Friday Fun Thread: Concept Cars...

Ah, the concept car. A chance for automobile manufacturers to pull out all the stops and truly wow us with their design prowess and visions of future automobiles. Here's a list of my personal favorites through the years...

1. 1938 Buick Y-Job. Considered to be the first concept car ever, the Y-Job pretty much set the stage for the concept car. The design of the Y-Job would influence Detroit's designs for the next 20 years.

2. 1955 Lincoln Futura. How can you not love the concept car that would become the Batmobile? While Lincoln never used this futuristic design, it wound up bringing plenty of publicity to Fo Mo Co., rating it as one of the concept car success stories.

3. 1988 Dodge Viper. It would evolve into the Dodge Viper, a car many credit with bringing Chrysler back from the dead in the early 1990s. The speed with which Chrylser moved the Copperhead into production as the Viper stunned many Detroit insiders, and the Viper quickly took over as the premiere American muscle car.

4. 1961 Mako Shark Corvette. Wild fins, "gills", and coloration taken (apocryphally) from a mounted Mako Shark in then-GM Design head Bill Mitchell's office; the Mako Shark Concept 'Vette would preview the C2 redesign two years ahead of the change.

5. 2008 Ford Interceptor. Okay, so maybe I'm a sucker for rear-drive, ridiculously overpowered sedans. Maybe it's the police tie-in (the "Interceptor" package was the code for the "cop motor, cop suspension..."). In any case, there's always room for a bad-ass RWD sedan...

6. 2001 Volkswagen Microbus. The only way this could have been retro-cooler would have been for it to have been a Westie. Volkswagen enjoyed crazy success with their retro-fabulous Beetle, so it seemed like a sure thing for the Microbus to see some sort of production. Then VW proved they were made of complete FAIL by making the new VW van a re-badged Caravan...

7. 2003 Cadillac Sixteen. 16 cylinder engine. 1,000 rumored horsepower. This would have been the Caddy di tutti Caddies had it seen production. One can only imagine how quickly a fleet of Cadillac Sixteen limosines could deposit Hollywood starlets...

8. 1963 Chrysler Turbine. Chrysler's attempt to bring jet-technology to the automotive world, the turbine-powered Chrysler had a three year test run. It was touted as the next generation in automotive powerplants, with instant-on starting (no more chokes!) and the ability to run on a wide variety of fuel (peanut oil! tequila!). Sounding like a vacuum cleaner on steroids was just a side benefit.

9. 1988 Pontiac Banshee. With a front-end that would be incorporated into the fourth generation Firebird, the Banshee looked like something that rolled off of a Hotwheels track. The swooping lines and acre of glass, however, did not make it into the final production car. Thankfully.

10. 1972 Ford Carousel. While it still wouldn't have beat the VW microbus, the Carousel would have pre-dated Chrysler's "minivan" by a over a decade had it made it onto the assembly line. What's interesting is the number of design cues that made it into the Aerostar, Ford's answer to the Dodge Caravan...

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Another week draws to a close, another automotive list to peruse and (hopefully) enjoy!

That is all.