Japan’s late-Eighties Bubble Era produced some of the most extreme and extraordinary cars to ever see public roads. The triple-rotor Mazda Cosmo grand tourer and the gullwing Autozam AZ-1 city car spring to mind. But there were many others that didn’t quite make it, including the Group C-for-the-road Jiotto Caspita.
Everyone loves the Carrera GT because it got its engine out of Porsche’s last Le Mans racing project. Well, BMW did the same thing, only with a single, not-for-production X5. Then the got it to do 192 mph on the Nürburgring.
You have to admire Mercedes-Benz sometimes. Back in 1991, it had customers begging the company to put its technologically groundbreaking, race-car-for-the-road, V12, gullwing supercar, the C112, into series production at whatever price it wanted. And Mercedes didn’t bother, mostly because it felt it had more important…
This alternate 1991 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W140) concept design is trying to hide something with a feature that the actual 1991 Mercedes Benz S-Class didn’t have.
Eleven years before the Jaguar F-Type you all know and love today, there was another F-Type. It was smaller and lighter, aimed at the Porsche Boxster instead of the 911. But by 2002, it was dead thanks to Jaguar’s pointless Formula One efforts and Ford counting those beans, no doubt.
Daihatsu, which happens to be Japan’s oldest car manufacturer, presented this extremely light Mazda Miata competitor at the 1991 Frankfurt Motor Show, only to abandon the X-021 Roadster project two years later in favor of the much smaller Copen kei car.
After Mercedes built a front-engined front-wheel drive compact car, they found that the best thing to do is to throw out the spare tire from the back and jam another 125 hp engine in its place for a top speed of 142mph. Mika Häkkinen approved the idea.
The Mercedes-Benz Vario Research Car was introduced at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show, with four different bodies that could be exchanged within 15 minutes, apparently by just three women.
This is a first-generation Lexus GS300, only better in many ways. For starters, it’s called the Landau. No relation to the vinyl roof on your Cadillac (or Camry.)
So far, the craziest Volvo concept that somehow made it into production was the 480 in 1986. Anything wilder than that was either cancelled or sent away to become a Citroën, because of course. But this car, the Viking, could have been Volvo’s next P1800. It should have been.
The Oldsmobile Aerotech high-speed test vehicle remains one of the coolest cars to come from America. Read more about it right here. RIP Olds.
I recently went to the Volvo Museum in Gothenburg, only to find a car called Philip there. If you think it looks just like a 1951 Kaiser, you’re not alone. In fact, that’s why it never made it to America.
Yes, it really is that short.
The difference between the first real crossover and most of what followed is that the AMC Eagle was awesome. But so was the Citroën Xantia Break Buffalo 4x4.
I'll start this concept car story off with a question: Do you consider the Lotus Esprit to be a supercar? Applying the supercar label is always a contentious process. We could literally sit here all weekend long fighting over what is and isn't a supercar, and why.
When I think of truly great concept car designs, my mind immediately goes to sports cars. But the concept car universe is a wide one, and although it's rarer, pickup truck concepts can push the envelope too. The best example of this might be this amazing Dodge concept from 1967.
If we're going to talk about concept cars, the Bertone Lancia Stratos HF Zero is kind of a basic bitch, pumpkin spice latte choice. Everyone knows it and everyone loves it. I don't even care. It's amazing and I love staring at it.
Kat's on vacation and I'm running the show today, so that means your Saturday will be full of bizarre and wonderful concept cars. Let's get warmed up with that time Ford thought about doing a mid-engined Mustang.
This amazing concept from 1985 also made it into Back to the Future II and had more eighties vibe than Jerry Wiegert and young Charlie Sheen floating on a cocaine cloud. Too bad Saab didn't follow up on it, because that could have changed everything.
Hey, remember that time Isuzu made a mid-engined sports car concept with a 350-horsepower V8, suspension tuning by Lotus, seating for two adults and two kids, AND a fax machine? No? Well, they did. And we’re gonna talk about it.
