10 New Terrible Concept Concept Cars Never Made It To Production.
New Concept CARS
For every gorgeous and brilliant concept car ever displayed, there is one ugly thing that keeps car enthusiasts at night.
Concept cars are an important way for manufacturers to showcase their latest ideas and gauge public reaction before committing to any production drive. Most mainstream cars are first conceptualised or pre-manufactured, but there are a lot of design studies released each year that are never intended to end up in the hands of consumers. Studies of this design may be crazier with an “outside” design than any other production car, which pushes the boundaries of what a car looks like.
Sometimes, these crazier concepts are incorporated into the company’s reach by introducing a revolutionary, new design language or feature. But for every brilliant idea first shown in concept form, there are an equal number of total flaps and this list is looking back. We cover ten of the worst looking ideas ever, which cause big eyes, which we’re glad they never did on the road.
“Rinspeed X-Trem MUV”
Via NetCarShow
If a company excels at making ridiculous concept cars, then Rinspeed. Over the years, they have produced everything from a Porsche 911 pickup truck to a hotrod, and a scuba-diving scooter. Yes, you study the final sentence correctly.
“Rinspeed X-Trem MUV”
Rinspeed AG – X-Trem M.U.V.
In pure dirty terms, though, their 1999 X-Trem MUV comes close to nothing, which is so bad it’s almost impressive. The front end looks like a deformed Chrysler PT Cruiser, and the cargo bed includes a miniature crane and hovercraft for some reason. This is a great piece of engineering, but it doesn’t draw attention to the fact that it is one of the most terrible concept cars ever made.
“Toyota Rhombus”
Through Toyota
Rhombus is not only dirty, it is made by a company that should know better. It is thought to be developed for younger buyers who want something unique and quirky in China, but it is hard to see anyone spending their hard earned money for it.
“Toyota Rhombus”
Through Toyota
It is fully electric and features a round rotating driver’s seat to create an area such as a restroom for drivers and passengers to relax. This is one of Toyota’s many off-the-wall ideas, but it seems especially pointless because nobody does it. They want to “rest” in the back of a cramped city car, when you know it, get out of it.
“Sbarro Autobau”
Via Wikimedia Commons
Sbarro is the only manufacturer to have appeared twice on this list, and it is easy to see why. The Autobau concept is a complete outrage of a car, every aspect of it is wrong in some way. Every angle and accent seems to be more extended than necessary, and it is undoubtedly the most expensive car to build.
“Sbarro Autobau”
Via Wikimedia Commons
This is so terrible, Jalopnik called it a very ugly car and disagrees with them. However, the Bulgarian Sin S1 sports car had not yet been released when they wrote that article, and it certainly gives it a good run for its money.
Porsche C88
Through Porsche
The rest of the list is full of horrible eyes, maybe some readers are looking at this car and thinking that it’s not that bad. Well, it may not be the most dirty car ever made but it is a Porsche because it deserves a spot here.
Through Porsche
Yes, Porsche’s economic situation was so bad in the nineties that he tried to sell this economy car in China and bring in a little extra money. It is not only terribly dull, it is a crime for the Porsche name and it is reported that such embarrassment does not make Porsche want to put its name on it when it is sold. Fortunately, they cancelled the C88 program before they reached Chinese dealerships.
Arts and Technology Lamborghini Sogna
Through art and technology
When young Japanese car designer Ryoji Yamazaki decided to create his very first sports car, there were plenty of suitable candidates who could base their design on it. For example, their native Japan was producing a host of qualified cars, including the Honda NSX and Toyota Supra at the time. Instead, they decided to take the Lamborghini Diablo and re-carve it in a way that will be remembered forever, but for all the wrong reasons.
By Top Speed
The former’s streamlined design now looks smooth and overflowing, as does the car’s fat suit. Worse still, this Puke-Green Custom Lambo concept was offered a temporary price tag of $ 1.6 million, making it one of the most expensive cars in the world at the time. Fortunately, no collector was willing to buy this monster, and Yamazaki was forced to close his art and technology outfit due to lack of sales.
“Sbarro 4×4 + 2”
Through the Workshops
The Geneva International Motor Show has always been a gold mine of exotic and wonderful ideas, but this Sbarro off-road concept really takes the cake. It was spotted by carschools at the 2018 exhibition at the boutique Swiss automaker’s stand.
Through the Workshops
Clearly, it is based on the Porsche Cayenne, but it has been highly modified to suit off-road racing. There are large cut-outs on the side of the car that show the third axle, though it’s not clear why the racing truck needed six wheels in the first place. This is not Sbarro’s only horrible idea, as he has a strong track record for the eyes, as we shall see later.
“Citroen Karin”
Through Citroen
Citroen is one of those companies that always seems to come up with innovative ideas, such as the strange-but-great C4 Cactus that uses plastic panelling to solve the problem of parking lot door dings. For every bright idea, there is another dud, and Karin wasn’t one of her best moments.
“Citroen Karin”
Through Citroen
Designer Peter Fiore decided that the concept should look like a pyramid for some reason, and immediately painted a car that the odd Citroen boss even went on to build a version of. It was very bizarre and impractical for any use, and surprisingly, it was never made on the roads.
“Dodge Super 8 Hemi”
Through Dodge
The idea of โโthe Dodge Super 8 Hemi was to combine the styling of the 50s with modern car lines, which in theory seems like a solid proposition. Unfortunately, the awkward proportional chaos Dodge displayed at the 2001 North American International Auto Show did not convince most people.
“Dodge Super 8 Hemi”
Through Dodge
The car was unusual enough to draw some interest, and it ended up in some of the biggest-name video games of the era. However, it is very unlikely that anyone in real life would want to drive a car like this, so it worked fine Dodge never tried to make a production version.
“Mercedes-Benz Vision Tokyo”
By Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes has a longstanding reputation for timeless styling and sleek designs, so when Vision Tokyo is unveiled, many enthusiasts scratch their heads. It’s supposed to be the brand’s vision for the future, and what a vision it is.
“Mercedes-Benz Vision Tokyo”
By Mercedes-Benz
The concept-sized grill gives the appearance of a hungry basking shark, and the rest of the car resembles a large metal loaf. There is something to be said for trying to cool minivans again, but this is definitely not the way to do it.
“Suzuki Q-Concept”
By Suzuki
Integrating cars and bikes into one-vehicles has been an idea that has been around for some time and has never been successful. Mercedes also had a go and couldn’t pull it off, so it’s no wonder that Suzuki failed miserably when it tried to implement it. The Q-Concept is a microcar that combines the practicalities of a car with the size of a motorbike, but comes with some serious limitations.
“Suzuki Q-Concept”
The main thing is that it only covers six miles and the second problem is that it is terrible. And anyway, Renault already has a weird looking city car thing with Twiji and Twiji can cover up to 56 miles before recharging.
