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Concept Cars That Changed the Automotive Industry and Started the Design Race

Every engineering project has its development stages, but, in the auto industry, two particular steps must be very thoroughly taken: the design and the drivetrain, because the former will gather attention, while the latter will bring in the buyers.
Lamborghini Marzal 12 photos
Photo: Lamborghini
Alfa Romeo CaraboBuick Y-JobChevrolet Corvette C1Lamborghini CountachLamborghini MarzalLancia Stratos ZeroMaybach Stromlinien by SpohnMaybach Typ 35 W Stromlinien by SpohnMercedes-Benz C111Toyota Group 7 Race car1972 Toyota RV-2 Concept Car
At the early stages of the automotive industry, coachbuilders used chassis with existing powertrains, and they mounted custom-built bodyworks on top of them.

After WWI, carmakers began to showcase production-ready vehicles, and those were also available for customers. Yet, coachbuilders needed something more to express their creativity. Since most carmakers offered rolling chassis for customers, the designers took advantage of that and made prototypes for sale.

There were plenty of them at every car show, but they were considered one-off builds. Moreover, since they were based on existing chassis and powertrains carried over from carmakers, they were also sold. It was the era of luxurious Spohn-bodied vehicles or Carozzeria Touring.

Buick Y\-Job
Photo: GM
But the first concept car, built only to showcase the carmaker's abilities, is considered the Buick Y-Job. It was unveiled in 1938 and was packed with technologies not available on any other cars. For example, it featured flush door handles, wrap-around bumpers, and hide-away headlights.

While the car was still based on a production chassis carried over from Buick Super, the rest of it was a one-off project. When Harley Earl designed the bodywork, it fitted it with power windows that attracted the attention of those looking for luxurious amenities. Its lines were to be found on the 50's Buicks, after WWII.

After that spark, carmakers decided that a concept car could attract people to their booth at auto shows. The Motorama events held by GM between 1949 and 1961 led to famous production vehicles such as the Corvette.

Between the 1950 and mid-70s, the automotive industry flourished. Moreover, it started to have a noticeable distinction between dream cars and concept cars. While the former were just about design language, the latter envisioned future production models.

Alfa Romeo Carabo
Photo: Alfa Romeo
The Japanese industry started to gather more attention, and Toyota stunned the world with the EX-7 concept brought to the 1970 Tokyo Motor Show. It was a high-performance, mid-engined supercar based on a Group 7 race-car. Another important concept was the Toyota RV-2 concept, which was fully functional, but never meant to enter production.

On the European side of the pond, carmakers started to showcase their ideas with help from various designers. Yet, the most important names in the car design business came from Italy. Bertone, Ghia, Giugiaro, and Pininfarina were just a few of them, and they left an important legacy.

In Italy, Lamborghini hired Carrozzeria Bertone to design a car for it. Marcello Gandini, who worked for Bertone, designed the Marzal concept car. It was a four-seat sports car, and Lamborghini unveiled it in 1967. Some of its lines were later on implemented on the Lamborghini Espada production version.

Even though it was a fully functional vehicle, Ferruccio Lamborghini never intended to sell it. He was a businessman, and he understood that the vehicle gathered more attention than any other advertising method. A year later, in 1968, Marcello Gandini showed the Alfa Romeo Carabo concept car at the Paris Motor Show. This time, the concept was brought to life by one of the best-known supercars ever: the Countach.

Mercedes\-Benz C111
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Bertone was also an intelligent businessman, not only a designer. He asked Gandini to create a vehicle based on a Lancia platform he bought from a friend. And that's how the Stratos Zero was born, and you can see it at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles. Legend says that when Bertone drove the car to Lancia's HQ to show them what his studio could do, he drove it underneath the main entrance's lowered barrier. As a result, Lancia inked the deal with Bertone. Thus the carmaker introduced one of the biggest legends in motorsport history: the Stratos.

Mercedes-Benz was already back on its feet by the end of the '60s and showcased the C111 dream car. Although it was never intended for production, it served as a laboratory and tested a few engine options. That was the moment when the German carmaker tried and decided not to use a Wankel engine, and turned its attention to the turbo-diesel powerplants. Customers hoped that the car would be followed by a production model, which might continue the 300SL "Gullwing" saga. Unfortunately, it never happened, and the C111 remained only as a rolling testing bench.

This was just the beginning of the dream-cars arena. More and more carmakers understood that a vehicle built for show could gather more attention from the media. At the end of the day, the free advertising gained was much more valuable than paying for that printed or aired space.

While some carmakers are masters of deceptions, others where true to their words. As a result, the differences between concept cars and production models will surprise you. Let's find out how.
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About the author: Tudor Serban
Tudor Serban profile photo

Tudor started his automotive career in 1996, writing for a magazine while working on his journalism degree. From Pikes Peaks to the Moroccan desert to the Laguna Seca, he's seen and done it all.
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