Concept Versions of Our Favorite Classic Cars

[Dover78]

I have this all posted over on the MCC boards, thought you guys over here might like it.

I found the concept versions of some of our favorite cars. Some are very suprising in how far they went from concept to production. For example, the original concept for the Chevrolet Nomad had a Corvette front clip!

Chrysler Newport
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1940_Chrysler_Newport_Phaeton.jpg
The very first incarnation of the Chrysler Newport, way back in 1940.

Buick LeSabre
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1951_Buick_LeSabre.jpg
1951 saw the first concept for the LeSabre.

[Dover78]

Buick Wildcat
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1953_Buick_Wildcat.jpg
1953
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Buick_Wildcat_II.jpg
1954
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1955_Buick_Wildcat_III.jpg
1955

Chevrolet Corvair
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Chevrolet_Corvair.jpg
Corvette Anyone? From 1954

[Dover78]

Chevrolet Nomad
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Chevrolet_Nomad.jpg
1954;I never knew they made a Corvette Wagon.

GM Firebird I
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_GM_Firebird_I.jpg
1954; Quite a departure from the Pontiac we would see 13 years later.

GM Firebird II
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1956_GM_Firebird_II.jpg
1956;Still no '67, but that nose is looking a little more Pontiac.

GM Firebird III
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1958_GM_Firebird_III.jpg
1958;There just aren't words....

[Dover78]

Oldsmobile Cutlass
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Oldsmobile_Cutlass.jpg
1954; The infancy of the Oldsmobile Cutlass

Pontiac Bonneville
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Pontiac_Bonneville_Special.jpg
1954; Not quite the cruise-liner we've all come to know.

Chevrolet Biscayne
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1955_Chevrolet_Biscayne.jpg
1955; I wonder if this car came standard with Dental Insurance.

Oldsmobile Delta 88
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1955_Oldsmobile_Delta_88.jpg
1955; And I thought my '73 had a lot of chrome, look at those scoop-outs behind the front wheel well.

[Dover78]

Buick Centurian
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1956_Buick_Centurian.jpg
1956; Not something you'd expect from Buick.

Dodge Dart
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1956_Dodge_Dart.jpg
1956; For all you Dodge fans, this aquatic anomaly is where your beloved Dart began life.

Chevrolet Corvette XP-700
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1958_Chevrolet_XP-700_Corvette.jpg
1958; Very nearly our 1959 Corvette.

Chrysler Imperial
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1958_Chrysler_Imperial_d'Elegance.jpg
1958; The Imperial got a face-lift, but it didn't work.

[Dover78]

Ford La Galaxie
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1958_Ford_La_Galaxie.jpg
1958; If I had seen this car fly by in a scene of Star Wars, I wouldn't have noticed.

Ford Mustang
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1962_Ford_Mustang.jpg
1962; Did someone get there styling cues from the Corvette?

Studebaker Hawk GT
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1962_Studebaker_Hawk.jpg
1962; Looks almost at home in the '80s

Chevrolet Mako Shark I
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1963_Chevrolet_Mako_Shark.jpg
1963; Harley Earl swore off alcohol forever after designing this.

[Dover78]

Chevrolet Mako Shark II
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1965_Chevrolet_Mako_Shark_II.jpg
1965; The predecessor of the more modern Stingray.

Chevrolet Manta Ray
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1965_Chevrolet_Manta_Ray.jpg
1965; A little more familiar.

Dodge Charger I
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1965_Dodge_Charger.jpg
1965; A little plain, but a Charger nonetheless.

Dodge Charger II
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1968_Dodge_Charger_III.jpg
1968; That's more like it Dodge.

[Dover78]

AMC AMX-GT
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1968_American_Motors_AMX_GT.jpg
1968; Drunken love-child of a Gremlin and a Javelin.

AMC AMX II
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1969_American_Motors_AMX_II.jpg
1969;Thats better...

Chevrolet Astro Vette
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1968_Chevrolet_Astro_Vette.jpg
1968; Apparently the Corvette wasn't expensive enough already.

Ford Thunderbird Saturn I
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1968_Thunderbird_Saturn.jpg
1968;Ford apparently thought the Thunderbird was selling a bit too well.

[Dover78]

Ford Thunderbird Saturn II
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1969_Thunderbird_Saturn_II.jpg
1969; Lee Iacocca: "Quick, it's selling well again, make it as big as a Buick with a Pontiac bumper and those body lines we were going to put on the Torino."

Buick Century Cruiser
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1969_Buick_Century_Cruiser.jpg
1969; I don't know how Buick expected a car that big to fly...

Plymouth Duster I
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1969_Plymouth_Duster.jpg
1969; What the Duster could have been.

[Dover78]

Heres a few that never made it to production. A few of them probably should have!

Phantom Corsair
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1938_Phantom_Corsair.jpg
1938; Looks like something that would come out of a custom shop, but that is, in fact, exactly what it looked like in 1938.

Buick Y-Job
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1938_Buick_Y-job.jpg
1938; Wierd name, wierder car...I love it.

Buick XP-300
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1951_Buick_XP300.jpg
1951; Hmm....Enormous, massive amounts of chrome, reminds me of a whale.....yep, it's a Buick.

Chrysler K-310
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1951_Chrysler_K-310.jpg
1951; I didn't know Mercedes bought Chrysler THAT long ago.

[Dover78]

Bertone Dodge Zeder
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1953_Bertone_Dodge_Zeder_Z-250.jpg
1953; Kind of reminiscent of a GTO don't you think?

Cadillac Ghia Coupe
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1953_Cadillac_Coupe_by_Ghia.jpg
1953; Looks like a Chrysler 300 and a Mercedes Benz had kids, and the kid tripped and fell on a Cadillac.

Ford Vega
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1953_Ford_Vega.jpg
1953; I think someone wanted to compete with the Corvette.

Ford/Lincoln X-100 (This car is listed as both Ford X-100 and Lincoln X-100)
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1953_Ford_X-100_Concept_Car.jpg
1953; Does this car have a Skullet?

[Dover78]

EVEN MORE!

Cadillac La Espada
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Cadillac_LaEspada.jpg
1954; Fins? On a Cadillac!? *Gasp

Cadillac El Camino
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Cadillac_El_Camino.jpg
1954; GM had other plans for the El Camino name before the truck.

Desoto Adventurer II
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_DeSoto_Adventurer_II.jpg
1954; A huge improvement over the Adventurer I.

Dodge Firearrow Convertible
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Dodge_Firearrow_convertible.jpg
1954; This is one of the first bumperless designs I've seen from the '50s.

[Dover78]

...AND MORE!

Dodge Firearrow Roadster
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Dodge_Firearrow_Roadster_I.jpg
1954; I like how the bumper blends back into the body

Dodge Firearrow Roadster II
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Dodge_Firearrow_II_Ghia.jpg
1954; No improvement if you ask me.

Dodge Firearrow Sport Coupe
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Dodge_Firearrow_Sport_Coupe.jpg
1954; It's between this, and the Roadster I for me.

Ford FX Atmos
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Ford_Atmos.jpg
1954; I don't think I need to say anything.

[Dover78]

...um....more.

Kaiser Darrin
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Kaiser_Darrin.jpg
1954; Easily the ugliest convertible top I've ever seen. Stick to Jeeps, Kaiser.

Oldsmobile F-88
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Oldsmobile_F-88.jpg
1954; Oldsmobiles biggest mistake: Not building this car.

Plymouth Belmont
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1954_Plymouth_Belmont.jpg
1954; This Plymouth has some junk in the trunk, and its pushing out through the quarter panels.

Cadillac LaSalle II
http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1955_Cadillac_La_Salle_II.jpg
1955; I love those sidepipes.

[72Chero]

FANTASTIC JOB... Thanks for sharing.... this is what makes this so great... thank you ....awesome to see those cars also

[CJguy]

I haven't seen those in years, Thanks...:)
I used to have some models of some of those, Wow thanks again...

[PaPa Mike]

Thanx for sharing those...