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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All of the would-have-been Studebaker cars that would have made it if the bankruptcy never happened.
Cadillac Sixteen, simply gorgeous
’03 Ford 427 concept
https://www.supercars.net/blog/2003-ford-427-concept/
And of course every Jeep concept ever!
Eagle Optima! Super sexy four door sedan!
Dumb ass question….HELLO, ALL OF THEM!!!! who doesn’t want to be fried under a glass dome, powered by a nuclear engine, hover over a highway in your wheelless car (Sorry Michelin man), have your legs sliced off by gullwing and or scissor doors when the struts wear out, etc!!! The concept cars from the 50s and 60s still provide me hours of entertainment.
I kinda liked the Genesis X, not perfect but it has some interesting elements.
The squared off Ford 500 concept should have been built largely as-is or as the next Crown Vic instead of having its face transplanted onto a Fusion with Ford subsequently releasing the 500 as a oversized and underpowered Passat lookalike. Its not as if the concept’s design was difficult to replicate.
The 1969/70 AMC AMX 3. While Zoro Arkus Duntov was pulling out all the stops in order to get his mid engined Corvette, AMC designed and had built, 5 of these mid engined two seaters. And I imagine most Autopians love the idea of a small company with it’s back to the wall, so here it is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_AMX_III
1990 Chevrolet Corvette CERV III: Now more than ever, I love the look of this car, above shoulders with the C8 in my eyes. It has alot of the C5 yet to come in it’s rounded flanks and that front end. And you can see where maybe McLaren got the idea for their Speedtail in CERV III’s long back end. It just looks great and I can imagine Zora Duntov cheered this car on to be manufactured in his last years….. Link: https://www.motortrend.com/news/1990-cerv-iii-corvette-prototype-mid-engine-chevrolet-corvette-history/
I know the AMX/3 was an actual car with motor, but my heart lies with the 1:1 scale Revel model that is the AMX/2.
Along with the Alfa Romeo Carabo, my two favorite Hot Wheels.
Nothing truly new here, and my final and dearest choice actually saw limited production, but:
-Ford 021C (sorry Adrian, the peanut gallery is pelting you with shells because we ate that thing up)
-Nissan IDx (very similar formula)
-Ford GT90 (the spirit of the ‘90s is alive in that one)
-New Stratos (like a reverse of the angel-wings story from It’s a Wonderful Life: Every time one gets born, a 430 Scud has been ripped apart in vivo)
My list:
Jaguar R-D6
My ultimate concept list:
A couple others that come to mind:
Dodge M80 pickup truck-could’ve sold like hotcakes if Chrysler was willing to push the envelope. It could use off the shelf parts-namely the 3.7 liter V6 and the manual transmission used in the Dodge Dakota.I would pick a color other than “Detonator Yellow” for mine though!lol
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/pictures/dodge-m80-concept-pickup-truck/
Ford Forty Nine coupe-because it looks so damn cool!
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/pictures/2001-ford-forty-nine-concept/2/
And lastly the Jeep Icon. Ahead of its time but I actually liked it.
https://realtruck.com/blog/the-jeep-icon-chrysler-s-failed-entry-level-jeep-concept/
Jaguar C-X75
Peugeot Oxia
Holden Efijy
VW Touareg Concept (pick up)
Cadillac Sixteen
Jeep Hurricane Concept (2005)
Rolls Royce Phantom (with the V16)
Mazda Miata M Coupe.
Mazda RX Vision and Vision Coupe.
I know dieselgate blew up soon after and whatnot, but I still think the world is poorer for the Audi R8 TDI not having seen production.
The Chrysler 300 Hemi C concept from 2000. I love how elegant yet muscular the design is.
https://mycarquest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/1.jpg
Buick Avista
Pontiac G8 ST ute
Pontiac XP-833/Banshee
Cadillac Sixteen
Plymouth Howler
Nissan MID-4. I prefer the first one over the more well known second one but either one would do. They were both mid-engined and used the V6 from the 300ZX at the time, the first version was N/A but the second was twin turbo. They were also AWD and had 4 wheel steering. The first one was basically ready for production, I have an issue of Car and Driver where they drove the prototype and it talked all about Nissan’s plans to enter it in IMSA and everything, then it just kind of never happened.
Peugeot Oxia.
Prefer the Proxima myself but yes.
1996 Chrysler Atlantic Concept
Good grief no.
It’s gloriously impractical.
If that makes the bile rise in your throat, Google ‘Devaux Coupe’ for an Australian attempt at similar styling.
1972 Ford Carousel
1980 Ferrari Pinin
1998 Plymouth Pronto Spyder
2002 Lincoln Continental
2002 Mercury Marauder Convertible
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Okay Empress Nympho…
The first (and only) car choice that came to my mind already got shot down like a clay pigeon (IDx), so I’ll zag: Suzuki G-Strider.
No.
Pull!
3 that come to mind: the original F-Type jaguar prototype, the lamborghini Asterion could have been the start of a new design language, and the non-obvious Mercury Messenger that might have saved the brand. Best prototype I’m glad was never built? The Lancia Stratos Zero. Some things should remain as dreams.
No, yes, no.
AMX GT
https://carstyling.ru/en/car/1968_american_motors_amx_gt/
Javelin + Gremlin lovechild, so awesome. Would love to build one.
No.
The ‘original’ hot hatch.
Corvair Monza GT
Aerovette
No.
Yes.
I still can’t believe we ended up with the C8.
The C8 was a major step backward from all the previous mid-engine concepts as well as previous iterations of Corvette, from a platform efficiency standpoint.