10 Incredible Vintage Concept Cars

Concept cars are wondrous things. Designed purely as showpieces, they make use of the latest and greatest technology to illustrate just what cars can be. It’s always been this way, which means that digging into old concepts from the past is an amazing experience. When you consider just how cool the cars that were being put out by GM, Ford, and Chrysler were, their concepts are truly breathtaking. Some of them were breathtaking just for their sheer weirdness, looking like they could have come out of The Jetsons. Other ones bear stark resemblances to well-loved classics but are just different, in truly interesting ways. In this article, we’re going to take a look at 10 fantastic concept cars we wish could have gone into production.

10. Dodge Charger Roadster Concept

Two years before the Charger would emerge as its own model, we saw this beautiful concept. Appearing at several auto shows and Dodge dealerships around the country, this concept was designed to hit back at Pontiac, whose GTO had launched the year before. Crucial to this fight was the 426 Hemi, which was meant to sit under the hood of this concept, but in actuality, did not.

The base for this car was the Dodge Polara, and a stock one at that. The chrome bumper was swapped for a smooth pan, the inner high-beams were deleted and a blacked-out, custom made grille fitted. A new air scoop was added, and the body trim got tweaked. The taillights were left as stock but spaced differently, while the rear bumper got the same treatment as the front one.

Inside, the cabin is split in half, with the driver and passenger essentially having small pods of their own. The rear seats were removed in favor of a massive deck. The headrests sit on a roll cage, and the windshield now wraps seamlessly around the body.

9. Pontiac Banshee I

While the Banshee name has been used by Pontiac for a wide range of concept cars, its the first one that we’re most interested in. A pet project of John DeLorean, you can see some of his signature style points in how this car looks. The flowing curves and rounded grille are things of beauty, as is the short deck that makes the car look positively European. Some of its styling cues were sourced from the Corvette C3, which was then in its planning phase, but the rear axle is solid.

There were two different versions of the Banshee produced. One was a coupe, made of fiberglass, finished in silver, which rocked a straight-six, the other a white convertible with a 326 V8. Both are now owned by private collectors. DeLorean wanted to bring this car into production as a Mustang killer, but GM were worried that doing so would sabotage the Corvette. As such, it never saw the light of day, and the Corvette would go on to rule the GM roost. It’s a shame: healthy competition never caused too many problems, and this concept is absolutely stunning.

8. Cadillac XP-840 Eldorado Fastback

The first car on this list that’s absolutely barking mad, the XP-840 Eldorado Fastback started out as a bit of fun, just scale models and one clay. The engine under the hood was to be a V16, and thus, the hood needed to be…substantial, shall we say. Despite largely being just for creative purposes, the car ended up as one of GM’s Xperimental Projects, and ended up being shown in the GM Design forecourt. The engine isn’t the only thing that’s crazy about this car. There’s no rear windshield or rearview, for instance. Instead, there was a port built into the back of the car for a camera. In 1965!

An undercut nose leads up to a starkly split windshield, which lacks any A-pillars. The hood spills out into cuffs that are entirely pointless, but look good. It’s important to stress just how thoroughly impractical this car really is. Far too big, the camera idea was ridiculous, and a V16 would have been a bit much. That being said, we still love it. Imagine if this had been seen through, just how powerful and outright bonkers it would have been.

7. Dodge Charger III

Yeah, it’s the second Charger on this list! It may lack the other model’s actual practicality (somewhat), but this one is pure gorgeousness. An idea car built around ideas of aerodynamics, it was inspired by fighter jets, and boy, does it show. There aren’t any doors that open, instead, a huge canopy swings open. As this happens, the seats rise by eight inches and the steering column swings out of the way, allowing easy access for the driver. The massive hood has twin air scoops, and also houses the headlamps. Any Dodge engine could have been feasibly fitted to this car, but if you’d gone with anything other than the 426, you’d have been doing it wrong.

To stop the Charger, you wouldn’t just be relying on conventional brakes, no. There were three flaps at the back that functioned as air brakes. Inside, the aircraft inspiration gives way to inspiration from spacecraft, including quick-release seatbelts. Finished in Candy Apple red, no thought was given to practicality, and that’s just what you want in a concept.

6. Ford Gyron

Can you tell why this car is called the Gyron? It’s only got two wheels, and was to be stabilized through the means of some kind of gyroscopic system. Yeah, I wouldn’t have guessed either. The wheels were laid out like on a motorcycle: one at the front, one at the back. When stationary, two kickstands (essentially), kept the car stable. The thought behind this was that the car would be able to bank into turns like a motorcycle, enabling sharper cornering.

The Irish-Australian inventor, Louis Brennan, was given credit for the Gyron, despite having died 29 years before it was unveiled in 1961, as it drew substantially from his gyroscopic theories. The designer, Alex Tremulis, had previously worked on a project designing and testing military flying saucers for the US Air Force, before coming to Ford. Sadly for any would-be collectors out there, the only fiberglass concept was destroyed in a fire in 1962.

5. Chrysler Turbine Car

Turbine jets in passenger vehicles aren’t usually a good idea. That being said, it’s still fun to experiment with them (the MTT Turbine Superbike is a good example). Whether the Chrysler Turbine Car is truly a concept car is up for debate: 50 were built and tested by 203 drivers between 1963 and 1966. Between all of these drivers, over a million miles were covered by the cars. All but nine of these were destroyed, two are kept by Chrysler, five are in museums, and two are owned by private collectors.

The main advantage of the turbine engine, the A-831, was that it could run on diesel, unleaded fuel, kerosene, and jet fuel. These are all confirmed to work, while Chrysler also said it could run on furnace oil and vegetable oils. Then Mexican President, Adolfo Lopez Mateos, ran one on tequila. Despite running well, the engines weren’t without their problems, which eventually led to the concept not reaching production. The engines wouldn’t fire at high altitudes, it required eight steps to start, and made a ton of noise. There was also the problem that leaded gasoline would damage the engine, and this was by far and away the most common fuel at the time.

4. Plymouth XNR

Developed by Plymouth in 1960, the XNR is a look at what might have been. Designed to out-Corvette the Corvette, the massive tailfin is ridiculously cool, but also functional, serving as a rollover bar. Named for Virgil Exner, who had taken the step of streamlining Plymouth’s cars, diversifying from their previously boxy shapes. Based on a Plymouth Valiant, the modifications were extensive, turning the XNR into a fully-fledged sports car, with handiwork courtesy of Carrozzeria Ghia.

Under the hood, you’d find a straight-six engine that output over 200 horsepower. However, the concept was ultimately doomed, and the car was shipped back to Italy. It eventually made its way to Lebanon where it survived the tumultuous civil war unharmed, before being restored in Canada. It was sold at auction in 2012 for $935,000. Not a bad price for one of the most gorgeous concepts ever created.

3. Chrysler Concept 70X

A strange concept car, the 70X was focused on safety, but didn’t compromise its looks to do so. The body featured parallelogram doors that swept open, similar to those you find on today’s minivans and MPVs. Another safety feature was the ultrasonic traffic detection system. The system swept to the left and right of the car and immediately behind, with a range of about 50 feet. If a vehicle entered this range, a little red light would illuminate on the rearview mirror, giving drivers more time to react.

All of these safety features were installed in a car that maintained 60s styling perfectly. It wasn’t a lame car, like a Volvo, just because it focused on safety. It could be comfortably driven around today, and everyone would agree it’s a stylish vehicle. Far, far ahead of its time, this car was a fantastic tech test.

2. Phantom Corsair

Maybe one of the prettiest cars on this list, it’s hard to believe this car was created in 1938. Designed by young designer Rust Heinz, who was killed in a car accident aged 24, the car never reached production, and that’s tragic. Not only is it truly gorgeous, featuring faired-in, flush fenders, skirted wheels, electric door opening (there were no handles), and a separate console that indicated if a door was open, or the radio or lights were on. There was front-wheel drive, electric pre-selector gearbox, independent suspension, adjustable shocks, and more. It could seat six people, with four able to ride up front in comfort!

Amazing technology aside, the car is also drop-dead gorgeous. Looking like a wheeled pillbug, its art deco beauty turns heads like few other cars can. The sharply angled nose, leading into a smooth, black body? There’s no other car like it. Far from a cheap car, the car’s inflation-adjusted price today would have been $370,000. In a world full of Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, and Cadillacs, it would have offered something truly different.

1. Chevrolet Mako Shark I

Designed by the late, great Larry Shinoda in 1961, the Mako Shark is a truly inspired bit of kit. The pointed hood and streamlined shape was inspired by the titular Mako Shark, one of which was rumored to be mounted in design chief Bill Mitchell’s office. Apparently, to get the paint job just right, the design team stole the shark one night, painted the car to match, then returned it. A massive success on the auto show circuit, the Mako was a massive inspiration to the Corvette C2, which in my mind, is the most beautiful Corvette ever produced.

Its styling and the influence of said styling cannot be overestimated. One of the sleekest cars ever produced in this era, it leaves even the Lamborghini Miura in the dust. Aggressive, balanced, yet oh so beautiful.