Since the late 1920s, carmakers have shown their concepts to motor show attendees. In part to show what they can do but also to show their future design language. Concept cars are often meant to be weird and crazy by design, but some take it further than others.
One could argue that the best concept cars were so disruptive that they burrowed into people’s minds, almost challenging reality itself. Here, we’ll look at 24 concept cars that certainly didn’t adhere to any rules. Looking at some of them, it may be a good thing that they never entered production.
Citroën Karin
Citroën unveiled the Karin at the 1980 Paris Motor Show in 1980, and it had a body designed to look like a pyramid. Due to its weird shape, the Citroën Karin’s roof was the same size as an A3 sheet of paper, and while it had three seats, it looks like its shape severely impacted the headroom.
At least Citroën didn’t do anything weird mechanically. The Karin had a regular four-cylinder gasoline engine that powered its front wheels, and of course, it used Citroën’s famous hydropneumatic suspension.
Dodge Super8 HEMI
The Dodge Super8 Hemi looks like a boat that wants to be a car, based on Dodge’s SUVs and pickup trucks. The result was as weird as it sounds, and nobody was shocked to find out it would never enter production. However, Hot Wheels made a version for their 2005 Drop Top lineup.
While the Super8 Hemi looked weird, everything was as expected under the hood. The engine was a 5.7-liter naturally aspirated Hemi V8 that produced 350 horsepower.
Mazda HR-X2
The Mazda HR-XR2 looked like a futuristic car the Jetsons would drive, and with good reason: it packed a lot of ground-breaking tech. Mazda built the HR-X2’s body from plastic and designed it to be 100% recyclable.
In true Mazda fashion, the HR-XR2 used a Wankel engine, but it was fueled by hydrogen, not gasoline. Seeing how hydrogen is making a comeback now, Mazda should revisit the HR-XR2 concept.
DS X E-Tense
DS was part of Citroën’s lineup but became a standalone brand a few years ago. DS unveiled the X E-Tense in 2018 to preview what we can expect from the French manufacturer in 2035. As much as we hope that’s true, we think it’s unlikely they’ll ever build the X E-Tense, as it’s based on a Formula E car.
Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that the X E-Tense isn’t symmetrical, and DS claims that’s because the car represents the twin desires of car enthusiasts in 2035. Apparently, when future drivers want to have fun on their favorite track or road, they’ll use the open cockpit. When tired and want to relax, they can sit in the enclosed cabin and let the car’s autonomous features drive them home.
Hyundai Elevate
The Hyundai Elevate looks like the perfect vehicle if you’re going to Mars, but we’re sure Elon Musk will build a Tesla for that soon. The real reason Hyundai built the Elevate isn’t space-related; they designed it for rescue missions, and the concept was functional.
The Elevate has wheels and “legs,” allowing it to traverse impassable terrains and conditions. Once back on the road, it would transform into a regular car.
Pal-V Liberty
The Pal-V Liberty is a flying car that was first shown at the 2019 Geneva Auto Show. The idea behind the concept was simple enough – if you don’t want to be stuck in traffic, just fly to your destination instead.
The Liberty flying car concept was a mix between a car and a gyrocopter. When you’re ready to fly, unfold the rotors and tail, fire up the Rotax 912 iS engine, and prepare for take-off. The Dutch company claimed the Liberty had a top speed of 99 mph in the air and on land.
Peugeot Quasar
The Peugeot Quasar isn’t the craziest concept car we’ve ever seen, but it is one of the coolest. Peugeot decided to build the ultimate Group B rally car – one that was even better than the 205 T16.
The Quasar was mechanically identical to the 205 T16, but the bodywork was in a different league, with crazy styling and the engine on full display at the rear. Speaking of the engine, it produced 600 horsepower and sent it to all four wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. Peugeot never intended the Quasar for production, but the styling did influence some of their regular cars.
Audi AI: Trail
The Audi AI: Trail was a concept designed to take people on fun outdoor adventures, and it was more utilitarian than anything currently available in the military’s arsenal. The Audi AI: Trail even featured five drones that would fly ahead, light up the road, and provide camera vision.
Audi built the AI: Trail mostly from glass so occupants can enjoy the surrounding scenery to the max. The interior has two hanging chairs, making it comfortable over rough terrains. Audi said we can expect to see cars like this in the future, maybe as soon as 2030, but we’re skeptical. Then again, this is a fully-functional vehicle built using parts from VAG’s existing lineup.
Rinspeed Senso
The Rinspeed Senso concept is a futuristic take on the iconic wedge-shaped sports cars of the past. However, that’s not what makes it special. Its bodywork is made from fully recyclable composite materials, and the 3.2-liter Porsche Boxster engine can run on natural gas.
The most exciting stuff is found inside, as this concept car from the mid-2000s gave us a glimpse of the future – which is now today. It featured biometric monitoring systems that could detect the driver’s stress levels and current state of being.
Alfa Romeo BAT Series
Alfa Romeo and Bertone worked together to develop the BAT cars (Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica) to study drag and aerodynamics. The 1954 BAT 7 had a drag coefficient of just 0.19, which is impressive even by today’s standards.
The BAT concept cars were based on the Alfa Romeo 1900 chassis and were fitted with 100-horsepower engines. In the 1953 BAT 5, that resulted in a top speed of 120 mph. By the way, the BAT 5 was the first, not the fifth attempt – three BAT concept cars were built, 5,7 and 9.
Citroën 19_19
The Citroën 19_19 is another strange concept from the French carmaker. The futuristic pod vehicle was clearly inspired by aerospace design, and there are no prizes for guessing it’s capable of autonomous driving.
Citroën built the 19_19 to celebrate the company’s 100th birthday, and what better way to celebrate the past than by looking into the future?
Toyota Concept-i
The Toyota Concept-i is an empathetic car that understands people, and we’re not entirely sure whether that’s great or scary. So, we’ll explain a bit more, and then you can judge for yourself.
Toyota’s Concept-i uses AI designed to tap into the mind and emotions of its occupants. It does this to learn to understand people and provide “protection and inspiration” through automated driving for “unequaled safety and peace of mind.”
Peugeot Moovie
The Peugeot Moovie concept came about through the brand’s annual design competition in 2005, and it was first shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show that year. André Costa, a Portuguese designer, is the man behind the small pod-style two-seater zero-emissions car.
Peugeot’s Moovie concept is an all-electric car that weighs just 1,100 lbs, and it was built to show that the company would commit to small and sustainable vehicles in the future.
OSI Silver Fox
The OSI Silver Fox is undoubtedly one of the weirder-looking concept cars we’ve seen. It’s a race car concept but looks more like a spaceship from a sci-fi show. OSI built the Silver Fox in 1967 to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Silver Fox had one pod for the driver and one for the engine. It only had a 1.0-liter Renault unit but still hit a 155 mph top speed. Perhaps the design had something going for it after all?
Renault Racoon
We wonder why Renault would name an amphibious car after an animal that doesn’t live near the water. Anyway, besides its strange name, the 1993 Renault Racoon was a cool concept.
A twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine powered the Racoon, so it should perform well on land. It also featured large tires and high ground clearance, so it should be able to venture off-road when needed. Out back, two water jets poked out, and it could do five knots on the water.
Aurora Safety Car
In 1957, the Aurora Safety Car was designed to be the safest vehicle on the road, yet it was built on a wooden frame with a fiberglass body.
It featured a lot of safety equipment that has since become standard in modern cars, but we can all agree that the Aurora’s design was questionable. Perhaps it was the safest car because nobody would want to drive it.
Nissan Pivo 2
The Nissan Pivo 2 was an urban car concept with four independent wheels that could swivel like the ones on a shopping cart — an individual electric motor powered each wheel. Because of the swiveling wheel design, the driver didn’t need mirrors or parking cameras to park.
The Pivo 2 also had a robot companion to keep the driver company. The robot kept the driver happy, as Nissan figured a happy driver was safer.
Plymouth Voyager 3
The Plymouth Voyager 3 debuted at the 1990 Chicago Motor Show, and it was probably the weirdest-looking car there. The Voyager 3 sounds like the name of a space shuttle, and it looks like its road-going cousin.
The unique minivan would split in half, featuring a detachable cab on the back. When the rear part was attached, the car had more seats.
Plymouth Expresso
The Plymouth Expresso is a weird design that looks more like a toy than something that would ever enter production. Luckily, the Chrysler brass didn’t like the Expresso either, so they quickly pulled the plug.
That said, some elements of the Expresso did make it into the wild. Chrysler used some of its design cues on the PT cruiser, and the Expresso name was used as a trim level of the Chrysler Neon.
Ghia Selene II
While the first planes with jet engines arrived during WW2, they became much more common during the 1950s. The automotive industry wasn’t far behind, and several jet plane-inspired concept cars were created during this period.
Ghia created a couple of concept cars with jet fighter-style canopies. The Ghia Selene concepts had a dual pedal configuration that allowed for both left or right-hand drive by swapping the steering mechanism to either side of the cabin.
Fiat Turbina
Speaking of jet-inspired concept cars, the design of the Fiat Turbina was clearly inspired by a fighter jet, but it’s what powers it that really makes it interesting.
The Fiat Turbina takes its fighter-jet inspiration to a new level, as it isn’t powered by a regular piston engine. Instead, Fiat decided it would be a great idea to use a gas turbine engine to propel it. Granted, Chrysler did the same thing, but Fiat beat them to it, as the Turbina emerged in 1954. The concept worked, and it had a top speed of 160 mph, but there were too many problems with it to put it into production.
Buick Cielo
Buick unveiled the Cielo at the 1999 Detroit Motor Show, and it didn’t look like any other Buick ever made. The Cielo’s three-part roof was similar to that of the Citroën C3 Pluriel, and while the car was based on the Regal GS, its styling was more in-your-face.
The Cielo had rear side airbags, making it one of the first vehicles with that feature, and a voice feedback service, which certainly was rare in the ’90s.
Ferrari 512S Modulo
The Pininfarina-designed Ferrari 512S Modulo was revealed at the 1970 Geneva Auto Show. Its design wasn’t like anything else on the market then and would inspire future wedge-style cars throughout the 1970s and early ’80s.
The Modulo was based on a real Ferrari race car and was powered by a V12 engine with 550 horsepower. The vehicle was only 36 inches tall, making the Ford GT40 look like a giant, and instead of doors, the windshield would slide away so the driver could get in.
BMW GINA
The BMW GINA was built on the Z8 platform and used the same V8 engine. However, all the traditional metal body panels were gone, and in their place was this “skin” that would morph into different shapes. It can even “grow” a rear spoiler for improved high-speed stability.
Even the interior would shapeshift to suit the driver’s needs. Once the driver pushes the start button, the steering wheel and instruments will slide into their correct positions, and the headrest emerges from the seat when the driver sits down.
