When I argued last week that the first-gen Audi TT is a future classic, one of the strengths I cited is that the production version stayed remarkably close to the sexy concept car design that spawned it. Sadly, that often isn't the case.
It works like this: an automaker comes out with a hot concept. The concept is met with enthusiastic acclaim, so it is ordered into production. But sometimes, that design has to fit with existing platforms and components, or some bean counter or focus group decides it's a bit too "out there" for mass appeal, so compromises are made.
The result is a production car that ends up watered down or wildly different from the concept that got everyone excited in the first place. It's completely understandable why this happens, but it's always disappointing when it does.
So here's our Show Us challenge for the day: What cars fell flat between concept and production? There's a ton of them out there. I'll help get you started.