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The Frankfurt motor show begins next week and there will be an array of amazing new models.
There will also be concept cars – cars you can’t actually buy but in many cases preview cars or technology that you will be able to, sooner or later. But this story is about the brilliant concept cars that for a variety of reasons never went any further. This is Autocar’s choice of the very best: the cars we wish we could buy.
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Mercedes-Benz C111 (1969)
Mercedes produced a trio of C-111 concepts, all fully running testbeds for technologies and construction methods. The first came in 1969; the car shown here had a mid-mounted four-rotor Wankel engine and gull-wing doors. With 350bhp it could get all the way to 186mph.
The next two C-111s were fitted with diesel engines and would go on to claim a series of world records but unfortunately Mercedes had no intention of building the C-111. It did plan to put the 1992 C-112 gull-winged concept car into production though, but after taking deposits for it, decided to can the whole project instead. - Slide of
Citroen Citela (1992)
We could have filled this gallery with Citroen concept cars as the French company has produced so many greats. But we’ve settled on this city car, unveiled 25 years ago but still looks fresh, and so is its tech. As a pure-electric city car the Citela had a 130-mile range, a top speed of 69mph and the battery pack was claimed to be good for 625,000 miles or at least 10 years.
With modular bodywork which could easily be converted between pick-up, convertible and hatchback, the Citela was certainly versatile, but sadly nothing became of it as the project was too ambitious for the technology of the time. - Slide of
Mazda RX-01 (1995)
Designed as a potential replacement for the RX-7, the RX-01 was smaller and lighter plus it was powered by a naturally aspirated rotary engine instead of the twin-turbo unit that by 1995 was fitted to the production car. A fully driveable prototype, the RX-01 was a response to the global financial woes of the time; it was an affordable sports car at a time when there weren’t enough of those on the market.
But Mazda didn’t have the cash to bring the RX-01 to market so we had to live with its MX-5/Miata instead. Which isn’t a bad consolation prize. - Slide of
Bentley Hunaudieres (1999)
Bentley has never offered a mid-engined supercar and somehow the idea of it producing one doesn’t sit right. After all, front-engined luxurious grand tourers are what the Crewe company is all about so the Hunaudieres was never going to get out of the starting blocks – not when the parent company’s portfolio also includes Bugatti and Lamborghini.
It was the former which took the Bentley’s 623bhp 8.0-litre W16 engine and turned it into a production reality. Albeit one with a rather hefty boost in power. - Slide of
Plymouth Pronto Spyder (1998)
Chrysler was obsessed with retro designs at the end of the 20th century. We got the Prowler, PT Cruiser and even the Atlantic concept harked back to another era, rather than looking forward. Not the Pronto Spyder though, which appealed because of how pragmatic it was; as an attainable sportscar it featured a 225bhp four-cylinder engine, turbocharged and mounted in the middle of the car.
The cab-forward stance and clean lines made it look appealing without any hint of ostentatiousness. But far from putting the Pronto into production, the Plymouth brand was closed down just three years later. - Slide of
Seat Formula (1999)
In the late 1990s Seat was really struggling to find an identity. The Spanish brand was supposed to be the sporty division within the Volkswagen Group but we’d seen precious little to reinforce that fact. Then the Seat Formula appeared. Very much in the mould of the Lotus Elise and Vauxhall VX220/Opel Speedster, the Formula was a no-holds-barred stripped-out sports car powered by a mid-mounted 2.0-litre 20-valve engine rated at 240bhp.
In the grand scheme of things the Formula wasn’t especially radical with its technology, design or construction – but it was too radical for Seat. - Slide of
VW Microbus (2001)
Every so often Volkswagen rolls out yet another homage to its Type 2 camper van, but it all started way back in 2001 at the Detroit auto show, when the wraps were pulled off the Microbus Concept. Noises were made about production starting in 2003. Since then we’ve had the Bulli concept in 2011 and the ID Buzz as recently as March of this year.
Frankly we’d love to see any of them make production because lovely though the current VW T6 camper is, something that doesn’t look like a construction van could really brighten up the roads. - Slide of
Cadillac Sixteen (2003)
The great thing about concept cars is they don’t have to make any sense and that’s certainly the case for the Cadillac Sixteen. The GM subsidiary is the only company to have made significant numbers of V16-powered luxury cars; it made 4,076 examples between 1930 and 1940. The Sixteen featured two V8s stitched together to create a 1000bhp powerhouse, which could also develop a ridiculous 1000lb ft of torque.
But let’s face it; the Sixteen was never a realistic candidate for production and sure enough the one car built became a museum piece. - Slide of
Lancia Fulvietta (2003)
Lancia has pretty much disappeared from view now; aside from a handful of cars sold in Italy each year, the brand is pretty much defunct. How different things could have been if it had put the Fulvietta into production rather than resorting to rebadging Chryslers as Lancias, and vice versa. What’s really tragic is that the Fulvietta wasn’t at all innovative so it could easily have been put into production.
It used tried-and-tested mechanicals and construction; power came from the same 1.7-litre petrol engine seen in numerous other Fiat group cars. Of all the might-have-beens this is perhaps the one that we mourn the most. - Slide of
Mercury Messenger (2003)
The Messenger’s tech wasn’t what you could call cutting edge and nor was its design. But it did look alluring in the kind of way that only a muscular coupé can. Until it was closed down in 2011, Mercury was part of Ford, which is why it featured a 302bhp 4.6-litre quad-cam Mustang-sourced V8. Designed by Gerry McGovern, now the Land Rover design supremo, the Messenger was supposed to usher in a new era for Mercury but alas it was not to be.
In 2010 the Messenger concept was auctioned off, just before the Mercury brand was closed down; one lucky collector got to secure the unique car for just $52,250. - Slide of
Chevrolet Nomad (2004)
The original Nomad was a Chevrolet production car that was part of the Tri-Chevy range offered between 1955 and 1957. In 1999 the brand was revived for a concept that was quickly forgotten; five years later it was revived again, for this very neat-looking compact shooting brake.
Inspired by the success of the 2001 'BMW' Mini, GM created this compact wagon with a view to putting it into production. But it didn’t happen; it was meant to be a premium product and GM decided Chevrolet was a mainstream brand. - Slide of
Chrysler Firepower (2005)
The fact that the Chrysler Firepower was based on the Dodge Viper platform is perhaps all you need to know about why this understated concept should have gone into production. Don’t get us wrong – the Viper’s ridiculousness is a big part of its appeal, but the Firepower looked like a class act and Chrysler almost put the car into production.
The plan was to build 45,000 of them each year, with a 425bhp 6.1-litre Hemi V8 instead of the Viper’s V10, but Chrysler got cold feet and instead the Firepower became a museum piece. - Slide of
Ford Shelby GR-1 (2005)
Forget the rather naff chrome-finished bodywork – what makes the Shelby GR-1 so appealing is that muscular look. This wasn’t a concept that was all mouth and no trousers either; in the nose was a 605bhp 6.4-litre V10 engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, driving the rear wheels.
Ford didn’t release any performance figures, but we can assume the GR-1 was decently rapid. - Slide of
Holden Efijy (2005)
OK, we’re not suggesting for a moment that this hot rod from GM's Australian arm ever stood a chance of sales success, but what a car! While most concepts are all about the future, the Efijy was very much about the past, albeit with some distinctly modern touches.
With its Corvette C5 running gear that included a 645bhp supercharged V8, there was also electronically controlled air suspension, a 3,000-watt sound system and a touch-screen display and doors that automatically popped open when the car’s owner approached. - Slide of
Infiniti Essence (2009)
When Infiniti arrived in Europe, 20 years after the Nissan sub-brand had first been launched in the US, it reinvented itself with a new design language. It was showcased in the Infiniti Essence and it was a language that we were very keen to speak. Complex and simple at the same time, the Essence’s design encompassed the key classic sports car cues: a long bonnet and ample Coke-bottle curves.
With those looks it didn’t really matter what powered the Essence, but in case you’re wondering, it was a 434bhp 3.7-litre petrol V6 with a 156bhp electric motor for good measure. - Slide of
Dodge Zeo (2009)
We were torn between the Circuit and the Zeo for Dodge’s entry, but bearing in mind the former was little more than an electrified Lotus Europa we settled on the latter because at least it was all Dodge’s own work. Better known for pickup-trucks and SUVs, Dodge created an electric family car for the 2008 Detroit auto show.
That might sound dull, but with 268bhp on tap, a 250-mile range and the potential to dismiss the 0-60mph sprint in just 5.7 seconds, it sounds like our sort of EV. - Slide of
Jaguar C-X75 (2010)
Believe it or not, it’s already seven years since the Jaguar C-X75 made its debut at the Paris motor show. Since then the car has starred in a James Bond movie and it came oh-so-close to limited production, only for Jaguar to pull the plug. The original plan was for 250 C-X75s to be built in conjunction with Williams F1, but in 2012 Jaguar got cold feet and said that the ongoing global economic problems wouldn’t allow them to commit to offering the C-X75 for sale.
It was a shame, but after the XJ220 debacle, which saw Jaguar suing its own customers, you can see why they might have been rather reticent. - Slide of
Kia Pop (2010)
Kia has shown its fair share of concepts over the years but until relatively recently most of them weren’t especially impressive. That wasn’t the case for this ultra-neat city car though, which would be just the thing to brighten up any city street. Just look at it – radical from every angle but not so crazy that production is inconceivable.
Designed to run solely on electricity (a 67bhp rear-mounted electric motor was fitted), the Pop would still fit into any cityscape perfectly. How about it Kia? - Slide of
Renault Dezir (2010)
Is this the most beautiful concept car ever created? From every angle the Dezir looks nothing less than perfect and while it offered us a glimpse of Renault’s new design language when it appeared seven years ago, Renault has yet to build anything like this svelte electrically powered two-seater.
To make it work, Renault would need a more sporting image – or a performance-focused sub-brand. With the Alpine relaunch, it has gone the latter route. - Slide of
Audi Urban Concept (2011)
The Audi Urban Concept came in open or closed forms and looked more like a soapbox racer than a fully functioning car – but fully functioning it was. Designed to seat two people in tandem, the Urban Concept was effectively an update of the Messerschmitt KR200 of half a century before – especially the closed version, with its aircraft-style canopy.
For maximum lightness the concept was built of carbonfibre, motive power coming from two electric motors that would give the car a 62mph top speed. Audi initially said that the Urban Concept would be available from 2013, with production limited to 999 units. Then it all went quiet. - Slide of
Cadillac Elmiraj (2013)
Cadillac is the only company to get two cars into this list, but admit it, the Sixteen and the Elmiraj are both stunning – and very different – designs. But both have luxury as well as performance at their core, with the classy Elmiraj just on the right side of ostentatious. First shown at Pebble Beach in 2013, the Elmiraj was a super-sleek four-seater coupé powered by a 500bhp twin-turbo V8.
Maybe not very green but on this occasion we can live with that; the world needs only so many 130mpg hybrids. - Slide of
Mini Superleggera Vision (2015)
There’s actually some hope for this one, although BMW was non-committal then and it continues to be. Styled by Touring Superleggera, the Mazda MX-5 rival was unveiled at super-posh Italian car show Villa d’este where it went down a storm. The response spurred BMW on to consider production, probably helped by the fact that while some of the details might have to be watered down, the basis could remain untouched – apart from the fact that it didn’t appear to have any weather protection whatsoever.
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DS e-Tense (2016)
There’s still time for this one, so we’ve got everything crossed in the hope that the E-Tense reaches showrooms. Earlier this year we reported on the car edging closer to production, so maybe it’ll happen yet. We hope so because for its looks alone the E-Tense deserves a wider audience – although the 402bhp electric motor is hardly short of appeal.
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Acura Precision (2016)
Pretty much every car manufacturer is making its car designs more distinctive by upping the aggression, and nowhere is this more apparent than with the Acura Precision. This Honda sub-brand unveiled this luxury four-door coupé at the 2016 Detroit auto show and the good news is that Acura has a good track record of putting its concepts into production – although they’re not normally this radical.
Acura didn’t reveal any details of the concept’s motive power but the car doesn’t look any less eye-catching than most of the current Lexus product range, so we might just yet see something like the Precision enter production.
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