Concept cars that you wish had been built

Hey, it's a silver Ferrari. I'm already breaking the rules.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

I think Lambo built it to see if that was the direction they should head instead of the stealth fighter look. The sheiks and footballers all went "Wait a minute" so they kept the status quo. I find the old handbuilt ferrari's appealing, but I would not consider the 288gto "attractive" It looks like most other ferrari's from the 80's.

yamaha wrote: I find the old handbuilt ferrari's appealing, but I would not consider the 288gto "attractive" It looks like most other ferrari's from the 80's.

Sooo... it doesn't look attractive, because it looks like other attractive cars of it's era. Amirite?

Chris_V wrote: In reply to bravenrace: Once you get it right, you change it at your peril. Any "improvement" is likely to look ugly. And I can tell each one of those apart at a glance. In fact, there's a couple I'd take and a couple I wouldn't, based strictly on looks. lol!

I can tell an '89 and '90 CRX apart at a glance too, because I pay attention to those. I don't pay that much attention to AM's, so at a glance they all look similar.

Keith Tanner wrote:

bravenrace wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: Grizz wrote: " The old Miura is better looking than anything Lambo has put out since.... well, since the Miura." Keith Wrote: "Well, yes. But just because they've been getting it wrong doesn't mean the only option is a photocopier. Ferrari knows this - they go through good and bad phases, but the pretty ones don't all look alike. A 288 GTO doesn't look at all like a California SWB." My question is, why do you make a post about new cars and then use two old cars as examples? Lots of companies made old cars that didn't look alike, that's not at all exclusive to Ferrari. We were talking about new cars.

Doesn't matter if they were new or old, they illustrated my point. Ferrari (as an example) has shown that it's possible to make a good looking car without simply trying to redraw the same car again. Exhibits A and B are two Ferraris separated by 20 years that are both knee-shakingly attractive, yet that don't look alike at all. I picked those two because they came to mind immediately. Substitute a 458 if you'd like. Or a 550 Maranello for a 90's example - I'll take mine in silver with a tan interior please. All very distinct. All were new at some point. So, the Muira looked great. But that doesn't mean the only possible option is to simply do it again on bigger wheels with a blur filter on the fine details. Ferrari has proven this over a half century. As have others.

Okay, whatever. Your statements on this subject make no sense to me when taken in the context of the discussion. But like I said, whatever. I have beer to drink.

I can use modern cars as an example if you would prefer. The only difference will be the year of production. I didn't see the rules where we were only allowed to talk about 2013 models.

Concept car I wish they'd put into production. Well, they did kinda.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Many old cars looked distinctive. We, you included, were talking about retro design, which applies pretty much only to new cars (why a newish Miura concept looks like the old one, remember?). The issue was new cars, not old ones. And in that context, your old car comparison didn't make sense to me. I'm going to go drink beer now, k?

Grizz wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: Both of those are only beautiful because they're trying to look like beautiful cars from the past. Don't recreate the old Muira, create the new one.

So a cheese wedge with a bull on it. The old Miura is better looking than anything Lambo has put out since.... well, since the Miura.

Well, yes. But just because they've been getting it wrong doesn't mean the only option is a photocopier. Ferrari knows this - they go through good and bad phases, but the pretty ones don't all look alike. A Ferrari 458 doesn't look at all like a 1960's California SWB.

Better? My point is that you don't need to simply copy what's been done. And you can use examples from any point in time to illustrate it.

It's true, the last decade or so has shown a real tendency of auto designers to get lazy and simply dust off the old designs - Ford GT, Mustang, Camaro, VW "new beetle", etc. But there have been lazy designers in every era. We've just forgotten the older examples because, well, they were forgettable. Fast forward 20 years, and every gearhead will be able to list off a bunch of standout cars from now and will struggle to remember the photocopies.

yamaha wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: I think Lambo built it to see if that was the direction they should head instead of the stealth fighter look. The sheiks and footballers all went "Wait a minute" so they kept the status quo. I find the old handbuilt ferrari's appealing, but I would not consider the 288gto "attractive" It looks like most other ferrari's from the 80's.

I can see that. The first point.

The second part, I disagree. It's like saying that Emma Stone/Mila Kunis/Emma Watson isn't attractive because she looks like a fit 20-something. If she's too old an example, then choose your own

mtn wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: I'll take mine in silver with a tan interior please.

You must be a moron. Everyone knows, Silver exterior goes with a red interior; Green and Blue exteriors go with tan interiors. Sheesh!

One vote for the Dark Blue with Tan interior.

Keith Tanner wrote: It's true, the last decade or so has shown a real tendency of auto designers to get lazy and simply dust off the old designs - Ford GT, Mustang, Camaro, VW "new beetle", etc. But there have been lazy designers in every era.

I have to disagree with this statement, especially as it pertains to the Mustang and New Beetle. The Mustang was less of a retro design and more of a "this is what it would look like now if it was in continuous improvement since the '60s, like the 911" mode and the New Beetle, while definitely retro, was also a thoroughly modern design when it was introduced. In both cases, it's awful hard to pen a design that evokes the original without being a copy AND while being a good design in it's own right. The S197 Mustang definitely succeeded on that front as a continuation of the original, while still being completely new. The Beetle was a reimaging of the original, using the more Bauhaus design language (much like the Audi TT was, even though that one had no real predecessor to draw from other than a generic '50s German race car aesthetic) of simple lines and circles. It wasn't just the original with the lines softened.

It's actually easier to design something completely original than to evoke an era without being, as you say, a photocopy with the edges blurred like the Miura concept.

Keith Tanner wrote:

yamaha wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: I think Lambo built it to see if that was the direction they should head instead of the stealth fighter look. The sheiks and footballers all went "Wait a minute" so they kept the status quo. I find the old handbuilt ferrari's appealing, but I would not consider the 288gto "attractive" It looks like most other ferrari's from the 80's.

I can see that. The first point. The second part, I disagree. It's like saying that Emma Stone/Mila Kunis/Emma Watson isn't attractive because she looks like a fit 20-something. If she's too old an example, then choose your own

I would say that the 288 GTO was the best looking Ferrari of the 80's.

It's amazing what some people will get their panties in a knot over.

Chris_V wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: It's true, the last decade or so has shown a real tendency of auto designers to get lazy and simply dust off the old designs - Ford GT, Mustang, Camaro, VW "new beetle", etc. But there have been lazy designers in every era.

I have to disagree with this statement, especially as it pertains to the Mustang and New Beetle. The Mustang was less of a retro design and more of a "this is what it would look like now if it was in continuous improvement since the '60s, like the 911" mode and the New Beetle, while definitely retro, was also a thoroughly modern design when it was introduced. In both cases, it's awful hard to pen a design that evokes the original without being a copy AND while being a good design in it's own right. The S197 Mustang definitely succeeded on that front as a continuation of the original, while still being completely new. The Beetle was a reimaging of the original, using the more Bauhaus design language (much like the Audi TT was, even though that one had no real predecessor to draw from other than a generic '50s German race car aesthetic) of simple lines and circles. It wasn't just the original with the lines softened. It's actually easier to design something completely original than to evoke an era without being, as you say, a photocopy with the edges blurred like the Miura concept.

The Concept One was an excellent reimagining of the Beetle - not just for styling, but also ideas such as symmetrical front/rear fenders. The New Beetle is an example of a production version of a concept car gone wrong to me. Take away the Beetle retro design language and you're left with a design that's hard to justify both visually and from a packaging standpoint. It lost the design studio purity of the concept.

The TT is the counter example. I cannot believe Audi managed to get the production car so close to the show car.

As for the Mustang, that's a valid argument. Is it a pseudo-continuation, or is it retro? That could be the start of a really fun conversation in a pub.

The 1990 Fiero, it would have meant redesigning the corvette early to keep up, so no go.

I wish Ford had built the 49. After I took these pictures I started saving my money to get one.

Tell me that I'm not the only one that wanted VW to make one of these.

It was supposed to be relatively inexpensive using tons of off the shelf parts, to make a modern Morgan Trike.

All this about the ford 49, didn't it just evolve into the last T-bird?

Not mentioned yet, Dodge Copperhead

Also, just about ALL the ChryCo concepts since the early/mid 90's.

neckromacr wrote: Tell me that I'm not the only one that wanted VW to make one of these. It was supposed to be relatively inexpensive using tons of off the shelf parts, to make a modern Morgan Trike.

Not VWs first try with a tricycle rig. I bring you the 1986 VW Scooter.. a concept that would have been cool to bring to fruition

SAAB Aero-x Mazda Furai

LOVE the copperhead!!!

The ME 4-12 could have stood the world on its head. That's a Chrysler?

yea.. all we got out of the ME 4-12 was the silly lines on the hood some chrysler cars got stuck with