Concept cars we wish had made production

Some concept cars are total flights of fancy, while others have some sort of grasp on reality. Over the decades there have been thousands of concept cars produced, some of which have reached production (invariably in much watered-down form) while others were far too outlandish to hit the road.

Here we look at some of the concepts that didn't make it but we wish they had, either because they were technically brilliant or – more likely – because they simply looked fantastic even if they were completely impractical:

Ferrari could have been three decades ahead of its Aston Martin and Porsche rivals, by offering this seriously distinctive four-door saloon. With a 5.0-litre flat-12 up front the Pinin would have had the pace to go with the looks, but 30 years on Ferrari is still yet to build a saloon, although next year we can expect an SUV. Which won't look this good…

Lamborghini was constantly on the verge of bankruptcy when the Athon was unveiled, so it's a shame that this rakish two-seater drophead never reached showrooms. The company didn't actually build the concept though; that was down to Bertone which made it as a tribute to Lamborghini, which couldn't afford to put it into production.

Although the AC 3000ME was unveiled in 1973, it would be another five years before customer cars would be available. Just three years later this much smarter-looking prototype was revealed, courtesy of styling house Ghia, but sadly it remained a one-off as AC’s owner Derek Hurlock (1920-2011) didn't like it at all.

While its predecessor the Probe III entered production as the Sierra, the Probe IV never got anywhere near the showroom. That's rather a shame, because even now this ultra-slippery car still looks futuristic in a retro kind of way. If that's possible.

After the MGB went out of production, the only cars MG put its name to were sporty versions of family cars like the Montego, Metro and Maestro. The E-XE marked a radical step forward, being a true supercar with a mid-mounted 250bhp V6. The EX-E didn't reach production, but it did give some insight into how the MGF sports car would look when it arrived in 1995.

Nissan produced two different Mid-4 concepts, one in 1985 and this one in 1987. Power came from a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 which was sourced from the 300ZX; it was mid-mounted and powered all four wheels, hence the name. By the time Nissan had given the Mid-4 formula three goes, the global economy was in freefall, so that was that.

Alien was an apt name, as this car looked like it had been plucked from a sci-fi movie. The wheels were enclosed for aerodynamic efficiency, which was aided by the 42-inch height. Various engines would be available, from mild to wild, with each one just plugging in according to the owner's needs.

The Proxima was such a flight of fancy as it was never going to be seriously considered for production, but what a road car it would have made. One of three such outlandish hypercars (alongside the Oxia and Quasar), the Proxima packed a 600bhp twin-turbo 2850cc V6.

Volkswagen's take on the lightweight urban commuter vehicle of the 1980s was the Scooter, and very neat it was. With glassfibre bodywork the car could top 130mph with just a 90bhp 1.4-litre engine, which could take the 'car' from 0-60mph in just 8.5 seconds.

This came from another car manufacturer that's since been ditched because of a series of mediocre models that seemed littler different from their equivalents from other GM brands. Pontiac's fate could have been so different if this 190bhp 2.4-litre family saloon had been put into production.

Imagine if your Golf looked like this; two decades after the Futura was unveiled, it still looks futuristic enough to stop onlookers in their tracks – more so than the new Volkswagen ID 3. Power came from a supercharged 1.7-litre petrol engine; inside there was sat-nav along with noise cancellation.

Heavily influenced by the wild looks of the 1937 Bugatti Atlantic, this fabulous art deco concept by Chrysler also shared similarities under the bonnet, as it was powered by a straight-8 engine created by joining two Neon four-cylinder units. Even now the Chrysler Atlantic looks amazing.

Taking visual cues from its rear-engined 4CV of the 1940s, Renault's Fiftie also had its 1149cc engine behind the passenger compartment. It looked great and should have been put into production; with such a cute appearance Renault wouldn't have been able to make enough. As it was, Renault made just the one.

There haven't been many high spots for Suzuki over the years; aside from the Cappuccino and arguably the Jimny the car maker hasn't built many greats. The C2 could have been the Cappuccino's successor, but probably not with the 250bhp 1.6-litre V8 fitted to the concept…

Volkswagen produced no fewer than three different variations on the W12 theme, including coupé and roadster editions, and the company even endurance tested the car at speed. But it was all in vain because the car never saw the light of day thanks to other projects that the Volkswagen Group was working on at the time, notably a new Bugatti hypercar, the Veyron.

With those cat-like rear haunches and the long bonnet, the F-Type’s styling was Jaguar through and through. But whereas Jaguars of the time had become somewhat portly, the 3.0-litre V6 F-Type went back to basics with a lightweight aluminium design. Sadly this car didn't make production as Jaguar owner Ford ploughed money into an unsuccessful Jaguar Formula One team instead.

Penned by Jaguar design chief Geoff Lawson, after his death in 1999 it was completed by successor Ian Callum. We did get an F-Type eventually, in 2013, and it's quite a looker too.

Why is it that if you want a luxurious and capacious load-lugger you have to settle for a car from the executive sector – or buy a gargantuan SUV? It's about time somebody offered an estate car in the luxury sector, and ideally something just like the Avantissimo. Pretty please.

Built back in the days when Chrysler was wedded to Mercedes, the Razor used all sorts of Merc underpinnings such as its 250bhp turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual gearbox. With these, 140mph was on the cards.

The Birusa had low-slung styling with an aggressive front end. Access to the car’s interior was through a pair of gullwing doors that were electrically assisted. A front-mounted 400bhp V8 engine provided the grunt to go with those menacing looks.

Everyone hoped the HSC would be the second-generation NSX, but having developed a sensational-looking car, Honda came over all green and said it would be building lots of hybrid city cars and electric family cars instead. Of course we did get an NSX Mk2 eventually, and with hybrid power for thrilling eco-friendly performance.

Created to celebrate half a century of the Chevrolet Corvette, the Moray was Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro's tribute to an American legend. Power came from a 400bhp 6.0-litre V8, and that glass canopy could be removed to turn the Moray into a roadster.

Although it looked just like any other large luxury saloon concept, the Navicross was much more than that as it was a sporty alternative to a full-blown SUV. Power came from a supercharged 4.2-litre V8 putting out somewhere in the region of 400bhp.

Vauxhall built the VX Lightning as a 100th birthday present to itself, so what a shame the company didn't go on to offer a production version. Instead we got the VX220, which is a cracking car, but not as sensational a looker as the VX Lightning.

If only Chrysler hadn't been broke, this might have been a production reality – but then again, probably not. With its 6.0-litre 850bhp V12, Chrysler reckoned 250mph was in sight. So instead of a Bugatti on your drive you could have had a Chrysler. Hmmm…

Opel has a history of producing neatly styled city car concepts, like its Junior and Maxx. The Trixx was ahead of these however, with its modern exterior styling and clever interior that provided seating in a 3+1 configuration. A 70bhp 1.3-litre CDTi diesel engine was fitted for nippy performance with economy.

Saturn didn't make many good-looking cars during its relatively brief lifetime; the 230bhp 2.2-litre Curve sportster concept is perhaps the only one you could genuinely call a looker. If it had reached showrooms, perhaps the brand would have survived.

Small affordable roadsters have been all the rage ever since the Mazda MX-5 emerged over three decades ago. So it's a shame that Subaru never had the courage to inject some interest into its range by building a production version of the 140bhp Scrambler.

Now that's what we call a birthday present; when Pininfarina notched up 75 years in business, it built this homage to a rather highly regarded Maserati. A fully developed runner, the 2005 Birdcage was fitted with a mid-mounted 700bhp 5998cc V12.

It's a long time since Saab bit the dust and for years it was hanging on by a thread. What was frustrating was that the quirky Swedish marque produced a whole raft of great-looking concept cars with the Aero X at the top of the pile. But the company didn't have the funds to produce what would have been a car that sold in incredibly small numbers.

It took Citroën a long time to rediscover its mojo, but 14 years ago it was teasing us with this brilliant supermini which looked far better than anything else on the market. Just 3.3 metres long and with a 110bhp engine, it would have been just the ticket for scooting around the city.

Many people thought Lamborghini sold out just by producing the Miura concept, as it shamelessly recreated one of its previous models, although sadly not as a running concept. But then if you've got a car in your back catalogue that looks this good, why banish it to the history books?

This was one that was supposed to make production, but Mazda never saw it through which was a great shame. This affordable 3+1 sportster was around the same size as an MX-5, and priced much the same. Power came from a 158bhp 2.0-litre four-pot petrol engine.

An online survey by Nissan concluded that young Americans wanted a sports car that offered performance with technology. This rear-wheel drive sportster was the result; Nissan didn't specify which powerplant was to be fitted, but ultimately it didn't matter as the car remained a one-off.

Believe it or not, VW talked seriously of putting the three-wheeled GX-3 into production. But the threat of law suits as a result of injuries sustained in potential crashes in the US meant it didn't happen. A 1.25-litre petrol engine produced 125bhp to give a 125mph top speed.

It's another one of those affordable two-seater drop-tops, this time with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine powering the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. Sharply styled inside and out, this could have been Chrysler's saviour. Or maybe not…

Of course nothing this outlandish could ever reach production, but wouldn't it be nice to think that such a thing might be possible? Up front was a rotary engine which drove the rear wheels via a seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox. Inside there was seating for two.

What's not to like about a generously proportioned four-seat, four-door convertible powered by a 425bhp 3.6-litre twin-turbo V6 engine backed up by a lithium-ion-powered hybrid powertrain? We'd say nothing, especially when it looks as fantastic as this luxury drop-top from Cadillac.

Remember the Peugeot Proxima from 1986? Well this was the French company's modern take on the formula, a carbonfibre-bodied supercar with copper inserts and a 600bhp V8 hybrid powertrain. Something tells us that a Peugeot-badged hypercar might just have struggled to sell, but what a thing to brighten up our streets.

Buick hasn't offered much in the way of exciting product in a long time. So when the Avista was shown at the 2016 Detroit auto show, hopes were high that things were changing. After all, the Avista didn't look so outrageous that production wasn't feasible, but sadly the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 coupé remained a concept.

The Honda Urban EV concept was revealed to the world in 2017, and around the same time the same company's Sports EV concept was also shown. Whereas the Urban EV has gone into production as the Honda e, the Sports EV has yet to reach showrooms – and somehow we suspect that it never will.