The Concept Vehicle

A concept vehicle is a car prototype made to advertise a concept, new styling, technology and more. They are often shown at motor shows to test customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being developed. General Motors designer Harley Earl, is generally credited with the idea of the concept, or show, car, and did much to popularize it through its travelling Motorama shows of the 1950s.

Concept cars never go directly into production; in modern times all would have to undergo many changes before the design is finalized for the sake of practicality, safety and cost. A “production-intent” vehicle, as compared to a concept vehicle, serves this purpose. Often radical in engine or design, concept cars use use non-traditional, exotic, or expensive materials, ranging from paper to carbon fibre to refined alloys. Some offer unique layouts such as gull wing doors, 3 or 6 (or more) wheels, or special abilities not usually found on everyday cars. Because of these often non practical or unprofitable ideas, many concept cars never get further than scale models, or even drawings in computer design. More traditional concepts can be manufactured into fully drivable (operational) vehicles with a working drive train and accessories.

The state of most concept cars lies somewhere in between and does not represent the actual final product. A very small proportion of concept cars are functional at all where some cannot move safely at anything above 10 mph. Undrivable “mock-ups” are usually made of wax, clay, metal, fibreglass, plastic or a combination of these.  The drive train is often borrowed from a production vehicle from the same company, or may have defects in design.

After a concept car’s useful time is over, the cars are most commonly destroyed. Some survive, either in a company’s museum or hidden away in storage. One unused but operational concept car that hung around for years in the North Hollywood, California shop of car customizer George Barris, Ford Motor Company’s “Lincoln Futura” from 1954 was given a new lease on life as the Batmobile in the Batman series that debuted in 1966 on the ABC Television Network. Some notable concept cars are Chevy Corvair Monza GT, built in 1962, a mid-engined experimental prototype.  Chevy also had the Corvette Maco Shark which previewed the design of the 1968-1982 production Corvette and the Volt, One of the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle concept cars. The Ford Company had the Nucleon which was a nuclear-powered car.  The SYNus mimics the modern obsession with safety. General Motors had the Firebird, a series of gas turbine-powered cars and Pontiac had the Club De Mer, an all stainless steel sport scar that debuted at the 1956 Motorama. Porsche had their Porsche 989, first 4-door car, a predecessor of the Porsche Panamera. Volvo had the YCC, the first car designed entirely by women. The Lancia Megagamma the prototype for today’s modern MPV minivan and GMC offered the Terradyne, the concept truck said to include an on board 5000 watt generator.