Concept Cars

 
1932 Helicron.
Designed in France, the Helicron is propeller-driven, with rear-wheel steering but no front suspension.
The propeller causes a literal whirlwind of problems. The noise makes it difficult for passengers in the car to hear.
And the draft — even while idling — makes it advisable for the driver to wear goggles and a helmet.
It is also difficult to reverse park and it has an enormous spinning blade on the front that in an accident
 would blend anyone you hit into a fine paste.
It never went into mass production.

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1962 Budd XR-400
In 1962 the Budd Company, a supplier of parts and bodies to the auto industry, came to American Motors Corporation with an interesting proposition. The wanted to modify Rambler Ambassadors into "...a brand new type of car--one designed specifically to take over a healthy segment of the new car market presently untapped by any American manufacturer." The new car would have a long hood, a short rear deck, bucket seats and a choice of a six or eight cylinder engine. Budd estimated that it could be in production by October of 1963. AMC turned them down.

In April, 1964 Ford Motor Company introduced a very similar car that did "take over a healthy segment of the new car market"--the Mustang.

Why did American Motors pass on this chance to reach a new group of buyers? There were probably a few reasons. First, its president, George Romney went off in February 1962 to make his successful run to become Governor of Michigan. Taking his place was the enthusiastic Roy Abernethy, who had his own ideas about cars and favored head-to-head competition with the Big Three all across the board. Abernethy probably thought the XR-400 was too small to compete against other sporty compact cars like the Corvair Monza and Pontiac Tempest Le Mans.

Would anyone have bought a sports car from AMC?  Another factor may have been cost. The new 1963 AMC line was already a major expense. Jumping into a new market with a new car could be a costly mistake. In the end the XR-400 went back to Budd, the Mustang became a roaring success, AMC was eventually bought out by Chrysler, and auto historians were left wondering, "What if?"

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1954 Oldsmobile F-88
Designed to compete with the similarly sized Corvette, the Oldsmobile F-88 concept sports car was one of the most significant concept vehicles ever designed by GM. The F-88 would have outperformed the early Corvettes and even the Ford Thunderbird. The Oldsmobile F-88 featured a Rocket 88 V8, 4 speed automatic hydromatic transmission and power windows and door latches. Chevrolet had GM kill the XP-20 project as it was called because it would have been in direct competition with the Corvette.
Only four cars were ever built, this is the only survivor and set a world record when auctioned in January 2005 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona for $3,240,000.00.

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                                                                               1956 Chrysler Norseman

Chrysler chief designer Virgil Exner was working overtime in the early 1950s to help transform his company’s product styling. Exner began a relationship with the Italian design house, Ghia which resulted in several concept cars.

During 1955-56, one of Ghia’s main projects was the Norseman, which was based on sketches and models created by Exner’s studio. The body was to be fully functional and placed over a Hemi-powered Chrysler chassis. Working more than a year, the Italians handcrafted every element of the exterior and interior, struggling a great deal with the striking cantilevered roof. Nearly all of the roof’s mass needed to be supported at the rear so that the leading edge did not to place any stress on the delicate wrap-around windshield. Completing the roof structure was further complicated by the power-retractable sunroof .

The Norseman was completed on schedule and carefully loaded onto the Andrea Doria, a modern and luxurious ocean liner. It was July, and the trans-Atlantic trip would deliver the Norseman to the states in plenty of time for the 1957 auto show circuit.

The Norseman never made it. The Andrea Doria collided with a passenger ship, the MV Stockholm, off the coast of Massachusetts . The liner sank within hours, taking all of its cargo to the sea floor. Perhaps, if the Norseman had completed its crossing, the design would have positively impacted Chrysler’s styling as the company dealt with the transition from the "fin" to "no-fin" era

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1940 Chrysler Thunderbolt
Built on the smaller 128.5-inch Traveler/New Yorker/Saratoga chassis, the Thunderbolt used the optional 323.5-cu.in. Crown Imperial engine, which produced 143 hp @ 3,400 rpm. Many advanced features of both the Newport and Thunderbolt were shared-electrically activated, push-button door switches; Lucite edge-illuminated gauges; and the advanced styling of the Le Baron all-aluminum body construction. Unlike the Thunderbolt's constant curve, the Newport featured downward-sloping fender lines that carried past the rear doors until it reached a kick-up at the rear wheel. Both cars had electrically operated concealed headlights, but the Newport's front bumper and grille treatment was far more conventional than the Thunderbolt's. The one-piece hardtop was also functional, at the push of a button recessing into a space behind the bench seat. Other electrically operated components included the trunk lid and side windows. Interiors were fully trimmed in leather, while different paint and color choices gave each one a unique appearance.
Le Baron constructed six Thunderbolts for Chrysler; they were used for dealership showroom displays and were eventually sold off to private buyers. Of the six built, perhaps only two or possibly three survive.

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The I.D.E.A KAZ was a luxury limousine concept from 2001. The KAZ, Keio Advanced Zero-emission vehicle,
has a total of 8 wheels, 6 of which are involved in turning. Each of the KAZ's 8 wheels is powered by its own electric
motor - hence the zero emissions.
Unfortunately, whereas most luxury vehicles have names which evoke a sense of prestige and quality, the I.D.E.A KAZ
sounds more like an electronic gadget.

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Fascination It was the brainchild of Paul M. Lewis, a Colorado man who, in the 1930s, designed a three-wheeled Airomobile. The Airomobile was not successful, but he kept his idea alive. In the late 1960s he built the Fascination and started the Highway Aircraft Corp. in Sidney, Neb. Five vehicles were built before the company collapsed. The chromed-out Fascination was originally built to be propeller-powered like the Helicron, but a traditional drivetrain and Volkswagen engine were installed at the last minute when a propeller failed during a test run.

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Octoauto
M.O. Reeves attracted stares with the Octoauto he built by adding four more wheels to an Overland. As the ad says, this was done to offer the smoothness of a train ride and to save on tire wear. After the Octoauto proved to be a failure, Reeves built a six-wheeled Sexto-Auto that sold exactly one unit.

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The futuristic Toyota PM concept from 2003 is a personal transport concept.
The PM's cockpit opens by touching one of the unusual stalk mounted headlights, this then glows green to announce the impending
opening of the glass canopy.
The Toyota PM is highly maneuverable thanks to its castor like wheels capable of rotating through 180 degrees.
The front wheels are also notable because of their hub-less design.

Another interesting feature Toyota has built into the PM is its adjustable ride height and attitude.
As the PM's speed increases it lowers to the ground to increase stability and improve aerodynamics.

Inside the PM information regarding vehicle performance and the location of other PM's is relayed to the single occupant
by a floating virtual display.  Power for the concept comes from an electric motor.

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Pivo 2
The Pivo 2 is the second generation of the Pivo concept that originally debuted in 2005 and it features an electric powertrain
powered by lithium ion batteries.
Pivo 2 builds on the popularity of the first Pivo, shown at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show.

Interesting features of the car are that it features a rotating cabin, therefore reverse is not needed making the car more maneuverable.
The wheels can also pivot 90 degrees and the car showcases new "by wire" technologies for the braking and steering.

A new "Robot Agent" is also included that has the ability to converse with the driver and additional occupants in either Japanese or English.
This means that you can actually have company if you are driving alone on a long trip.

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A.L.F.A 40-60 HP Aerodinamica prototype
In 1914 Marco Ricotti from Carrozzeria Castagna designed the A.L.F.A. (later called Alfa Romeo) 40/60 HP
Aerodinamica prototype model which could reach 139 km/h (86 mph) top speed.

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The last Yugo and other auto failures