1965 Corvette XP-819 In 1965, famed General Motors designer Larry Shinoda designed a one-off concept car, the XP-819, that tested...
In 1945, the Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab AB, began design work on a prototype road car with the intention that...
The 1,000th Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” rolls off the production line, in the Sindelfingen plant, in December 1955, a little less than a year after its introduction....
Auto Union’s Wanderer brand constructed three, Ferdinand Porsche designed, aluminum-bodied W25K roadsters for the 1938 Liege-Rome-Liege rally. Equipped with inline,...
Debuted at the 1968 New York Auto Show, the Astro II (eXperimental Project 880) was General Motors’ first, real foray...
One of three experimental aerodynamic prototypes built for the 1940 war-affected Mille Miglia, this unique 328 was designed by Wunibald Kamm. After World War II, this car would be crashed and destroyed in 1953....
1966 Pininfarina Ferrari 365P Berlinetta Speciale Designed by Pininfarina as a Ferrari concept car, the 365P Berlinetta Speciale utilized a...
A Carrozzeria Touring publicity photograph of the newly built BMW328 MM Coupe that would go on to finish 5th at...
Lincoln buyers were often wealthy enough to have special coachwork built for their cars. In 1927, Brunn did a beautiful Lincoln Touring Cabriolet, while in 1937 Judkins designed this very streamlined body for the Zephyr Model K V12 ....
The Ghia-designed Dodge Firearrow III is flamboyantly showcased on its stand during the 1954 Detroit Auto Show....
In the 1970s, Bertone was commissioned to reimagine NSU’s Wankel rotary powered Ro80. Marcello Gandini moved the small, compact engine...
In 1962, Ford of Britain, created a prototype of a short wheelbase Cortina designed for the American market. The one-off Saxon Cortina was sent to the United States for corporate evaluation, but was ill received in Dearborn, and as such was eventually destroyed. But then, in 2012, Briton Colin Ginn...
Built in 1969, by GM’s Australian division Holden, the Hurricane was an advanced research concept vehicle designed “to study design trends,...
Unveiled at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, the Cadillac Cien Concept car was designed by Simon Cox at GM’s Advanced...
In 1970, at the Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda debuted the RX500 concept car. A radical departure from the Japanese firm’s previous offerings, the in-house developed RX500 was a futuristic-looking coupe that featured forward-swinging butterfly doors and a mid-mounted, 982-cc, two-rotor Wankel engine producing 247-hp and capable of pushing the lightweight,...
In 1954, Chrysler debuted the latest iteration of its “Forward Look” Dream Cars, the Plymouth Explorer. Designed by Luigi Segre...
Built in 1952, by Lou Fageol’s son Ray, the Pataray was essentially Lou Fageol’s original Fageol Supersonic reimagined with a...
At the 1953 General Motors Motorama in New York City, Cadillac unveiled a concept car designed by Harley Earl. Named in honor of Cadillac’s participation in the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans. This new design was a low-profile, two-seat, fiberglass-bodied roadster that featured Cadillac’s first use of the wrap-around...
The Leyland Eight was a luxury car produced by Leyland Motors from 1920 to 1923, designed by the chief engineer...
In 1951, the Spanish industrial manufacturer ENASA, under the leadership of former Alfa Romeo engineer Wilfredo Ricart, debuted an exotic...
In the 1950s, an ultimately failed attempt to revive the Bugatti name resulted in the creation of six Type 101 chassis, which were an evolution of the Type 57. Five of these were custom bodied by various coach builders, with the last chassis going to Ghia. Famed American designer Virgil...
Not every Alfa Romeo 1900C chassis that went to a Carrozzeria for custom coachwork (see this month’s Roadcar Feature) emerged...
The prototype for the Lamborghini Countach, designated LP500, was first shown to the public at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show....
At the 1976 Geneva Motor Show, Alfa Romeo revealed the final iteration of its series of concept cars based on the race-inspired Tipo 33 Stradale chassis and drivetrain. This final concept, named “Navajo”, was penned by Nuccio Bertone and was perhaps the wildest and most “futuristic” take on the Tipo...
This 1949 Delahaye 175 S, with flamboyant Saoutchik roadster coachwork, was originally custom built for Sir John Gaul and featured...
In 1953, Chrysler’s famed design chief, Virgil Exner entered into a partnership with the Italian styling house Ghia to produce...
The Swiss Aigle offshoot of Italian Carrozzeria Ghia bodied this 1949 Delahaye 135MS Coupé in a sleek, all enveloping body that featured wheel spats that could be raised and lowered by pulling a lever to facilitate tire changes. The car made its debut at the 1950 Geneva Motor Salon....
Independent automotive designer Bill Flajole worked on a number of important designs, including the Nash Metropolitan, before turning his attention...
Announced on October 20 ,1953, the Alvis TC21/100—or “Grey Lady” as it was marketed— featured a 3-liter Straight-6 engine capable...
Built from 1963–1966, the Alvis TE 21 (or Three Liter Series III) featured a 3.0-liter, inline 6-cylinder engine wrapped in either a sports saloon or drophead coupe bodywork built by Mulliner Park Ward. Weighing in at 2,900-lbs and with 130 bhp on tap—fed either through an automatic or 5-speed ZF...
