Concept cars are the ultimate way for manufacturers to show off their newest ideas and designs without the practical constraints that come with putting a vehicle into production. They’re also a way for companies to gauge the public’s reaction to those ideas without any significant financial commitments. As a result, a lot of concept cars never make it past that stage, as their function is simply as a display tool and nothing else.
Even so, it’s frustrating for gearheads when a company shows off an amazing idea, then never does anything with it. British sports car companies are especially bad for this, unveiling ideas that might have radically changed the course of their marques but then faltering before production. It’s usually because of either cash flow issues or conservative bosses overriding the design teams, but either way, we wish these ten concepts had managed to find their way into the hands of customers.
10 Caterham AeroSeven
Caterham has found niche success as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of open-top track day roadsters. They’re also a bit of a one-trick pony, since their sole model, the Seven, has been made almost exactly the same way since they bought the rights to the design in 1973.
In 2013, they attempted to differentiate from that original design with the AeroSeven. It’s still very much a traditional Caterham, but it could have been the start of an expansion into different sports car markets. The company eventually decided not to pursue the idea but a few employees left to form Zenos, a boutique carmaker that made the E10, which looks similar to the AeroSeven concept.
9 MG EX-E
MG’s history is an unusual one, but they’re best remembered as the sporting arm of Rover Group, the doomed British conglomerate that went into bankruptcy in the early 2000s. One of the reasons the entire group went under was a lack of innovation at the company, resulting in its cars simply not being able to keep up with the competition.
The MG EX-E sounded like an exciting prospect, in theory, being a mid-engined sports car with a 3.0L V6 making 250 hp. It was built on the chassis and powertrain of the MG 6R4 rally car, so it would have been definitely feasible to put the car into production. Unfortunately, company bosses didn’t approve and the EX-E never made it past the concept stage.
8 Lotus M200
The Lotus Elan had caused some controversy when it was first released since it was the first FWD Lotus ever. Still, it proved a commercial success, and by 1991 Lotus was looking for ways to build on its foundations. The M200 was one proposal for how to do so, as it was essentially a chopped-down Elan into a streamlined speedster form.
The M200 was designed to be a true enthusiast’s car and further reinforce the point that FWD didn’t have to mean less fun. It’s a shame that it never got a shot at production, although its eventual replacement was the Elise, a car so good it kept Lotus solvent for the next twenty years. Looking at it that way, perhaps no one should be too mad that the M200 didn’t make it.
7 TVR Cerbera Speed 12
It takes a lot for a company as unhinged as TVR to concede that a car is too powerful, but the TVR Cerbera Speed 12 did just that. Developed with the idea of becoming the fastest car in the world, the Speed 12 featured a 7.7L V12 that made over 800 hp and was good for a theoretical top speed of 240 mph.
However, its immense power coupled with the fact it was RWD-only meant that it was almost impossible to drive it at regular speeds on public roads. That eventually led to the whole project being abandoned after just three prototypes were built.
6 Aston Martin CC100 Speedster
Aston Martin is in serious financial trouble at the moment, having just taken one of their biggest quarterly losses ever. It’s not entirely clear which path is best to bring the company back to making a profit, but there’s an argument to be made that Aston didn’t diversify their lineup quick enough.
The CC100 Speedster was a one-off concept made to celebrate the brand’s 100th birthday, but it could have been made into a limited production run car with very little extra development required. A car marking such a significant anniversary would have been likely to see high demand, and the company hadn’t made a speedster at that point for decades. A second CC100 was reportedly built at the request of a private customer, but surely making this a limited run of 20 or even 50 would have helped Aston’s plummeting bottom line.
5 Bentley Hunaudières
The British concept with the least British of names, the Hunaudières is named after the long straight that features in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car was made at a time of experimentation for Bentley, as they’d just been taken over by VW Group and there was some uncertainty over what their role should be in the future.
The Hunaudières imagined a future where Bentley made supercars and hypercars, with the concept featuring an 8.0L W16 engine making 623 hp. Eventually, it was decided that Bugatti would become the group’s hypercar brand, and the Hunaudières was left to be just a reminder of what could have been a very different path for the brand.
4 Vauxhall XVR
There’s more than a hint of Corvette C3 design here, but the Vauxhall XVR actually predates the C3 by a year or so. Unveiled in 1966, the XVR was a display of Vauxhall’s design prowess, a sports car for the future.
Given that both Vauxhall and Chevrolet were under General Motors ownership at the time, there’s a strong chance that news of the XVR concept might have made its way to the US and influenced the design of the C3. It’s just a shame the XVR never got a chance at production itself, as it looks incredible and is totally different from Vauxhall’s other products both at the time and today.
3 Lotus Emotion
This Bertone-styled concept was originally intended for a very different purpose before it became a Lotus. Allegedly, it was Bertone’s design proposal for the Bugatti EB110, which was turned down by company execs in favor of Marcello Gandini’s design.
Faced with a freshly designed supercar they had no buyer for, Bertone then tried to convince Lotus that the design should be the successor to the Espirit, hence the Emotion concept was born. Lotus decided against the idea, which was probably sensible, but still, it’s a shame that Bertone couldn’t find a way to bring this timelessly-styled design to market.
2 Mini Superleggera Vision
It might seem odd at first, but think about it and a Mini sports car does actually make a lot of sense. The Superleggera Vision was designed to take on the likes of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, and it certainly looks the part, combining classic Mini styling with a swooping body courtesy of Italian coachbuilders Superleggera.
A declining sports car market was likely the reason that the Superleggera Vision never made it to production, but at one point Mini did seriously consider making it available to customers. Would it have been a smash hit? Who knows, but it would certainly have been a very cool addition to the small sports car segment had it been given a chance.
1 Bentley EXP100 GT
This futuristic concept from Bentley was created to explore how their cars could look in 2035. It’s a luxurious grand tourer with a design that’s unlike anything the company currently makes. Like most futuristic cars, the EXP100 is all-electric, featuring four motors, one at each wheel.
Bentley will inevitably have to shift their powertrains to be all-electric in the future, as new government regulations mean that eventually there won’t be an option to sell new ICE cars. But, it’s a shame that Bentley couldn’t have made a customer version of the EXP100 simply because of its far-out design. VW Group already has production hybrid technology that could be used for the car, although it’s very unlikely that the EXP100 will ever be seen on the roads.
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