Concept car

A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not be mass-produced. General Motors designer Harley Earl is generally credited with inventing the concept car, and did much to popularize it through its traveling Motorama shows of the 1950s.

Concept cars typically do not go into production directly. In modern times, all would have to undergo many changes before the design is finalized for the sake of practicality, safety, regulatory compliance, and cost. A "production-intent" prototype, as opposed to a concept vehicle, serves this purpose.^[1]

Design

Concept cars are often radical in engine or design. Some use non-traditional, exotic, or expensive materials, ranging from paper to carbon fiber to refined alloys. Others have unique layouts, such as gullwing doors, three or five (or more) wheels, or special abilities not usually found on cars. Because of these often impractical or unprofitable leanings, many concept cars never get past scale models or even drawings in computer design. Other more traditional concepts can be developed into fully drivable (operational) vehicles with a working drivetrain and accessories. The state of most concept cars lies somewhere in between and does not represent the final product. A very small proportion of concept cars are functional to any useful extent, and some cannot move safely at speeds above 10 miles per hour (16 km/h).^[2]

Inoperative "mock-ups" are usually made of wax, clay, metal, fiberglass, plastic, or a combination thereof.

If drivable, the drivetrain is often borrowed from a production vehicle from the same company or may have defects and imperfections in design. They can also be quite refined,^[3] such as General Motors' Cadillac Sixteen concept.^[4]

After a concept car's useful life is over, the cars are usually destroyed. Some survive, however, either in a company's museum or hidden away in storage. One unused but operational concept car that languished for years in the North Hollywood, California, shop of car customizer George Barris, Ford Motor Company's "Lincoln Futura" from 1954 received a new lease on life as the Batmobile in the Batman series that debuted in 1966 on the ABC Television Network.

Notable concept cars

Model	Notes
Alfa Romeo BAT cars	1950s aerodynamic studies by Bertone.
Aston Martin Atom	Designed in 1939 by Claude Hill. Fully functional and still in road-worthy condition, it was adopted by Aston Martin owner David Brown into a racing car that won outright at the 1948 Spa 24 Hours and became the basis for the DB1.
Auburn Cabin Speedster	Considered the first concept car,^[5] it was built in 1929 and used for publicity, touring the car show circuit until it was destroyed in a fire at a Los Angeles exhibit that also consumed about 320 other cars on display.^[6]
BMW GINA	A fabric-skinned shape-shifting sports car. This platform (aside from the body material and changing shape) was adopted in 2012 for the BMW i3 and BMW i8 Electric Vehicles.
Buick Y-Job	Designed in the late 1930s by the famous General Motors designer Harley Earl. Considered by most to be the first concept car.^[7] Inspired many other Buick vehicles, including the Buick Blackhawk Concept.
General Motors Le Sabre	Built by Harley Earl in 1951, it helped introduce 12-volt electrics and the aluminum 215 ci V8 to GM. This nameplate was transferred over to be a production vehicle.
Cadillac Cyclone	Built in 1959, it is one of Harley Earl's last designs. Its futuristic styling was heavily influenced by 1950s aviation and rocketry.
Cadillac Debutante	Reputedly the most luxurious car ever built at the time of its construction, the Cadillac Debutante was fitted with a leopard skin interior and 24 karat gold instrument panel and fittings.
Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark	Previewed elements of the second (1963–1967) and third (1968–1982) generations of the production Corvette.
Chevrolet Volt	One of the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle concept cars. This vehicle was launched with limited availability in certain states in early 2011, with availability in all of the United States, as well as parts of Europe by the end of 2012. The production car is the successor to the failed GM EV-1, originally leased through Saturn dealerships.
Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT	1962 mid-engined experimental prototype that featured design elements of the third generation (1968–1982) of the production Corvette.
Dodge Tomahawk	A 2003 V10-powered four-wheel motorcycle-like design that drew attention for its audacity, and the debunked claim that it could hypothetically reach speeds of 300 to 420 mph (480 to 680 km/h).
Ferrari Modulo	Designed by Paolo Martin of the Italian carrozzeria Pininfarina, unveiled at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show.
Ford Nucleon	A nuclear-powered car (scale model only).
Ford Probe	A series of four designs between 1979 and 1983 of which the Probe III was eventually developed into the Ford Sierra.
Ford SYNus	First shown in 2005. This design was developed to explore the creation of an ultra-safe roadgoing environment.
General Motors Firebird	A series of gas turbine–powered cars. Pontiac adopted this nameplate based on the Chevrolet Camaro. The nameplate was retired in 2002, along with the Chevrolet Camaro, which was revived in 2010.
Holden Efijy	Based around the Holden FJ, named the United States concept car of the year for 2007.^[8]
Hummer HX	A Hummer branded off-road compact SUV vehicle that is smaller-sized and lower-priced than the H2 and H3.
Lancia Megagamma	The prototype for the modern MPV (minivan).^[9]^[10]
Mercedes-Benz C111	A series of experimental automobiles produced in the 1960s and 1970s. The company was experimenting with new engine technologies, including Wankel engines.
Mercedes-Benz F700	Its PRE-SCAN road-scanning suspension enables a perfectly smooth ride, even on rough or bumpy terrains (developed later into Magic Body Control). This design will lead to the development of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Mercedes-Benz B-Class, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
MIT Car	The Massachusetts Institute of Technology concept car with Frank Gehry.^[11]
Phantom Corsair	A 1930s concept car, developed by Rust Heinz.
Pontiac Bonneville Special	Pontiac's first 2-seater sports car that debuted at the 1954 Motorama. This nameplate carried over to a Pontiac sports car of the 1950s.
Pontiac Club de Mer	Pontiac's all stainless steel sports car that debuted at the 1956 Motorama.
Porsche 989	Porsche's first 4-door car, a predecessor of the Porsche Panamera.
Rolls-Royce 1EX	The first in a series of "experimental models," the 1EX was built by Rolls-Royce in 1919 on a 40/50 h.p. chassis to test and develop their cars. Individual EX models were produced for over 40 years ending with the 45EX in 1958.The Ghost name Rolls-Royce Ghost was adopted in 2011 as a production vehicle. 1EX was also used for the concept version of this Rolls-Royce vehicle.^[12]
Volvo VESC	Used as testbed in the development of safety features incorporated into the Volvo 240 series cars, used by the NHTSA as a basis for later safety standards, including self-retracting three-point seatbelts, crumple zones, head restraints, rollover protection, and shock-absorbing zero-damage bumpers.^[13]^[14]

References

^ Chrysler "Jolts" PHEV Race; PHEV Ads; V2Green Acquired Archived December 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, September 24, 2008, CalCars (California Cars Initiative)
^ "What is a Concept Car? - Kelley Blue Book". Kbb.com.
^ Vicky (November 25, 2022). "What is a Concept Car? Understanding Its Concept and Purpose - APW". AutoProtoWay. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
^ Cadillac Sixteen Archived November 26, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, by Nick Hull, Detroit Auto Show 2003 Highlights, Car Design News, Inc.
^ Smith, Karl (November 24, 2017). "CCotW: Auburn Cabin Speedster (1929)". Car Design News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
^ Lamm, Michael (May 17, 2015). "Sensation and Tragedy: The Auburn Cabin Speedster Story". The Old Motor. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
^ Wilkinson, Stephan (2005), Man And Machine: The Best of Stephan Wilkinson, Rowman & Littlefield, p. 83, ISBN 978-1-59921-679-9, retrieved August 2, 2016
^ "Bold Holden wins top US award". News Limited. June 22, 2007. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
^ Tumminelli, Paolo (2004). Car Design. teNeues. p. 66. ISBN 978-3-8238-4561-4.
^ "30 Years of ItalDesign". Jack Yan & Associates. 1998. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
^ Concept Car Archived March 4, 2020, at the Wayback Machine w/ GM & Frank O. Gehry
^ Mosher, David (July 10, 2004). "Australian International Motor Show – Rolls-Royce Speech". Maybach. Archived from the original on December 5, 2004. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
^ Lasse Swärd (April 24, 2012). "Ett säkert kort från Hisingen" [A safe bet from Hisingen]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
^ "Volvo questions need for safety vehicles..." New Scientist. Vol. 58, no. 842. April 19, 1973. p. 160.