Concept car - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

made to showcase new styling and or new technology

Technology

Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

. They are often shown at motor shows

Auto show

An auto show, or motor show, is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars, or out-of-production classics. It is commonly attended by automobile manufacturers. Most auto shows occur once or twice a year...

to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced.

General Motors designer Harley Earl

Harley Earl

Harley J. Earl was first Vice President of Design at General Motors. He was an industrial designer and a pioneer of modern transportation design. A coachbuilder by trade, Earl pioneered the use of freeform sketching and hand sculpted clay models as design techniques...

is generally credited with inventing the concept car, and did much to popularize it through its traveling Motorama

Motorama

The General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's...

shows of the 1950s.

Concept cars never go into production directly; in modern times all would have to undergo many changes before the design is finalized for the sake of practicality, safety

Car safety

Automobile safety is the study and practice of vehicle design, construction, and equipment to minimize the occurrence and consequences of automobile accidents. Automobile safety is the study and practice of vehicle design, construction, and equipment to minimize the occurrence and consequences of...

and cost. A "production-intent" vehicle, as opposed to a concept vehicle, serves this purpose.

They are also known as prototype cars, but should not be confused with prototype race cars such as the Le Mans Prototype

Le Mans Prototype

A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series...

Design

Concept cars are often radical in engine

Engine

An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...

or design. Some use non-traditional, exotic, or expensive materials, ranging from paper

Paper

Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....

to carbon fiber to refined alloy

Alloy

An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...

s. Others have unique layouts

Automobile layout

In automotive design, the automobile layout describes where on the vehicle the engine and drive wheels are found. Many different combinations of engine location and driven wheels are found in practice, and the location of each is dependent on the application the vehicle will be used for...

, such as gullwing doors, 3 or 6 (or more) wheel

Wheel

A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...

s, or special abilities not usually found on cars. Because of these often impractical or unprofitable leanings, many concept cars never get past scale model

Scale model

A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...

s, or even drawings in computer design. Other more traditional concepts can be developed into fully drivable

Driving

Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, such as a car, truck or bus.Although direct operation of a bicycle and a mounted animal are commonly referred to as riding, such operators are legally considered drivers and are required to obey the rules of the road...

(operational) vehicles with a working drivetrain

Powertrain

In a motor vehicle, the term powertrain or powerplant refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air. This includes the engine, transmission, drive shafts, differentials, and the final drive...

and accessories. The state of most concept cars lies somewhere in between and does not represent the final product. A very small proportion of concept cars are functional to any useful extent, some cannot move safely at anything above 10 mph.

Inoperative "mock-ups" are usually made of wax

Wax

thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...

, clay

Clay

Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...

, metal

Metal

A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...

, fiberglass

Fiberglass

Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...

, plastic

Plastic

A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...

or a combination thereof.

If drivable, the drivetrain is often borrowed from a production vehicle

Production vehicle

A production vehicle is one that is put into mass production, as a model produced in large numbers and offered for sale to the public. It is the vehicle you can actually go out and buy ....

from the same company, or may have defects and imperfections in design. They can also be quite refined, such as General Motors' Cadillac Sixteen

Cadillac Sixteen

The Cadillac Sixteen was a prototype of a stylish and high performance automobile first presented by Cadillac in 2003.The vehicle was equipped with a 32-valve V16 concept engine displacing 13.6 liters and was mated to a four-speed, electronically controlled, automatic transmission driving the rear...

concept.

After a concept car's useful life is over, the cars are usually destroyed. Some survive, however, either in a company's museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

or hidden away in storage. One unused but operational concept car that languished for years in the North Hollywood, California shop of car customizer George Barris

George Barris (auto customizer)

George Barris is a designer of custom cars.-Early history:George and his brother Sam were born in Chicago in the 1920s. After the deaths of their parents, they moved to Roseville, California as children to live with relatives. Both were good students, interested in drama, music, and design...

, Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

's "Lincoln Futura

Lincoln Futura

The Lincoln Futura was a concept car designed by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company. It was built by Ghia entirely by hand in Italy at a cost of $250,000 and displayed on the auto show circuit in 1955...

" from 1954, received a new lease on life as the Batmobile

Batmobile

The Batmobile is the automobile of DC Comics superhero Batman. The car has evolved along with the character from comic books to television and films. Kept in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is a gadget-laden vehicle used by Batman in his crime-fighting...

in the Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

series that debuted in 1966 on the ABC Television Network

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

Notable concept cars

Model	Notes
Buick Y-Job Buick Y-Job The Buick Y-Job was the auto industry's first concept car, produced by Buick , in 1938. Designed by Harley J. Earl, the car had power-operated hidden headlamps, a "gunsight" hood ornament, wraparound bumpers, flush door handles, and prefigured styling cues used by Buick until the 1950s.The car...	Designed in the late 1930s by the famous General Motors designer Harley Earl Harley Earl Harley J. Earl was first Vice President of Design at General Motors. He was an industrial designer and a pioneer of modern transportation design. A coachbuilder by trade, Earl pioneered the use of freeform sketching and hand sculpted clay models as design techniques... . Considered by most to be the first concept car.
General Motors Le Sabre Le Sabre concept car The General Motors Le Sabre was a 1951 concept car. Possibly the most important show car of the 1950s, it introduced aircraft-inspired design elements such as the wrap-around windshield and tail fins, which became common on automotive designs during the second half of the decade.-History:The Le...	Built by Harley Earl in 1951, it helped introduce 12 volt electrics and the aluminum 215 ci V8 to GM.
Cadillac Cyclone Cadillac Cyclone The Cadillac Cyclone is a concept car built in 1959 by the Cadillac Division of General Motors. The Cyclone was never mass-produced as a production model.-Overview:...	Built in 1959, it is one of Harley Earl's last designs. Its futuristic styling was heavily influenced by 1950's aviation and rocketry.
Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT	1962 mid-engined experimental prototype.
Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark	Previewed the design of the 1968–1982 production Corvette.
Chevrolet Volt Chevrolet Volt The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufactured by General Motors. The Volt has been on sale in the U.S. market since mid-December 2010, and is the most fuel-efficient compact car sold in the United States, as rated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency...	One of the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle concept cars.
Ford Nucleon Ford Nucleon The Ford Nucleon was a scale model concept car developed by Ford Motor Company in 1958 as a design on how a nuclear-powered car might look. The design did not include an internal-combustion engine, rather, the vehicle was to be powered by a small nuclear reactor in the rear of the vehicle, based on...	A nuclear-powered car.
Ford SYNus Ford SYNUS The Ford SYNus is a concept car produced by Ford Motor Company and created by Spanish designer Jose Paris and Joe Baker...	Reflects the modern obsession with safety.
General Motors Firebird General Motors Firebird The General Motors Firebird is a series of three concept cars designed by Harley Earl, and built by General Motors for the 1953, 1956 and 1959 Motorama auto shows. They were very much inspired by innovations in fighter aircraft design at the time...	A series of gas turbine Gas turbine A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between.... -powered cars.
Holden Efijy Holden Efijy The Holden Efijy is a concept car created in Australia by Holden. It is based around the iconic Holden FJ, the second model built by Holden. The concept is based on the Chevrolet Corvette floor pan, a 6.0 litre V8 engine with Rootes supercharger putting out at a little shy of 6500 r.p.m...	Based around the Holden FJ Holden FJ The Holden FJ series is a range of motor vehicles which was produced in Australia by General Motors-Holden’s from 1953 to 1957. The FJ was the second model of an "all Australian car" manufactured by Holden and was based upon the established 48-215 series, commonly referred to as the “FX”... , named the United States concept car of the year for 2007.
MIT Car MIT Car The MIT Car is a concept car project conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States, for the purpose of exploring the idea of urban mobility. This intensive study on advanced human traveling has been in progress since 2003...	The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in... concept car with Frank Gehry.
Phantom Corsair Phantom Corsair The Phantom Corsair is an automobile prototype from 1938. It is a six-passenger coupe that was designed by Rust Heinz, a member of the H. J. Heinz family, and Maurice Schwartz of the Pasadena, California based Bohman & Schwartz coachbuilding company...	A 1930s concept car, developed by Rust Heinz.
Pontiac Bonneville Special Pontiac Bonneville Special The Pontiac Bonneville Special is a purpose-built concept car unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in 1954, the first 2-seater sports car Pontiac ever produced. Designed by renowned designer Harley J. Earl and hand built by Homer C. LaGassey Jr...	Pontiac Pontiac Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the... 's first 2-seater sportscar that debuted at the 1954 Motorama Motorama The General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's... .
Pontiac Club de Mer Pontiac Club de Mer The Pontiac Club de Mer was a purpose-built, concept car that was unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in 1956 to celebrate GM's commitment to futuristic design...	Pontiac Pontiac Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the... 's all stainless steel sportscar that debuted at the 1956 Motorama Motorama The General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's... .
Porsche 989 Porsche 989 The Porsche 989 was a 4-door performance-oriented touring sedan concept created by Porsche in 1988. The vehicle was never produced.-History:Increased sales of Porsche's 928 model during the mid-1980s prompted executives to consider adding another large, sporty touring vehicle to the lineup, this...	Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... 's first 4-door car, a predecessor of the Porsche Panamera Porsche Panamera The Porsche Panamera is a four-door a coupe. It is front-engined with rear-wheel drive, with four-wheel drive versions also available.... .
Rolls-Royce 1EX Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost refers both to a car model and to one specific car from that series.Originally named the "40/50 h.p." the chassis was originally produced at Royce's Manchester works, before moving to Derby in July 1908 and also, between 1921 and 1926, in Springfield, Massachusetts....	The first in a series of 'experimental models', the 1EX was built by Rolls Royce in 1919 on a 40/50 h.p. chassis to test and develop their cars. Individual EX models were produced for over 40 years ending with the 45EX in 1958.
Volvo YCC Volvo YCC The Volvo YCC was a concept car presented in 2004 at the Geneva Motor Show with the stated goal of meeting the particular needs of women drivers. In order to do so, Volvo assembled a design team entirely made up of women, some time in the Fall of 2001. It was a major exercise in ergonomics from...	The first car designed entirely by women.
Lancia Megagamma Lancia Megagamma The Lancia Megagamma minivan is a concept car designed by Italdesign in 1978 and introduced the same year at the Turin Motor Show. It can be seen as the forerunner of modern MPVs...	The prototype for the modern MPV (minivan Minivan Minivan is a type of van designed for personal use. Minivans are typically either two-box or one box designs for maximum interior volume – and are taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon.... ).
Alfa Romeo BAT Alfa Romeo BAT The Alfa Romeo BAT is an Italian concept car. The car originated in a joint collaboration project between Alfa Romeo and the Italian design house; Bertone that began in 1953... cars	1950s aerodynamic studies by Bertone.
Chrysler ME Four-Twelve Chrysler ME Four-Twelve The ME Four-Twelve is a concept car produced by Chrysler under the Chrysler brand in 2004. It was based on a Mercedes chassis. There were two ME Four-Twelve vehicles produced. The first, strictly an auto show property with very limited operational capabilities, was designed in great secrecy during...	Had a top speed of 248 MPH.
Mercedes-Benz F700 Mercedes-Benz F700 The Mercedes-Benz F700 is a concept car produced by Mercedes-Benz. It was first revealed to the public at the 2007 Frankfurt motor show.-DiesOtto engine:...	Its Pre-Scan feature allows you to not feel any bumps and humps on the road.
BMW GINA BMW GINA The GINA Light Visionary Model is a fabric-skinned shape-shifting sports car concept built by BMW. GINA stands for "Geometry and functions In 'N' Adaptations"...	A fabric-skinned shape-shifting sports car.

External links

Concept Cars & Car Design Information
Information on over 250 concept cars
Comparison of concept car and production version
Concept Cars Index
Car Concepts
conceptcar.cc
Concept Car
Concept Cars at www.allcarindex.com - The index of concept cars is dedicated for the showcars and concept automobiles
Concept Car

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Design

Notable concept cars

See also

External links