
The Sixteen. A 1000 hp engine and an aluminum frame. It would have defined opulence for a generation.
Loved this at the time, has a really gothic, Gotham City style to it.
Jesus christ, yes. That that car didn’t get built was a sign we’d gone wrong somewhere as a people.
What bothers me is, we got a Cadillac XLR from the Corvette C6, but the Corvette is mid-engine now and yet no Cien… https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.4ef172d8d6e1e088078794d39864da85?rik=i0R%2f9h3AKRstQg&pid=ImgRaw&r=0
My heart ????
https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.9adabf84582546e7544285ca96fe2b7f?rik=kl2MA%2fxHCKTa2g&riu=http%3a%2f%2fimg43.imageshack.us%2fimg43%2f4310%2fdfyr.jpg&ehk=uchA8VEwbdPU29iqETdgTla5FD9n6VFpUBvSPK1%2bFNA%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0
https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.iMJGe2tZN5bQltYJHe4adQHaEL?dpr=2.5&pid=ImgDetMain
https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.TvFy2Nbh4IgHh5TTmGTahQHaE8?dpr=2.5&pid=ImgDetMain
I want the Toyota TJ Cruiser. It’s basically an off-road van with a totally rubberized/plastic interior where every single seat folds flat. It never happened and it still makes me sad that it didn’t.
https://images.app.goo.gl/KPK6tLSuG3neaXtHA
Yes.
Jaguar CX75.
https://www.hdcarwallpapers.com/walls/jaguar_c_x75_spectre-HD.jpg
Yes.
In 2003, Lancia did a concept for a new Fulvia that still looks great today. If something like that would have come to the States, I would have totally bought one.
Yes.
I had a friend that worked at a startup – they presented a market pivot to the board, something they’d spent a lot of time on and thought would be really great. The board disagreed, and instead decided to lay off 2/3rds of the company and shop for a buyer instead.
I feel like that’s basically what happened to Lancia with this concept. The things Stellantis has done to that company since this concept came out are crimes against automotive history.
Not so much anymore, but the 2015 STI concept. They showed that… then gave us… (no offense to my Subie brethren) that lumpy turd of a design.
In the same vane, the Golf R400. because dieselgate. Also, related, the new 3.0TT VR6 slated for the Arteon. That was cancelled. Because dieselgate. There’s a few other VAG products that had the same fate, but the one I think of is the Vision GTI. Which had a 3.0TT VR6. Guess what happened?
Obviously all of the Cadillac halos, except the one we’re getting. But those are much less attainable.
Chrysler ME-Four12 (or however it was stylized)
Honestly though, I just wish a lot of concepts turned production cars stayed more true. IE, I wish the Phaeton were a liftback, and that production cars weren’t afraid to retain some of the funky (but still production feasible) elements and didn’t get so watered down by focus groups.
But I really wish, even though I know it won’t happen, VW would sell at least one limited run super Golf as a send-off to an honest-to-god icon before it goes BEV.
Oh, and the Porsche Panamerica.
Ford 021C
No,
Ok, how about a Volkswagen XL1?
Only the one with the Ducati engine in.
I would love a 021C, but as a shooting brake. A 3/5 size Volvo wagon.
Oh! And that second-gen Tundra concept truck that had a Hino diesel I6 and transmission swapped in it as a shot across the bow of the Big 3’s diesel truck market.