10 Concept Cars That Should Have Made It Production But Never Did

Not turning these concepts into production models has truly robbed the world of some truly stunning road cars

When car manufacturers want to showcase their next-generation technology or design language, they show us concept cars. This is where designers can go crazy as these design studies don't need to adhere to the plethora of bureaucratic regulations that, supposedly, aim to make cars safer. This includes how high the headlights should be mounted, what portion of the door should be taken by the glass, how big the mirrors should be, and so on. It's because of this, the production versions of most cars are significantly toned-down compared to their wild concept counterparts. This often leaves a bitter taste in the hyped-up crown, as everyone had hoped the end result will be as wild and epic as the show car.

While certain manufacturers have given us, on many, occasions, production cars that are almost identical to the concept, many great masterpieces were never produced. Whether it's because of technological restrictions of the time or the fact a concept car was meant to only showcase what the manufacturer is capable of, if it decides to make that car, many awesome concept cars never went beyond the concept stage. From Mazda to Cadillac, these are the biggest offenders, and manufacturers have robbed us by not turning them into production models.

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The Daimler-Benz merger had the potential to produce a Veyron-rivalling supercar in the form of the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve. The name stood for mid-engine, four turbochargers, and 12 cylinders. Powering this beast was a Mercedes-derived, 6.0-liter, M120 V-12. Thanks to numerous revisions and quad-turbochargers, power was rated at 850 horsepower and 850 pound-feet (1,153 Nm). Power went to the rear through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Other impressive numbers include a curb weight of 2,888 pounds (1,310 kg), 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 2.9 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 10.6 seconds at 136 mph (219 km/h). Aside from the weight, everything about the car was massive, including the six-piston brake calipers and 16-inch brake rotors. Mercedes saw a potential competitor to the SLR McLaren, so it decided not to supply Chrysler with M120 engines, resulting in the car never entering production.

In 1998, Audi took ownership of Lamborghini, which meant it was their decision how the brand will carry on into the future. Four-door performance-luxury coupes like the Porsche Panamera were already popular and Lamborghini sought to capitalize on that by introducing a four-door coupe of its own. The Estoque was a concept for a front-engine, four-door coupe, powered by the Gallardo's 5.2-liter V-10.

The four-door coupe was named after a matador's sword, which was used to kill bulls. Ironically, the production version met the same end. Porsche was under the ownership of the Volkswagen-Audi concern, and it had just introduced the Panamera, which competed in the same segment. Naturally, the Estoque was deemed a threat to the Panamera, so Audi never green-lit production.

A more recent disappointment was Mazda's decision to shelve the project for a rear-wheel-drive Mazda 6, powered by an inline-six engine. The 2017 Mazda Vision Coupe was supposed to lead to it, but instead, the Japanese manufacturer decided to capitalize on the SUV craze with four, all-new models. There is still a slim hope it will happen someday since the project for an all-new Mazda 6 was frozen simultaneously with Mazda's new rotary sports car.

According to the latest reports, there will be a new rotary sports car after all, which means there is a slight chance for the Mazda Vision Coupe to, eventually, materialize in a production model, powered by the brand's new 3.0 and 3.3-liter, turbocharged, inline-six units. For now, however, the Vision Coupe only exists in concept form.

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The notion of a modern-day Shelby Cobra will, no doubt, spark excitement among the American Muscle car community. There have been a few attempts of recapturing the essence of the iconic classic from the 1960s, with cars like the Dodge Viper and Shelby Series 1, but in 2004, Ford almost made a proper successor. The Shelby Cobra Concept saw some screen time in the 2005 XXX State of the Union, starring Vin Diesel, but much of its depiction in the movie was just bad CGI.

The 2004 Cobra was based on a reversed Ford GT chassis, modified for a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Power came from a 6.4-liter V-10 with 605 horsepower, which was one of only four developmental units built. The recession meant that the rebirth of the Shelby Cobra would have to wait.

Hyundai has the chance to make history with its N Vision 74, on numerous levels. First, there's the 1970s and 80s-inspired retro-futuristic styling of the car that seems to resemble a hybrid between the DeLorean and Mk III Toyota Supra. In truth, the design is inspired by the 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe. The 1980s design theme is simply not explored enough, but Hyundai is currently doing it with some of its concept models.

The car features a hydrogen fuel cell to power the electric motors and with 671 horsepower and 664 pound-feet (900 Nm), 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) comes in 4.0 seconds. The coolest part is that Hyundai is now old enough as a carmaker to draw inspiration from its heritage, and a retro-inspired, production sports car from Korea will be the last thing anyone would expect.

When developing the 2004 Shelby Cobra Concept (mentioned above), Ford developed two chassis. One of them was a fully-functional 2040 Shelby Cobra while the other was a Shelby Daytona-inspired coupe, dubbed the Ford Shelby GR-1. Like the Cobra Concept, the engine was a 6.4-liter, Modular V-10 unit, of which only four were made.

Power was identical to the Cobra at 605 horsepower, with peak torque sitting at 501 pound-feet (679 Nm). With a six-speed manual sending power to the rear, this would have been a proper driver's car. Ford never put it in production, but in 2019, replica builder, Superformance announced a limited production run for the Ford Shelby GR-1, powered by a supercharged V-8 with over 750 horsepower.

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In 2010, Jaguar almost made the first hybrid supercar. The C-X75 was developed with help from Williams Advanced Engineering and was meant to be a spiritual successor to the XJ220. The concept model was powered by four electric motors and two gas turbines acting as range extenders, for up to 559 miles (900 km).

There were five developmental prototypes, powered by a hybrid powertrain consisting of a 1.6-liter twin-charged inline-four that revved to 10,000 RPM and two electric motors. The combined system output was 890 horsepower. One of the five prototypes was featured in the 2015 James Bond movie, Spectre. The development of the I-Pace EV was prioritized over the hybrid supercar, which remained a concept.

Nothing personifies American luxury and sheer opulence as well as a big Cadillac. GM's luxury arm has dabbled in extravagant designs, resulting in radically-styled, full-size concept models, among which the forgotten Cadillac XP-840 Eldorado Fastback. The 2003 Cadillac Sixteen had all the right ingredients to be a worthy successor to the 1960s Cadillac DeVille, but the car was purely meant to showcase what "could" be rather than what "will" be. Even former Top Gear presenter, James May, praised the car, saying "This is exactly what a Cadillac should be".

The massive bonnet hid an equally- substantial, 1.36-liter V-16 engine with 1000 horsepower, mated to a four-speed automatic. Vast amounts of leather and wood could be found inside. There was at least one working prototype, featured in the 2006 Click with Adam Sandler and the 2011 Real Steel with Hugh Jackman.

The Miura is one of Lamborghini's most iconic models and is considered, by many, to have reinvented the supercar. Between 1966 and 1973 just 764 examples of the original Miura were built. In 2006, the Italian company introduced a concept designed by Walter de’Silva, which paid homage to the Miura. The proportions of the retro-styled body were true to the original, but underneath you could find the mechanicals of the Murcielago, including the 6.5-liter V-12 from the LP640 version.

When asked about the Miura concept, Lamborghini CEO, Stefan Winkelman, said "the Miura was a celebration of our history, but Lamborghini is about the future. Retro design is not what we are here for. So we won't do the Miura." And yet, they introduced the Countach LPI 800-4, which was, essentially, the Aventador with Countach design elements slapped on.

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Over the years, Ford made a few attempts to create a GT40 successor. In the 1990s, the company came up with a mid-engine supercar, dubbed the GT90, and it was a sharp deviation from anything Ford came up with before and even after it. The car featured triangular shapes throughout the entire exterior and interior, and a chassis from the Jaguar XJ220.

Power came from a 5.9-liter, qua-turbo V-12, based on the Ford Modular design. It was good for 720 horsepower and 660 pound-feet (895 Nm), which were transferred to the rear wheels through a specially-designed, five-speed manual. The car boasted impressive figures for the time, like a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 253 mph (407 km/h). Sadly, the Ford GT90 was created to be a developmental prototype and nothing else.

Dim's fascination with cars began when he was just six. Born into a family of car enthusiasts and racing drivers, he started learning basic mechanics and driving from an early age. While he loves writing for any car, Dim is most interested in exploring obscure and forgotten cars as well as finding the best deals on the enthusiast car market. His passion took him to car restoration in the Malta Classic Car Museum, where he briefly worked on a 1964 Jaguar E-Type and an Alfa Romeo Junior. In Malta, he also graduated Media and Communications, which further improved his skills as an automotive journalist. Dim is always ready to get behind the wheel of any car and tell you all about it later.