Concept Car Dream Machines - Some Of The Best Concept Cars Of The Past 60 Years
jubalson said
10:28 06/06 2010
1. B.A.T. 7 (1954) The second, and most radical, of three Alfa Romeo-based Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica concepts designed at Bertone by Franco Scaglione, B.A.T. was the sensation of the 1954 Turin show. With its semi-enclosed wheels and curling rear fender wings, B.A.T. 7 (center, opposite) looked like a machine from another planet. The B.A.T. cars were proclaimed to be advanced aerodynamic studies, but in truth they were also designed to push Bertone into the top tier of Italian design houses. Which they indisputably did.
2. BUICK LESABRE (1951) Considered by many to be the greatest concept car of all time, its shape is compelling even today. The LeSabre introduced what has become known as Buick's Sweepspear side trim, a cue still found on current Buick models. The instrumentation would do any aircraft proud, including an altimeter, compass, oil temp and level gauges, a tachometer, conventional speedometer, and others. GM design chief Harley Earl drove it as his everyday car for years. It remains the property of General Motors.
3. LAMBORGHINI MARZAL (1967) Designed by Marcello Gandini while working for Bertone, the Marzal was a gloriously over-the-top concept from a company that would soon stun the world with the Countach. Built off a stretched Miura chassis and powered by a rear-mounted 2.0-liter straight six that was basically a Miura V-12 cut in half, the Marzal's glass-paneled gullwing doors showcased four silver-clad seats inside.
4. LINCOLN FUTURA (1955) Clearly a concept from the Rocket Age, the Futura's most outlandish features were all jet-fighter inspired, from its double-bubble canopy to its thrust-forward headlight cowls and huge, rear fender fins. After its tour of duty for Lincoln, the Futura was sold to MGM studios and ended up in the Debbie Reynolds film, "It Started with a Kiss." Ultimately, it found its way into the hands of George Barris to become the original TV-series Batmobile.
5. STING RAY (1959) GM design chief Bill Mitchell built the Sting Ray as a means of getting around the Big Three racing ban. A Corvette SS tube-frame chassis was clothed in new bodywork designed by Mitchell and young up and comer Larry Shinoda. The Sting Ray raced in 1959 and '60 and then hit the auto-show circuit in 1961. What we didn't know at the time was how closely the car would presage the form and surfacing of the C2 Corvette, still regarded as the most iconic Vette ever.
6. CHRYSLER PORTOFINO (1987) This Lamborghini-powered concept car was the first to broach the notion of Chrysler's "cab-forward" proportion, which pushed the base of the windshield closer to the front axle centerline, maximizing glass area and interior room. The Portofino's dual scissor doors were a nod to the outrageous Lamborghini Countach. Had the Portofino not been well received, it's doubtful the hot-selling cab-forward LH cars such as the Chrysler LHS and Dodge Intrepid would ever have made it to market.
7. CADILLAC SIXTEEN (2003) Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman of product development and chairman of GM North America, called it "a modern interpretation of everything that made Cadillac the standard of the world. He was right: The beautifully detailed, extravagantly proportioned Sixteen was the best-looking Cadillac in decades. But the large and in-charge, 1000-horsepower V-16-powered concept was the right car at the wrong time, too big and expensive to translate to a production vehicle
8. PONTIAC BONNEVILLE-SPECIAL (1954) This was Pontiac's take on the Corvette notion, and not to be outdone by the upcoming Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, the Bonne-Special's fiberglass bodywork was capped by a canopy, sporting its own flip-up clear panels. It was powered by a Pontiac flathead straight-eight, fed by a squadron of sidedraft carbs. The interior was also aircraft-inspired, and the rear styling gave the impression of a larger afterburner-shaped trunklid.
9. FORD MUSTANG I (1962) Ford's Roy Lunn and Frank Theyleg had an idea of how Ford could compete with traditional sports car builders such as MG and Alfa Romeo. They put a modern, race-inspired twist on the notion of a compact roadster. The Mustang I concept's engine -- a small, Ford Taunus V-4 of about 109 horsepower -- was mounted in the middle, backed by a four-speed manual transaxle. The production model that ultimately wore the Mustang badge was obviously a horse of another color.
10. CHRYSLER NORSEMAN (1956) The Norseman never made its debut at an auto show. It was aboard the SS Andrea Doria, en route to New York from Italy (where it was constructed by Ghia) when the Doria collided with the MS Stockholm and sank, taking the Norseman, and 46 lives with it, to the bottom of the Atlantic not far off the coast of Massachusetts. The car was intended to be among Chrysler's concept car displays during the 1957 auto show season. It was never seen by the public, nor by most of the designers who worked on it.
11. CADILLAC CYCLONE (1959) As with any other '59 Caddy, the Cyclone had over-the-top rear fins and rocketlike taillights. The fighter jet canopy was also in place, and the two doors slid rearward to open. The black twin nose cones resemble missiles, cued up and ready to fire (the headlights were mounted in the grille). A two-way communications system allowed occupants of the car to converse with people standing outside the car without the need for retracting the canopy. The Cyclone's exhausts exited ahead of the front wheels.
12. DODGE FIREARROW I (1953) One of the best examples of the Idea Cars collaboration between Chrysler and Italy's Ghia, the Firearrow was a daring and elegant expression of an American two-seat luxury roadster concept that Dodge might use to battle the Corvette and upcoming Ford Thunderbird. Firearrow I was originally built as a nonrunning body mockup on a '54 Dodge Chassis; a powertrain was later added to make it a running car.
13. ALFA ROMEO BRERA (2002) The Brera was proof positive that Giorgetto Giugiaro still "had it," as it had been some time since the founder of ItalDesign, and the creator of so many landmark automobiles, had designed something new from scratch, working almost entirely on his own. The concept was a rear-drive coupe powered by a Maserati V-8, and although the Brera was ultimately developed as a production model by Alfa Romeo, it morphed into a front-driver in the process, losing some-but not much-of the original's flair.
14. GM FIREBIRD III (1959) The last of GM's turbine-powered Firebird concepts, Firebird III remains one of the most extravagant and technically advanced concept cars ever built. The jet-fighter-inspired bodywork sprouted wings and fins galore, and was made from titanium. The car also featured fully functional joystick control for steering, braking, and acceleration, a stunning achievement in an age before microprocessor-powered computers.
15. FERRARI MODULO (1970) Designed at Pininfarina by Paolo Martin for the 1970 Geneva show, the Ferrari Modulo stood just 36.8 inches tall, making it one of the lowest concepts ever. "Is it still an automobile or is it the module of a spaceship of "2001: A Space Odyssey?" asked Lorenzo Ramaciotti, later head of Pininfarina design. He has a point. The Modulo was built on a Ferrari 512 race car chassis, but, despite its midship-mounted 550-horsepower V-12, is not a driver.
16. VW CONCEPT 1 (1994) VW Audi Group designers J Mays' and Freeman Thomas' crisp, clean interpretation of the iconic Beetle shape featured a transverse-mounted front engine and front drive. Most people assumed this star of the 1994 Detroit show was based on Golf hardware. But it wasn't. It took four years for the Golf-based production version, New Beetle, to appear. It singlehandedly inspired a swarm of retro cars, including the New Mini, the 2005 Mustang, the Fiat 500, and the Dodge Challenger.
17. FORD GT90 (1995) Per some former Ford insiders, New Edge was a term coined by Ford P.R. looking for a media-friendly hook to describe the GT90's sharply defined surfaces. It became the mantra of Jack Telnak's final years as head of Ford design, influencing cars like the 1999 Cougar, the 1998 Focus, and the 1998 Falcon. The GT90 was powered by a handbuilt 720-horse, 6.0-liter, quad-turbo V-12, created by lopping a pair of cylinders off two modular V-8s and welding the block together.
18. AERO-VETTE (1977) Of all the many "what-might-have-beens" in Corvette history, the Aero-vette is perhaps one of the best. Mid-engine, with unique bi-fold gullwing doors, the Aero-vette looked truly exotic. GM design boss Bill Mitchell actually managed to get the car approved for production by specifying a small-block V-8 and low-cost suspension to help keep a lid on the price, but the project was canceled shortly after Mitchell's retirement.
1. B.A.T. 7 (1954)
The second, and most radical, of three Alfa Romeo-based Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica concepts designed at Bertone by Franco Scaglione, B.A.T. was the sensation of the 1954 Turin show. With its semi-enclosed wheels and curling rear fender wings, B.A.T. 7 (center, opposite) looked like a machine from another planet. The B.A.T. cars were proclaimed to be advanced aerodynamic studies, but in truth they were also designed to push Bertone into the top tier of Italian design houses. Which they indisputably did.
2. BUICK LESABRE (1951)
Considered by many to be the greatest concept car of all time, its shape is compelling even today. The LeSabre introduced what has become known as Buick's Sweepspear side trim, a cue still found on current Buick models. The instrumentation would do any aircraft proud, including an altimeter, compass, oil temp and level gauges, a tachometer, conventional speedometer, and others. GM design chief Harley Earl drove it as his everyday car for years. It remains the property of General Motors.
3. LAMBORGHINI MARZAL (1967)
Designed by Marcello Gandini while working for Bertone, the Marzal was a gloriously over-the-top concept from a company that would soon stun the world with the Countach. Built off a stretched Miura chassis and powered by a rear-mounted 2.0-liter straight six that was basically a Miura V-12 cut in half, the Marzal's glass-paneled gullwing doors showcased four silver-clad seats inside.
4. LINCOLN FUTURA (1955)
Clearly a concept from the Rocket Age, the Futura's most outlandish features were all jet-fighter inspired, from its double-bubble canopy to its thrust-forward headlight cowls and huge, rear fender fins. After its tour of duty for Lincoln, the Futura was sold to MGM studios and ended up in the Debbie Reynolds film, "It Started with a Kiss." Ultimately, it found its way into the hands of George Barris to become the original TV-series Batmobile.
5. STING RAY (1959)
GM design chief Bill Mitchell built the Sting Ray as a means of getting around the Big Three racing ban. A Corvette SS tube-frame chassis was clothed in new bodywork designed by Mitchell and young up and comer Larry Shinoda. The Sting Ray raced in 1959 and '60 and then hit the auto-show circuit in 1961. What we didn't know at the time was how closely the car would presage the form and surfacing of the C2 Corvette, still regarded as the most iconic Vette ever.
6. CHRYSLER PORTOFINO (1987)
This Lamborghini-powered concept car was the first to broach the notion of Chrysler's "cab-forward" proportion, which pushed the base of the windshield closer to the front axle centerline, maximizing glass area and interior room. The Portofino's dual scissor doors were a nod to the outrageous Lamborghini Countach. Had the Portofino not been well received, it's doubtful the hot-selling cab-forward LH cars such as the Chrysler LHS and Dodge Intrepid would ever have made it to market.
7. CADILLAC SIXTEEN (2003)
Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman of product development and chairman of GM North America, called it "a modern interpretation of everything that made Cadillac the standard of the world. He was right: The beautifully detailed, extravagantly proportioned Sixteen was the best-looking Cadillac in decades. But the large and in-charge, 1000-horsepower V-16-powered concept was the right car at the wrong time, too big and expensive to translate to a production vehicle
This was Pontiac's take on the Corvette notion, and not to be outdone by the upcoming Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, the Bonne-Special's fiberglass bodywork was capped by a canopy, sporting its own flip-up clear panels. It was powered by a Pontiac flathead straight-eight, fed by a squadron of sidedraft carbs. The interior was also aircraft-inspired, and the rear styling gave the impression of a larger afterburner-shaped trunklid.
9. FORD MUSTANG I (1962)
Ford's Roy Lunn and Frank Theyleg had an idea of how Ford could compete with traditional sports car builders such as MG and Alfa Romeo. They put a modern, race-inspired twist on the notion of a compact roadster. The Mustang I concept's engine -- a small, Ford Taunus V-4 of about 109 horsepower -- was mounted in the middle, backed by a four-speed manual transaxle. The production model that ultimately wore the Mustang badge was obviously a horse of another color.
10. CHRYSLER NORSEMAN (1956)
The Norseman never made its debut at an auto show. It was aboard the SS Andrea Doria, en route to New York from Italy (where it was constructed by Ghia) when the Doria collided with the MS Stockholm and sank, taking the Norseman, and 46 lives with it, to the bottom of the Atlantic not far off the coast of Massachusetts. The car was intended to be among Chrysler's concept car displays during the 1957 auto show season. It was never seen by the public, nor by most of the designers who worked on it.
11. CADILLAC CYCLONE (1959)
As with any other '59 Caddy, the Cyclone had over-the-top rear fins and rocketlike taillights. The fighter jet canopy was also in place, and the two doors slid rearward to open. The black twin nose cones resemble missiles, cued up and ready to fire (the headlights were mounted in the grille). A two-way communications system allowed occupants of the car to converse with people standing outside the car without the need for retracting the canopy. The Cyclone's exhausts exited ahead of the front wheels.
12. DODGE FIREARROW I (1953)
One of the best examples of the Idea Cars collaboration between Chrysler and Italy's Ghia, the Firearrow was a daring and elegant expression of an American two-seat luxury roadster concept that Dodge might use to battle the Corvette and upcoming Ford Thunderbird. Firearrow I was originally built as a nonrunning body mockup on a '54 Dodge Chassis; a powertrain was later added to make it a running car.
13. ALFA ROMEO BRERA (2002)
The Brera was proof positive that Giorgetto Giugiaro still "had it," as it had been some time since the founder of ItalDesign, and the creator of so many landmark automobiles, had designed something new from scratch, working almost entirely on his own. The concept was a rear-drive coupe powered by a Maserati V-8, and although the Brera was ultimately developed as a production model by Alfa Romeo, it morphed into a front-driver in the process, losing some-but not much-of the original's flair.
14. GM FIREBIRD III (1959)
The last of GM's turbine-powered Firebird concepts, Firebird III remains one of the most extravagant and technically advanced concept cars ever built. The jet-fighter-inspired bodywork sprouted wings and fins galore, and was made from titanium. The car also featured fully functional joystick control for steering, braking, and acceleration, a stunning achievement in an age before microprocessor-powered computers.
15. FERRARI MODULO (1970)
Designed at Pininfarina by Paolo Martin for the 1970 Geneva show, the Ferrari Modulo stood just 36.8 inches tall, making it one of the lowest concepts ever. "Is it still an automobile or is it the module of a spaceship of "2001: A Space Odyssey?" asked Lorenzo Ramaciotti, later head of Pininfarina design. He has a point. The Modulo was built on a Ferrari 512 race car chassis, but, despite its midship-mounted 550-horsepower V-12, is not a driver.
16. VW CONCEPT 1 (1994)
VW Audi Group designers J Mays' and Freeman Thomas' crisp, clean interpretation of the iconic Beetle shape featured a transverse-mounted front engine and front drive. Most people assumed this star of the 1994 Detroit show was based on Golf hardware. But it wasn't. It took four years for the Golf-based production version, New Beetle, to appear. It singlehandedly inspired a swarm of retro cars, including the New Mini, the 2005 Mustang, the Fiat 500, and the Dodge Challenger.
17. FORD GT90 (1995)
Per some former Ford insiders, New Edge was a term coined by Ford P.R. looking for a media-friendly hook to describe the GT90's sharply defined surfaces. It became the mantra of Jack Telnak's final years as head of Ford design, influencing cars like the 1999 Cougar, the 1998 Focus, and the 1998 Falcon. The GT90 was powered by a handbuilt 720-horse, 6.0-liter, quad-turbo V-12, created by lopping a pair of cylinders off two modular V-8s and welding the block together.
18. AERO-VETTE (1977)
Of all the many "what-might-have-beens" in Corvette history, the Aero-vette is perhaps one of the best. Mid-engine, with unique bi-fold gullwing doors, the Aero-vette looked truly exotic. GM design boss Bill Mitchell actually managed to get the car approved for production by specifying a small-block V-8 and low-cost suspension to help keep a lid on the price, but the project was canceled shortly after Mitchell's retirement.