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Concept cars: the greatest concept car designs of all time - pictures

We take a look at the greatest concept car designs of all time in pictures

by: Auto Express team
4 Mar 2020
Go to: Concept cars: the all-time greatest designs
  • Best concept cars- header new

    The reveal of a concept car can be just as exciting as the announcement of a brand-new production model. So here we’ve highlighted some of greatest concept car designs that have gone down in history as the cars that shaped our motoring world.

  • Alfa Romeo BAT cars

    The name BAT stands for Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica, but it also describes the look of this trio of winged Alfas pretty well, too.

  • Alfa Romeo BAT 7

    All three cars were designed by Nuccio Bertone to study the effects of aerodynamics, and were revealed in 1953, 1954 and 1955 respectively. Under the skin they’re based on the modest Alfa 1900, with 90hp engines.

  • Alfa Romeo BAT 5

    The distinctive rounded nose and prominent rear fins meant they were bat-like in appearance, while BAT 7 had a drag coefficient of 0.19, which still impresses today.

  • Alfa Romeo BAT 9

    All three cars still exist, and are part of a collection based in the US, although they are often seen together at classic car shows such as the Pebble Beach Concours.

  • When James Bond needs a car, he’s going to turn to Aston Martin. But with a new V12 model still a couple of years away, and the rest of the range feeling its age, Bond would need something special for the movie Spectre.

  • So the film’s producers commissioned Aston to build an all-new model, called the DB10.

  • Under the skin, there’s the modified running gear of the V8 Vantage, and the DB10 is good for a top speed of 193mph. To make it even more exclusive, Aston only built 10 DB10s, making it a rarity even in the exclusive world of Aston Martins.

  • Audi Avus Quattro - front

    Back in the 1990s, Audi was on a crusade for lightness, which it displayed in its concept cars. One such model was the Avus quattro, a mid-engined supercar study that featured aluminium bodywork over an aluminium frame.

  • Audi Avus Quattro - rear

    Designer J Mays took inspiration from the Auto Union land speed record cars for the supercar’s low-slung body, while the polished panels made a highlight of the car’s aluminium construction.

  • Audi Nuvolari Quattro - front

    Named after Auto Union’s famous grand prix driver Tazio Nuvolari, this coupe concept will look familiar because it was the precursor to the original Audi A5 Coupe.

  • Audi Nuvolari Quattro - rear

    The Nuvolari’s low roof and small glass area was ditched for the A5, while the headlights increased in size and the grille was toned down.

  • Audi Nuvolari Quattro - interior

    Also dropped was the show car’s 591bhp 5.0-litre V10 - the closest the A5 got was 444bhp for the RS 5, although quattro four-wheel drive did carry over.

  • With the current SUV arms race in full swing, it was good to see Bentley counter the controversy of its Bentayga SUV with this stunning two-seater coupe concept.

  • The EXP 10 wowed crowds in 2015, so much so that Bentley is on schedule to put it into production.

  • Unlike most concepts, the EXP 10 is likely to get through to production without many changes, seeing as it already looks like a variation on the Continental GT which it shares a platform with.

  • BMW E1 - front

    More than 20 years before the BMW i3 hit showrooms, BMW’s first attempt at an electric city car was the E1 concept.

  • BMW E1 - rear

    This Fiat 500-sized machine featured the design cues of other BMWs of the era - including a comically large window area - and had light weight built into it to boost its driving range as much as possible.

  • BMW E1 - interior

    Claimed range for the 900kg machine was 155 miles, which is quite something when the i3 claims a similar distance today with higher tech batteries on board.

  • BMW Gina - top

    When designers are given free rein, they can come up with some weird stuff, including names. GINA stands for Geometry and functions In 'N' Adaptations.

  • BMW Gina - side

    When it comes down to it, the GINA is unique thanks to its fabric ‘skin’ stretched over a metal frame. That skin was made from waterproof Spandex, a fabric more commonly associated with big-haired heavy metal bands from the 1980s.

  • BMW GINA - interior

    Of more concern was the slightly risque way in which the bonnet opened, with the two sides of the bonnet separating to reveal the engine.

  • Bugatti 16C Galibier - front

    With the Veyron in production, it was time for Bugatti to think about a second model. And as it had gained a reputation for luxury with cars like the Royale, it seemed fitting that this car should be a luxury machine to compete with Rolls-Royce.

  • Bugatti 16C Galibier - rear

    Cue the 16C Galibier, named after an earlier Bugatti, which in turn was named after an Alpine pass. Power was planned to come from the same quad-turbo W12 as the Veyron, and a 235mph top speed was mooted.

  • Bugatti 16C Galibier - interior

    Production numbers for this luxury five-seater would have been far higher than the Veyron or Chiron, but the model has still yet to appear in showrooms.

  • Buick Y-Job - front

    Widely regarded as the first concept car, the Y-Job was the creation of General Motors design boss Harley Earl, and went on to dictate the design of Buick’s cars throughout the 1950s.

  • Buick Y-Job - interior

    It featured smooth bodywork with hidden headlights, electric windows, wraparound bodywork and flush door handles.

  • Cadillac Cien - front

    With an ageing customer base and a range of stodgy designs, General Motors needed a concept car to revive interest in luxury brand Cadillac.

  • Cadillac Cien - rear

    And what better way than with a supercar concept? Cien means 100 in Spanish, and the concept was revealed in Cadillac’s centenary year.

  • Cadillac Cien - interior

    Power came from a 750bhp V12 that featured cylinder shutdown for light loads - although why anyone would care much about that from a 12-cylinder concept supercar is anyone’s guess.

  • Citroen GT - front

    Sony’s Gran Turismo racing game on the PlayStation has pushed the boundaries of collaboration between car and game makers. The GT by Citroen was a huge step in this partnership, as it was co-designed by Citroen and GT developer Polyphony Digital.

  • Citroen GT - rear

    Not only did it look radical, it also injected some extra desirability into the Citroen brand.

  • Citroen GT - doors open

    In-game, the original GT by Citroen concept car was all-electric, but there have since been petrol-powered roadgoing and race versions created, while the real GT by Citroen is powered by a Ford V8 with nearly 650bhp.

  • Citroen Karin - front

    In an effort to revive Citroen’s profile in the 1980s, the Karin was created to cause a stir on the concept car scene.

  • Citroen Karin - side

    It was largely unconventional, with a triangular-themed design that resulted in a pyramid-shaped body, which only had room for three people to sit abreast in the cabin, with the driver in the middle.

  • Citroen Karin - interior

    The roof tapered to a point - so who knows how comfortable or cramped the passenger seats were - although under the skin the positively ancient DS suspension would have ensured that the Karin had a plush ride.

  • Citroen Survolt - front

    Almost a decade ago, years before the electric revolution began, Citroën was pioneering electric supercar technology. The Survolt is a carbon-fibre bodied, twin-electric-motored, go-kart-like racer with 300bhp and 480Nm of torque.

  • Citroen Survolt - rear

    Whilst this may not sound like much by modern standards, the Survolt is sprightly enough. We had the chance to drive Citroën’s concept back in 2010, and got it up to 134mph on Thruxton circuit in Hampshire.

  • Citroen Survolt - interior

    Given enough space, the Survolt would have kept going to a maximum of 162mph, and it could cover the 0-62mph sprint in five seconds.

  • Ferrari 512 S Modulo - front

    Ferrari was due to compete in the 5.0-litre Sports Car class at Le Mans and, to be eligible, the Italian mark had to build 25 examples for private sale.

  • Ferrari 512 S Modulo - rear

    TThe Modulo was one of these homologation models, which Ferrari handed to Italian coachbuilding company Pininfarina to turn into a concept car.

  • Ferrari 512 S Modulo - interior

    It’s fitted with a 550bhp 5.0-litre V12, and has a claimed top speed of 220mph; but it never saw the open road. Curiously, when the Modulo was built Ferrari neglected to supply a steering system.

  • Ferrari Mythos

    The Mythos is a two-seat sports car based on the Testarossa, which featured on Ferrari’s show stand at the 1989 Tokyo Auto Show. It’s powered by the Testarossa’s 4.9-litre flat-12 engine, producing 384bhp and 354Nm, and has a projected top speed of 180mph

  • Fiat Turbina - front

    Like all the best concepts, the gas-powered Fiat Turbina comes with a rather good story. It was designed and constructed in secrecy by a three-man team in disused corner of Fiat’s famous Lingotto factory in Turin.

  • Fiat Turbina - rear

    The Turbina was powered by Fiat’s own Type 8001 turbine engine, developed especially for the project, producing 291bhp at 30,000rpm.

  • Ford O21C - front

    Styled by furniture and watch designer Marc Newson, the Ford 021C made its debut at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show.

  • Ford O21c - interior

    It featured suicide doors, a carbon-fibre body, LED headlights, swivelling front seats and a boot which opened like a bedside table drawer. Also, in place of conventional height-adjustable seats, the 021C’s dashboard moved vertically.

  • Ford GT90 - front

    This was supposed to be the successor to the legendary Ford GT40. The GT90 borrowed the GT40’s door-mounted roof cutaways and rakish lines, but everything else was supposed to be an improvement on the original.

  • Ford GT90 - rear

    Instead of the original GT40’s carbureted 4.2-litre V8, the GT90 used a 6.0-litre V12. The engine was built by lopping two cylinders off of two 4.6-litre modular Ford V8s, and welding the resulting V6s together.

  • Ford GT90 - side

    The result was 720bhp and 895Nm of torque, a 0-62mph time of around three seconds and a top speed of 253mph.

  • Ford GT90 - interior

    The GT90’s exhaust used to get so hot that it would melt the surrounding body panels. To remedy the issue Ford’s engineers developed ceramic tiles, similar to those used on the Space Shuttle, to insulate the exhaust from the bodywork.

  • Ford Nucleon

    Ford wanted to capitalise on the nuclear power craze of the 50's, and built the Nucleon prototype; a nuclear-powered car, driven by uranium fission.

  • GM Hy-Wire - front

    In the early 2000s, hydrogen power was being touted as the next big step in automotive propulsion. A fuel source that’s plentiful, reasonably cheap and produces efficient power was a tempting prospect, spawning a handful of hydrogen-powered cars.

  • GM Hy-Wire - rear

    The GM Hy-Wire belonged to this strain of automobiles and, whilst it never made production, it was forward-thinking for its time. It was built on a “skateboard” platform like many of today’s purpose-designed electric cars.

  • GM Hy-Wire - interior

    The hydrogen fuel cell could supply anywhere between 94kW and 129kW of power. Also all the controls were drive-by-wire. One large electric motor powered the front two wheels, controlled by an electric-throttle.

  • GM Impact

    The GM Impact would eventually spawn the EV1 electric production car in 1996, GM’s first electric car and a model so advanced that its demise sparked conspiracy theories about forces behind the scenes working to hold back the electric car.

  • GM LeSabre - front

    Trailing in the wake of the jet-powered revolution in 1950s aviation, automotive manufacturers produced a wave of ‘jet age’-inspired concepts, such as the Fiat Turbina and this, the General Motors LeSabre.

  • GM LeSabre - rear

    Even though it was powered by an largely conventional 3.5-litre V8, its styling was influenced heavily by jet-powered aircraft, setting the trend for 1950s car design.

  • Honda Sports EV concept - front

    Like the Urban EV beneath, the Sports EV Concept is another nostalgic design exercise based on Honda’s back catalogue. The Sports EV Concept borrows styling cues from the famous Honda S600, and blends them with modern technology.

  • Honda Sports EV concept - rear

    It uses the same platform as the Urban EV, borrowing its technology. However, as the Sports EV was marketed as a sports car, we suspect the drivetrain was reconfigured, with drive being sent to the rear of the car rather than the front.

  • Honda Sports EV concept - profile

    Fewer details were revealed about the Sport EV’s interior, but it seems to feature the same infotainment system, and the bench seat from the Urban EV was ditched in favour of two sports seats.

  • Honda Urban EV concept - front

    Styled to look like a modern interpretation of the original 1972 Honda Civic, the Urban EV is an all-electric, retro-styled three-door hatchback. Much like its grandfather, Honda’s EV Concept is designed to be a vehicle for short-distance journeys.

  • Honda Urban EV concept - side

    Performance figures were never announced, with the focus placed instead on the Urban EV’s technology. For example, between the car’s headlamps, a large dot-matrix-style screen displays messages and greetings to other road users.

  • Honda Urban EV concept - dash

    The interior is a blend of retro and modern styling, with occupants being seated across two bench seats, much like the 1965 Honda L700 estate. The dash has a old-school wood-grain finish and houses a new-world infotainment screen and control buttons.

  • Infiniti Prototype 9 - front garage

    Yet another blend of old-world style and new-world engineering, the Prototype 9 is a 1940s-style racer, outfitted with a modern electrically-driven powertrain. It was revealed at Pebble Beach, California in 2017.

  • Infiniti Prototype 9 - rear

    It was built as an after-hours project, and is designed to show how a 1940s Infiniti racer would have looked, despite the company being only 30 years old. Every panel on the Prototype 9 is hand-beaten, using the same techniques employed by 1940's racers.

  • Infiniti Prototype 9 - above

    Underneath, the Prototype 9 is thoroughly modern, powered by a 146bhp single-speed electric motor. The concept is rear-wheel drive, and can dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in 5.5 seconds and achieve a top speed of 105mph.

  • isuzu 400r

    Another product of joint enterprise, the 4200R was collaboratively designed and built by Lotus and Isuzu. Penned by the legendary Shiro Nakamura (the designer behind the Nissan R35 GT-R), it’s a four-door, four-seat sports car, designed for everyday use.

  • isuzu 400r

    It’s powered by Isuzu’s own 4.2-litre V8, mounted mid-ship in a transverse configuration for increased interior space. It produces around 350bhp, which is sent through a five-speed gearbox to all four wheels.

  • isuzu 400r

    Lotus fitted the 4200R with active suspension which could, in theory, be configured for either handling or comfort. Other forward-thinking technology included a colour satellite navigation system and a digital instrument cluster.

  • Jaguar C-X75

    Developed in tandem with Williams Advanced Engineering, the Jaguar C-X75 was supposed be an all-wheel-drive, PHEV supercar to rival the likes of the Ferrari LaFerrari.

  • Jaguar C-X75 side rear

    It was primed to go into production in 2012 but, due a worsening economic climate, the project was shelved.

  • Jaguar C-X75 interior

    It’s powered by a F1-inspired 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which is turbocharged and supercharged, producing 502bhp at 10,000rpm. The petrol engine is mated to a pair of electric motors, which throw an additional 385bhp at the chassis, produci

  • Lamborghini Marzal - front

    In 1967, Ferrucio Lamborghini was looking to expand his model line-up, wanting a true four-seat sports car to join the two-seat Miura and two-plus-two 400GT.

  • Lamborghini Marzal - rear

    The Marzal was the result. Built on an extended version of the Miura’s chassis, this wedge-shaped icon featured two huge, all-glass gull-wing doors which allowed access for front and rear passengers, along with a set of honeycombed rear louvres.

  • Lamborghini Marzal - exploded

    It was powered by a 2.0-litre straight-six, which was in essence a Lamborghini 4.0-litre V12 that had been sawn down the middle. Fed by three side-draught Weber carburetors, the Marzal had a power output of around 175bhp.

  • Lamborghini Terzo Millennio - front static

    Lamborghini is quite possibly the undisputed king of making far out concept cars that are as impractical as they are astounding. The list of wild Lambo concepts is endless with a new one being unveiled seemingly every year.

  • Lamborghini Terzo Millennio - side

    Take this, the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio, as a prime example. Built in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this concept is what Lamborghini believe their supercars will look like in the third millennium (hence the name)

  • lancia stratos concept

    This is the concept which spawned the legendary Stratos. Built by the Italian styling house Bertone, and powered by Lancia’s V4 engine, it was designed to be a replacement for the aging Fulvia, tasked with reasserting the company’s dominance in rallying.

  • lancia stratos concept

    The project almost didn’t come to fruition. It was built in secrecy by Bertone in a bid to win Lancia’s affection as the firm preferred the rival Italian styling house, Pininfarina, at the time.

  • lancia stratos concept

    Ugo Gobbato, the chairman of Lancia, asked to see the Zero. So, Bertone personally drove the car to the headquarters of the Lancia works racing team, parked it in the forecourt of the garage and exited via its hinged windscreen to a crowd of Lancia staff.

  • Land Rover Defender DC100 - top

    Back in 2011, Land Rover chose the Frankfurt Motor Show as its preferred launching ground for the DC100, the concept car that many people took to signal the imminent replacement of the Land Rover Defender.

  • Land Rover Defender DC100 - front

    What the DC100 did do is stoke up the anticipation for a new Land Rover utility vehicle that retained the essential off-road DNA of its forebear but brought the model line into the modern era in terms of comfort, refinement and technology.

  • Land Rover Defender DC100 - side

    The concept, combined the Defender’s tough, upright stance with its essential off-road accoutrements. It was even followed up at the same Frankfurt show by the less convincing DC100 Sport concept.

  • Land Rover Range Stormer - front

    While Land Rover has always been known for its sensible, luxurious, and capable mud pluggers, in 2004 its designers really let their hair down with the outrageous 180mph Range Stormer.

  • Range Stormer rear

    Complete with a supercharged V8, Lambo-style scissor doors, and laminated plywood seats, it was like no other SUV we’ve seen before or since.

  • Range Stormer interior

    While the Range Stormer was clearly never intended for production, it did set the tone for the much more mundane Range Rover Sport which entered production a year later. Thankfully, the wooden seats were ditched but that glorious V8 did survive.

  • Lexus 2054

    The low, dramatic Lexus 2054 still looks incredible today, but sadly the hydrogen fuel cell, crashproof structure, and biometric security systems weren’t actually functional. It did, however, foresee a future of autonomous driving and voice control.

  • Lincoln Futura

    Designed by Ford’s lead stylists, and hand-built by Ghia, the Futura was primarily a styling exercise, intended to drum up some publicity for both Lincoln and parent company Ford, and provide a rough indication of the two brands' future design plans.

  • Maserati Birdcage 75th - front

    Debuting at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, the Maserati Birdcage was built to both celebrate the 75th anniversary of Pininfarina and to pay homage to the lightweight Maserati racing cars of the 1950’s.

  • Maserati Birdcage 75th - rear

    Built predominantly from carbon fibre and based on the carbon fibre chassis and 700bhp V12 from the Maserati MC12 GT1, the Birdcage still ended up weighing 1,500kg.

  • Maserati Boomerang

    Following its success with the Maserati Bora, Italdesign built the Boomerang concept for the 1972 Turin Auto Show.The Boomerang has around 300bhp and 460Nm. Power is sent through a five-speed gearbox to the rear wheels, and the top speed stands at 170mph.

  • Mazda Furai front

    The Furai was revealed at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Named after a Japanese phrase meaning ‘the sound of the wind’, it was designed as the final model to use Mazda’s “Nagare” design language.

  • Mazda Furai front

    The Furai took its inspiration from the world of motorsport. It was built on a modified version of the French-made Courage Compétition C65 Le Mans Prototype chassis and was powered by a 450bhp three-rotor wankel engine.

  • mazda furai rear

    The engine ran on E100 Ethanol, and was mated to a six-speed sequential transmission, which sent its power to the rear wheels. The Furai was no trailer queen, either; it was regularly taken to the track and thrashed by Mazda’s test drivers.

  • Mercedes C-111 - front

    Some concept cars are little more than an exercise in shocking motor show goers into dropping their champagne flutes but the Mercedes C111s were a whole series of concept cars that were as much about technology as they were eye-catching design.

  • Mercedes C111 - rear

    From 1969, the basic C-111 platform served as the foundation for Mercedes to showcase innovations including multi-link rear suspension, gull-wing doors, Wankel rotary engines, advanced diesel technology and futuristic interior concepts.

  • Mercedes C111 - interior

    The original C-111, with its 280bhp three-rotor Wankel engine and gull-wing doors, appeared at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1969 to huge critical acclaim.

  • Mercedes F200 - front

    Big Mercedes-Benz has frequently used concepts to showcase tech that will feature on production cars of the future. The grand F200 previewed the styling of the W220 S-Class and the C215 CL-Class, but many of its systems would hold much greater influence.

  • Mercedes F200 - rear

    The suspension, for example, introduced Mercedes’ Active Body Control system, compensating for body roll through corners. An electrochromic sunroof, which could be switched from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button, later appeared on the Maybach

  • Mercedes F200 - interior

    It still continues to influence cars today, too: the F 200 featured video cameras in place of rear view mirrors - an idea that made it to production for the first time on the Audi e-tron.

  • Mercedes-AMG Vision GT - front

    The Mercedes Vision GT was designed initially as a virtual concept car for exclusive use in the Gran Turismo 6 racing game. However, Mercedes’ design team was so proud of its digital handiwork, that it also brought the car to life with a life size model.

  • Mercedes-AMG Vision GT - rear

    It was built around an all-aluminum space frame, clad in carbon fibre and borrowed a handful of components from Mercedes’s AMG parts bin.

  • Mercedes-AMG Vision GT - interior

    As a result, the Vision’s performance figures were considerable; with an AMG-sourced 577bhp 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 propelling a car weighing only 1,385kg, it easily had enough grunt to outpace the SLS supercar of the day.

  • When the MINI was first re-introduced under BMW ownership back in 2003, it had gained some noticeable weight over its predecessor. With each generation since, the MINI has gained inches in every direction and spawned bigger variations such as the Clubman.

  • Launched at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the Rocketman was designed to show that a modern MINI could indeed be ‘mini’. It measured just over three metres in length, which meant it was just 400mm longer than the 1959 original.

  • The Rocketman used a carbon-fibre space-frame chassis and featured several unique design touches such as a large glass floating roof, stirrup-shaped rearlights and double-hinged doors for easier access to the cabin.

  • Every now and then, the designers like to take a break from scaling up hatchbacks, and in 2014 they blew us away with this, the MINI Superleggera Vision.

  • Inspired by classic racers of the 1950s and 60s, the two-seater roadster was handcrafted by Milan-based coachbuilders Touring Superleggera, injecting some Italian flair into the quintessentially British design.

  • No standard MINI parts were used on the concept, yet it remains unmistakably on-brand. The iconic bonnet stripes are embossed into the metal, and the spotlights are replaced by LED rings blended into the grille.

  • Nissan IDx concept  - front

    Nissan chose its home motor show to unleash the IDx concept on the world in 2013 and the world lapped it up.

  • Nissan IDx concept - rear

    The cars are very much of the retro school of concept car design. Rather than vainly attempting to predict the automotive future, designer David Beasley cast his eye back to Nissan’s past and hit upon the Datsun 510.

  • Nissan Pivo 1

    We were first introduced to the compact, ultra-manoeuvrable Nissan Pivo electric city car back in 2005 and at first glance, one could have been forgiven for thinking it was just another “vision of future mobility” that would be forgotten.

  • Nissan Pivo 2

    Designed purely for city driving, it featured four-wheel steering and great all-around visibility. On top of a battery-filled deck, the electric Pivo featured a unique 360-degree rotating cabin, eliminating the need to reverse.

  • Nissan PIVO 3 front

    Sadly, however, the third iteration of the mould-breaking EV did away with the car’s one unique feature, the rotating cabin. While more feasible for production, it lost the original car’s imagination.

  • Oldsmobile Aerotech

    The Aerotech’s chassis was borrowed from the series-winning 1985 March Engineering Indycar, while the body was built entirely from carbon-fibre, after being shaped in a wind-tunnel for maximum aerodynamic efficiency. In total, it weighed a meagre 726kg.

  • Peugeot e-LEGEND - front static

    The e-Legend is a modern take on the classic Peugeot 504, and was unveiled at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. Interestingly, even though it was a concept, it was designed with “realistic,” showroom-friendly proportions.

  • Peugeot e-LEGEND - rear static

    Throughout, the e-Legend blends next-generation technology with 1960s materials. The 49-inch dash-width infotainment screen sits alongside retro wooden trim and velour upholstery.

  • Peugeot e-LEGEND - cabin

    The e-Legend is powered by a 100kWh battery pack, feeding an all-wheel-drive, all-electric drivetrain. Performance figures stand at 456bhp and 800Nm of torque; enough for a 0-62mph sprint of under four seconds and top speed of 137mph.

  • Peugeot Quasar - front

    Peugeot has a proud history of supercar concepts, including spectacular efforts like the Oxia, 907 and Onyx, but the 1984 Peugeot Quasar stands out.

  • Peugeot Quasar - rear

    The Peugeot took the heavily turbocharged 600bhp 4-cylinder engine from its legendary 205 T16 rally car and applied the Quasar’s sci-fi inspired bodywork and interior over the top.

  • Peugeot Quasar - interior

    nside, the Quasar’s striking red leather and blue carpets were an acquired taste but it also featured a Clarion stereo and an early satellite navigation system that could send and receive teletext messages.

  • Red Bull X2010

    "If you built the fastest racing car on land, one that throws aside all rules and regulations, what would that car look like, how would it perform, and how would it feel to drive?”. The answer was the Red Bull X2010.

  • Red Bull X2010

    Aerodynamics are at its core with enclosed wheels and fan technology designed to suck the car to the road. A 1,479bhp engine provides the power with the aims of launching the 545kg machine to a 292mph top speed and pulling 6g in lateral forces.

  • Renault DeZir front

    Renault has developed a bit of a habit for creating bedroom poster concept cars and the Dezir, shown at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, certainly falls into that category.

  • Renault DeZir doors

    The Dezir concept was one of six concept cars designed by Renault to showcase the different stages of life that it customers might encounter but they also hinted at the future design language of the brand.

  • Renault DeZir interior

    The Dezir never made it to production unfortunately, although you can clearly see elements of its design in current Renault models - particularly that full-width grille.

  • Renault Espace F1 - front

    What do you get when you cross a typically French MPV with the engine of a Formula 1 car? The one-off, madcap Renault Espace F1.

  • Renault Espace F1 - rear

    Back in 1994, Renault was celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Espace MPV, a car so practical and versatile it went on to define the MPV sector for another two decades.

  • Renault Espace F1 - side

    Instead of having a simple birthday cake and some balloons, Renault decided to team up with its Formula 1 operation and insert one of its competition engines into the Espace.

  • Rinspeed Presto - front

    The people at Rinspeed have long been the kings of the bizarre concept car, and the Swiss firm arguably hit peak weirdness in 2002 with the Presto.

  • Rinspeed Presto - rear

    One push of a button stretches the Presto by 746mm - turning it from a two seat, three-metre long micro car into a four seater with more rear legroom than a typical family hatch.

  • Rinspeed Presto - interior

    Rinspeed’s madcap engineers didn’t stop with the design, either: they altered the Mercedes-sourced 1.7-litre engine so that it could run on a mix of diesel and natural gas.

  • Rover Spiritual - front

    The Mini Spiritual concept aimed to succeed the original British motoring icon - not from a styling point of view, but by taking inspiration from its groundbreaking approach to the small car concept.

  • Rover Spiritual - rear

    As a result, the Spiritual promised exceptional packaging, thanks in no small part to its - at the time - revolutionary mid-engined layout and compact ‘Hydrogas’ suspension. The Spiritual was tiny at 3,000mm - the same length as the original Mini.

  • SEAT Tango - front

    The Tango makes a strong case to be one of the prettiest cars that SEAT has ever designed. The gorgeous shape was penned by Walta da Silva - a man also responsible for the Alfa Romeo 156 and the original Audi R8.

  • SEAT Tango - rear

    Trotting out of the same VW Group stable as the TT meant that, even in concept form, the Tango seemed like a plausible production prospect. Power came from a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine, sending its 178bhp to the front wheels through a six-speed gearbox

  • SEAT Tango - interior

    Sadly, SEAT, or its VW Group bosses, didn’t see the potential for big sales and pursued the Altea MPV instead.

  • Suzuki GSXR - front

    ‘If Suzuki designed a modern day Caterham Seven’: that’s the concept behind the wildly-styled Suzuki GSX-R/4, which wowed onlookers when it was revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 2001.

  • Suzuki GSXR - rear

    The GSX-R name tag is a reference to the brand’s motorcycle range, and as such this little track-day toy was powered by the same 1,299cc four-cylinder engine used by the Suzuki Hayabusa - at the time the fastest production motorcycle in the world.

  • Suzuki GSXR - interior

    An aluminum spaceframe chassis kept the weight down to just 640kg, so while the power-to-weight ratio couldn’t match a Suzuki superbike, it was still phenomenal by road car standards.

  • The FT-1 was Toyota’s return to its performance car roots. It was a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car unveiled at the 2014 North American International Motor Show andit was a first look at Toyota’s planned replacement for the legendary Supra.

  • It was visually striking, with an F1-style nose-cone moulded into the bonnet and bumper (like a McLaren-Mercedes SLR) and a wrap-around “glasshouse” cockpit borrowed from the old Toyota 2000GT.

  • The interior was equally dramatic, featuring a wrap-around dash and centre console, an F1-style steering wheel which housed most of the FT-1’s major controls and a digital instrument binnacle.

  • Toyota Pod - front

    The ’pod’ is a common theme at motor shows today, urban transport bubbles that promise to autonomously whisk people around the cities of the future. Well, back in 2001, Toyota was on the pod bandwagon early with the aptly named Toyota Pod concept.

  • Toyota Pod - rear

    It made no claims of autonomous driving but instead promised to sense your moods by collecting biometric data and have a gentle word to calm you down if your pulse or perspiration rates got too high.

  • Toyota Pod - interior

    the Pod lets others know its mood by changing the colour of the lighting on its frontal ‘face’ (red for angry, blue for sad and orange for happy) and in a move of pure genius on the part of the designers’, wags the rear window ‘tail’.

  • In unveiling the S-FR back in 2015, Toyota hinted that the compact, rear-wheel drive roadster format might not be hogged by the Mazda MX-5 forever.

  • Under the skin was a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine producing 130bhp. That might not sound like much but, tipping the scales at just 980kg meant that the S-FR weighed roughly one large human less than the current entry-level MX-5.

  • The dashboard design was a showcase of beautiful simplicity; featuring all of the major controls stacked on a single tower beside the steering wheel.

  • Volvo Tundra - front

    There’ll be something naggingly familiar about the 1979 Volvo Tundra concept to anyone with a soft spot for French cars of the 80s and early 90s.

  • Volvo Tundra - interior

    The Volvo 343-based Tundra, with its angular, wedge-inspired shape, gold colour scheme and blacked-out pillars, was at odds with Volvo’s line-up of staid estates and saloons.

  • VW Microbus - front

    Nostalgia is a force that should never be underestimated by any concept car designer and few concept cars capitalise on that fact better than the VW Microbus concept that graced the Detroit Motor Show in 2001.

  • VW Microbus - rear

    VW essentially concocted a modern interpretation of the classic Microbus that was sold in the 1950s and based on the Type 2 VW Transporter.

  • VW Microbus - interior

    In 2002 it announced that the Microbus would indeed be built, based on the then current T5 Transporter van. It never happened, and in 2005 the project was officially axed.

  • VW W12 Nardo - front

    Some concept cars lack the mechanical bite to back-up their show-stopping looks but the VW W12 Nardo is an exception.

  • VW W12 Nardo - rear

    When it appeared at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, the 591bhp 12-cylinder engine was fully plumbed-in and the 1,200kg supercar was good for a 221.8mph top speed plus a 3.5s 0-62mph time.

  • VW W12 Nardo - interior

    The Nardo would go on to set the world 24-hour speed record twice, covering 4,809.8 miles in 24 hours at an average speed of 200.6mph in February 2002. The W12 engine tech would appear in various VW Group production cars from the Phaeton to the Conti GT.

  • Yamaha OX99-11 - front

    What would happen if you designed a Formula 1 car for the road? That's the question that Yamaha tried to answer with the outlandish OX99-11.

  • Yamaha OX99 - rear

    Back in 1992, atmospheric 3.5-litre engines of varying cylinder configurations were mandated by F1 rules, and Yamaha’s V12 powered the Brabham team in 1991.

  • Yamaha OX99 - side

    Throttled back from the race car’s 660bhp for the road, the OX99-11 produced 400bhp, yet still revved to an astonishing 10,000rpm red line.

  • Yamaha OX99 - interior

    Then there was the way it looked: a remarkable carbon chassis wrapped in aluminium body panels, gave the OX99 the look of a mini Le Mans prototype.

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