Concept cars offer a fascinating glimpse into the future of automotive design, unconstrained by regulations and market trends. While some recent concepts are merely previews of upcoming production models, many others push boundaries and showcase truly innovative ideas. This article explores some of the most remarkable concept cars of all time, highlighting their unique designs and technological advancements.
Early Automotive Innovation: The Volvo Venus Bilo (1933)
Volvo Venus BiloAlt: A streamlined Volvo Venus Bilo concept car from 1933, demonstrating its aerodynamic design with integrated headlights and a curved grille.
While the 1938 Buick Y-Job is often mistakenly credited as the first concept car, the Volvo Venus Bilo predates it by five years. Built in 1933, this aerodynamic marvel featured a full-width body, integrated headlights, and a curved grille, setting it apart from contemporary vehicles. Although it never reached production, its design influenced the 1935 PV36 Carioca. Tragically, the Venus Bilo met an unfortunate end, converted into a pickup truck and ultimately scrapped.
BMW’s Olympic Showcase: The Turbo (1972)
BMW TurboAlt: The BMW Turbo concept car, a sleek, wedge-shaped coupe designed for the 1972 Munich Olympics, showcasing its futuristic design.
Unveiled during the 1972 Munich Olympics, the BMW Turbo was designed to impress. Resembling a German Ferrari, this sleek coupe shared components with the BMW 2002, featuring a modified chassis for a mid-mounted engine. While its performance was impressive, the Turbo remained a design study, although its influence can be seen in the later BMW M1.
Chevrolet’s Mid-Engine Experiment: The AeroVette (1976)
Chevrolet AeroVetteAlt: The Chevrolet AeroVette concept car, a mid-engined sports car experiment, shown here with its distinctive wedge shape and pop-up headlights.
The mid-engined eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette may seem revolutionary, but Chevrolet had experimented with this layout before. The 1973 Corvette 4-Rotor featured a mid-mounted rotary engine, but fuel efficiency and reliability issues led to its transformation into the V8-powered AeroVette in 1976. Despite coming close to production, the mid-engine Corvette concept was shelved until much later.
Volvo’s Italian Flair: The Tundra (1979)
Volvo Tundra ConceptAlt: The Volvo Tundra concept car, designed by Bertone, exhibiting its unique two-door sedan design with a fastback rear.
Seeking a more adventurous design, Volvo collaborated with Italian design house Bertone to create the Tundra, a two-door sedan with a fastback rear. While Volvo ultimately rejected the design, it served as inspiration for the Citroën BX. The Tundra name would later be adopted by Toyota.
Subaru’s Visionary Sedan: The F-624 Estremo (1987)
Subaru F-624 EstremoAlt: The futuristic Subaru F-624 Estremo concept car from 1987, highlighting its advanced features like a CVT, four-wheel drive, and four-wheel steering.
The Subaru F-624 Estremo was a futuristic vision of a family sedan. Its space-age design housed innovative technologies like a CVT, four-wheel drive with torque split, four-wheel steering, and a rear-view camera. Powered by a twin-turbocharged flat-six engine, the F-624 Estremo remained a concept, but many of its features found their way into later Subaru models.
Chrysler’s Retro Revival: The Atlantic (1995)
Chrysler AtlanticAlt: The Chrysler Atlantic concept car, a retro-styled coupe inspired by the Bugatti Atlantique, showing off its elegant design and long hood.
A surprising departure from Chrysler’s cab-forward sedans, the Atlantic was a retro-inspired coupe paying homage to the Bugatti Atlantique. Powered by a 360-horsepower V8 engine, the Atlantic remained a concept but served as Chrysler’s halo car throughout the 1990s.
Bentley’s Powerful Statement: The Hunaudières (1999)
Bentley HunaudieresAlt: The Bentley Hunaudieres concept car, a powerful coupe with a W16 engine, displayed at an auto show.
Following Volkswagen’s acquisition of Bentley, the Hunaudières concept showcased a potential direction for the brand. This dramatic coupe boasted a 623-horsepower, 8.0-liter W16 engine. Deemed too extreme for production, its design influenced the first-generation Continental GT, and the W16 engine concept resurfaced in the Bugatti Veyron.
Lincoln’s Modern Classic: The Continental (2002)
Lincoln Continental ConceptAlt: The 2002 Lincoln Continental concept car, a modern reimagining of the classic Continental, featuring suicide doors and a sleek profile.
The 2002 Lincoln Continental Concept offered a modern interpretation of the iconic 1960s Continental. With suicide doors and a sleek profile, it rivaled German luxury sedans in design. Sadly, it never saw production, although Lincoln later revived the Continental nameplate with a different production model based on another concept.
Volkswagen’s GTI Reinvented: The Golf GTI W12-650 (2007)
Alt: The Volkswagen Golf GTI W12-650 concept car, a high-performance version of the GTI with a rear-mounted W12 engine.
Breaking from GTI tradition, the GTI W12-650 concept featured a rear-mounted, 650-horsepower W12 engine. Lower, lighter, and wider than the standard GTI, it sparked hopes of a limited-edition production model, but it remained a one-off.
Toyota’s Mechanical Marvel: The Kikai (2015)
Toyota KIKAI conceptAlt: The Toyota Kikai concept car, a unique vehicle with exposed mechanical components, showcasing its hybrid drivetrain and three-passenger interior.
The Toyota Kikai challenged conventional car design by emphasizing its mechanical complexity. With exposed drivetrain components, a gasoline-electric hybrid system, and a three-passenger interior, the Kikai celebrated the engineering behind the automobile.
Honda’s Electric Throwback: The Urban EV (2017)
Alt: The Honda Urban EV concept car, a retro-styled electric vehicle, presented at an auto show with its minimalist design and digital displays.
The Honda Urban EV, a compact electric car with a retro design, debuted at the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show. While it inspired the Honda e production model, the Urban EV’s charm, technology, and sporty electric concept remain unique.
Lamborghini’s Futuristic Vision: The Terzo Millennio (2017)
Lamborghini Terzo Millenio conceptAlt: The Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept car, a futuristic electric supercar developed in collaboration with MIT, featuring its aggressive design and advanced materials.
A collaboration between Lamborghini and MIT, the Terzo Millennio (“third millennium” in Italian) embodies futuristic supercar design. Its aggressive styling complements innovative features like four electric motors powered by supercapacitors and a self-healing carbon fiber body.
Genesis’ Electric Elegance: The Essentia (2018)
Alt: The Genesis Essentia concept car, a sleek electric coupe, highlighted its low profile and transparent hood section.
The all-electric Genesis Essentia concept showcased the luxury brand’s potential for desirable design. This carbon fiber coupe, powered by multiple electric motors, boasted a 0-60 mph time of three seconds. Its potential for production has been hinted at by Genesis.
Volkswagen’s Electric Dune Buggy: The ID. Buggy (2019)
Alt: The Volkswagen ID. Buggy concept car, a modern, electric take on the classic dune buggy, showcased with its open-top design and rugged features.
Volkswagen reimagined the Meyers Manx beach buggy as an electric vehicle with the ID. Buggy concept. Blending retro and futuristic elements, this fun-focused design highlighted the versatility of Volkswagen’s electric vehicle platform.
Hyundai’s Autonomous Dream: The Prophecy (2020)
Hyundai Prophecy conceptAlt: The Hyundai Prophecy concept car, a sleek, autonomous electric vehicle, displaying its futuristic design and joystick controls.
The Hyundai Prophecy, a sleek, autonomous electric fastback, showcases Hyundai’s vision for the future. While its joystick controls and full autonomy may not reach production, its silhouette and electric drivetrain are expected to influence future Hyundai models.
