Popular Mechanics article: 11 concept cars that should have made it.

[Custom Hearse]

Good article I found online this morning.

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/11-concept-cars-that-should-have-made-it.html

[Dr. Cranky]

The idea of the concept car died in the late 50s for me, or early 60s. How useless are concept cars now? Auto companies still bring them out to remind everyone that they will never have the great designs (if there's such a thing left), but you have to buy a box design instead. Cars designed by committee are not my cup of tea. What I find funny is that the real cool car designs in the last 30 years have all come from Hollywood and not Detroit.

Having said that, I love concept cars in scale. They provide great building fun.

Thanks for sharing, Marshall.

[Deathgoblin]

There's some of these I would love to find kits of.

[crazyjim]

I love the Toyota A-Bat.

[slantasaurus]

Dodge did make a few Tomahawks, only about 10, for sale to the public thru the Neeman Markus Christmas catalog a few years ago....

[sjordan2]

The only one I don't quite see as a loss is the Lincoln Continental. Looks pretty common and ho-hum to me.

[Harry P.]

Where's the new Charger concept? If any concept deserved to make production, that one did.

[sjordan2]

Where's the new Charger concept? If any concept deserved to make production, that one did.

Agreed, if you're talking about the one that was introduced in 1999.

Edited August 18, 2012 by sjordan2

[slusher]

l wonder how the deora would do today if produced. that was a very sharp cadillac..

[Austin T]

I really like the Cadillac, Especially with a V-10.That car says "Hey I don't care about gas prices I own the oil company"

[Art Anderson]

IMO, most "concept" (or dream cars as we knew them decades ago) are and were, just that, concepts ,meant to gauge the public's acceptance of their "look" and perhaps their potential. That said, the vast majority of concept cars done over the years since the very first one, the Buick Y-Job of 1939 were never produced, but rather, they lent their lines, or at least some detail features to cars that eventually did see the light of day at the end of an assembly line. This was particularly true of many GM Dream Cars from the 50's even into the 60's. However, many so-called dream cars or concept cars likely would not have succeeded in production as built simply due to impracticality For example, several GM dream cars of the middle 1950's were simply way too low overall, lacked a lot in the way of interior room--all of that, but they sure did turn heads at the Motorama's, and several did contribute their styling cues and such to later production Chevies, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs. There was one dream car from GM that did see production virtually as originally displayed, becoming the "father" of a long running and still popular series--the Corvette. Another concept car that made it to production, the Dodge Viper, went to assembly almost exactly as first shown, and that almost exactly 40 years after that first production Vette. Even the 60's vintage Pontiac Banshee found its way into a ton of influence on the 1970 Firebird and Camaro.

Also, witness the Millennium Volkswagen--at least a couple of million VW New Beetles are on the road as a result, same with the Chrysler PT--another production car, and one that was quite popular also stemmed directly from a concept car.

Would the Aerovette have made it as a production car? I wonder, given that it most likely could never have shared much beyond say, it's engine and perhaps a transmission, but by the time this concept car was shown, neither did any production Corvette use much of anything outside of the engine bay with any other Chevrolet. At the worst, it could well have made every other previous Corvette look as old as one's 100-yr old grandmother, and done that in the space of just a few months. But, given GM's experience with other less-than-conventional cars (Corvair?) I suspect it was a big question mark.

Still though, concept cars tend to keep us looking, even hoping!

Art

[Harry P.]

Here's a really nice one. Looks production-ready to me, and might have sold a few copies. A real beauty...

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/pic/1094/Chevrolet-Corvette-Rondine-Pininfarina-Coupe_2.html

[crazyjim]

It looks like a Jaguar. I don't like it.

[MrObsessive]

Where's the new Charger concept? If any concept deserved to make production, that one did.

Actually, the current Charger does owe a lot of its styling cues to the '99 concept. Still it would have been nice to see that one make it to the streets intact! Thanks to Daimler though it was never to be.

[sjordan2]

It looks like a Jaguar. I don't like it.

While I don't think it's great, how does it look like a Jaguar? I can't think of a similar example, and I'd like to know what you're referring to.

[Junkman]

They are all pretty pointless.

Where is the concept car that doesn't need to be filled up?

[Chuck Most]

I don't see how the Deora could have been feasible if it had made it to production... anyone spot all the Ford parts used on this potential Dodge product?

The Mircrobus would be awesome- it has just enough traits from the old ones to be recognizable as such, without being blatantly retro.

Some elements of the Continental did make it to productions- look at the grille design and the lines and you'll see quite a few of them are on current Lincolns.

The GR-1 looks fantastic... except for that front end. Is there some unwritten rule that says the nose of a supercar must resemble a Dust Buster?

The Toyota Bat seems interesting- if Toyota ever introduced a 3/4-1-ton line to sell alongside the Tundra, and it shared styling traits with that, I wouldn't complain.

The Sixteen never would have sold- sorry, people don't equate 'Cadillac' with 'ultra-luxury' anymore. The '30's were over a long time ago, and they aren't coming back. Please GM, leave that market to Rolls and Bentley. Sad thing is that car seemed to be the styling bogey for the current spate of oragami-styled Cadillacs.

[slantasaurus]

There was one dream car from GM that did see production virtually as originally displayed, becoming the "father" of a long running and still popular series--the Corvette. Another concept car that made it to production, the Dodge Viper, went to assembly almost exactly as first shown, and that almost exactly 40 years after that first production Vette. Even the 60's vintage Pontiac Banshee found its way into a ton of influence on the 1970 Firebird and Camaro.

Also, witness the Millennium Volkswagen--at least a couple of million VW New Beetles are on the road as a result, same with the Chrysler PT--another production car, and one that was quite popular also stemmed directly from a concept car.

Art

Don't forget the Plymouth Prowler, that one made it from concept to production without any changes.

[crazyjim]

While I don't think it's great, how does it look like a Jaguar? I can't think of a similar example, and I'd like to know what you're referring to.

I was thinking of the

Hasegawa Jaguar XJS TWR

[Jeff Johnston]

The only ones I like are the Shelby an the VW Bus. The Bus looks like its ready and I bet it would have sold. But what do I know...

As far as the Aerovette, that was a 73 and if they had done that car as production, I think that Corvettes in general would be very different cars today. Now depending on who you are, that could be a good or a bad thing. Personally I grew up in the 70s and loved the 70s Corvettes. Don't get me wrong, I'd not pick one over just about any other Vette that came before, but I have a soft spot for those lines even today.

I suppose those 10 years older than I may have a different opinion of those 70s Corvettes. But I bet if the Aerocoupe was made, the Corvette of today would be much more Ferrari like (meaning mid engine, more exotic'ish). Just my speculation of course.

BUT....if the 84 Corvette did not look like it did, likely today's Vette would be different too... and the modern Vette is one sweet car.

That is another car that went from clay to production with almost no change. The 84 Corvette.

[uncle potts]

The only one that I liked at all was the Shelby, and even that was marginal. What about the Chrysler Atlantic, or any of the '50s era 'vette prototypes, or the '54 Buick Wildcat.

These were all good looking concepts that would have made an interesting impact on the current design of the automobile. Frankly, the thats put out by the auto manufactuers today is redundent, and has no 'personality'.

Just my narrow-minded, pinn-headed opinion.

Paul