Notable Concept Cars
| Model | Notes |
|---|---|
| Buick Y-Job | Designed in the late 1930s by the famous General Motors designer Harley Earl. Considered by most to be the first concept car. Inspired many other Buick vehicles, including the Buick Blackhawk Concept. |
| General Motors Le Sabre | Built by Harley Earl in 1951, it helped introduce 12 volt electrics and the aluminum 215 ci V8 to GM. This nameplate was transferred over to be a production vehicle. |
| Cadillac Cyclone | 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. |
| Ferrari Modulo | Designed by Paolo Martin of the Italian carozzeria Pininfarina, unveiled at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show. |
| Chevrolet Volt | One of the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle concept cars. This vehicle was launched with limited availability in certain states in early 2011, with availability in all of the United States, as well as parts of Europe by the end of 2012. The production car is the successor to the failed GM EV-1, originally leased through Saturn dealerships. |
| Ford Nucleon | A nuclear-powered car. |
| Ford SYNus | Reflects the modern obsession with safety. |
| General Motors Firebird | A series of gas turbine-powered cars. Pontiac adopted this nameplate based on the Chevrolet Camaro. The nameplate was retired in 2002, along with the Chevrolet Camaro, which was revived in 2010. |
| Holden Efijy | Based around the Holden FJ, named the United States concept car of the year for 2007. |
| MIT Car | The Massachusetts Institute of Technology concept car with Frank Gehry. |
| Phantom Corsair | A 1930s concept car, developed by Rust Heinz. |
| Pontiac Bonneville Special | Pontiac's first 2-seater sportscar that debuted at the 1954 Motorama. This nameplate carried over to a Pontiac sports car of the 1950s. |
| Pontiac Club de Mer | Pontiac's all stainless steel sportscar that debuted at the 1956 Motorama. |
| Porsche 989 | Porsche's first 4-door car, a predecessor of the Porsche Panamera. |
| Rolls-Royce 1EX | 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.The Ghost name Rolls Royce Ghost was adopted in 2011 as a production vehicle. 1EX was also used for the concept version of this Rolls-Royce vehicle. |
| Volvo YCC | The first car designed entirely by women. |
| Lancia Megagamma | The prototype for the modern MPV (minivan). |
| Alfa Romeo BAT cars | 1950s aerodynamic studies by Bertone. |
| Chrysler ME Four-Twelve | Had an estimated top speed of 248 mph (399 km/h). |
| Mercedes-Benz F700 | Its Pre-Scan feature allows you to not feel any bumps and humps on the road. This design will lead to the development of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Mercedes-Benz B-Class, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. |
| BMW GINA | A fabric-skinned shape-shifting sports car. This platform (aside from the body material and changing shape) was adopted in 2012 for the BMW i3 and BMW i8 Electric Vehicles. |
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