A concept car or show car is a car prototype made to showcase a concept, new styling, technology and more. The 1938 '''Buick''' Y-Job is claimed to be the first Concept car in history A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category Technology is a broad concept that deals with a Species ' usage and knowledge of Tools and Crafts and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced. An auto show, or motorshow, is a public exhibition of current Automobile models debuts Concept cars or out-of-production classics
General Motors designer Harley Earl is generally credited with inventing the concept, or show, car, and did much to popularize it through its traveling Motorama shows of the 1950s. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Harley J Earl ( November 22, 1893 – April 10, 1969) was an automotive stylist and engineer and industrial designer Motorama was an Auto show staged by General Motors from 1949 to 1961. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive
Concept cars never go into production directly; in modern times all would have to undergo many changes before the design is finalized for the sake of practicality, safety and cost. Concept cars are often radical in engine or design:
- Some use non-traditional, exotic, or expensive materials, ranging from paper to carbon fiber to refined alloys. An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon printing upon or packaging Carbon fiber reinforced plastic ( CFRP or CRP) is a very strong light and expensive Composite material or fiber reinforced plastic. An alloy is a Solid solution or Homogeneous mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a Metal, which itself has
- Others have unique layouts, such as gullwing doors, 3 or 6 (or more) wheels, or special abilities not usually found on cars. Gull-wing door (Flügeltüren is an automotive industry term describing Car doors that are hinged at the roof rather than the side as pioneered by the 1952 Mercedes-Benz A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load ( Mass) or performing labour in machines
Because of these often impractical or unprofitable leanings, many concept cars never get past scale models, or even drawings in computer design. American Motors Corporation (AMC was an American automobile company formed on January 14 1954 by the merger of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation A scale model is a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object. In Computer engineering, computer architecture is the conceptual design and fundamental operational structure of a Computer system Other more traditional concepts can be developed into fully drivable (operational) vehicles with a working drivetrain and accessories. Driving is the controlled operation of a land Vehicle, usually a Motor vehicle such as a Truck or a car. For the UK engine manufacturer see Powertrain Ltd. In a Motor vehicle, the term drivetrain, powertrain or powerplant The state of most concept cars lies somewhere in between and does not represent the final product. A very small proportion of concept cars are functional to any useful extent, most cannot move safely at anything above 10 mph.
Inoperative "mock-ups" are usually made of wax, clay, metal, fiberglass, plastic or a combination thereof. Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that is secreted by Bees ( Beeswax) and used by them in constructing their Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across Fiberglass (also called fibreglass and glass fibre see Spelling differences) is material made from extremely fine Fibers of Glass. Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products
If drivable, the drivetrain is often borrowed from a production vehicle from the same company, or may have defects and imperfections in design. A production vehicle is one that is put into mass production as a model produced in large numbers and offered for sale to the public which was begun in the 1800s by Karl Benz They can also be quite refined, such as General Motors' Cadillac Sixteen Concept [1]. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. The Cadillac Sixteen was a Prototype of a stylish and high performance Automobile first presented by Cadillac in 2003
After a concept car's useful life is over, the cars are usually destroyed. Some survive, however, either in a company's museum or hidden away in storage. A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development open to the public which acquires conserves researches communicates and exhibits the One unused but operational concept car that languished for years in the North Hollywood, California shop of car customizer George Barris, Ford Motor Company's "Lincoln Futura" from 1954, received a new lease on life as the Batmobile in the Batman series that debuted in 1966 on the ABC Television Network. An operational definition is a demonstration of a process &mdash such as a Variable, term, or object &mdash relative in terms of the specific Process North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. George Barris is one of the best-known designers of Custom cars in the world Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following The Lincoln Futura was a Concept car designed by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) The Batmobile is the fictional personal Automobile of Comic book Superhero Batman. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network.
Notable Concept cars
| Model | Notes |
|---|---|
| Buick Y-Job | designed in the late 1930s by the famous General Motors designer Harley Earl. The 1938 '''Buick''' Y-Job is claimed to be the first Concept car in history The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. Harley J Earl ( November 22, 1893 – April 10, 1969) was an automotive stylist and engineer and industrial designer This is considered by most to be the first concept car. |
| Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT | 1962 mid-engined experimental prototype |
| Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark | Previewed the design of the 1968-1982 production Corvette |
| Chevrolet Volt | One of the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle concept cars. The Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT was a mid-engined experimental prototype based on the early model Chevrolet Corvair series Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The XP-755 Mako Shark show car was designed by Larry Shinoda under the direction of GM Design head Bill Mitchell in 1961 as a concept for future The Chevrolet Corvette is a Sports car that has been manufactured by General Motors since 1953 The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in series hybrid vehicle by General Motors, with production A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle ( PHEV) is a Hybrid vehicle with batteries that can be recharged by connecting a plug to an Electric power |
| Ford Nucleon | a nuclear-powered car |
| Ford SYNUS | mimics the modern obsession with safety |
| General Motors Firebird | a series of gas turbine-powered cars |
| Holden Efijy | a concept car based around the Holden FJ |
| MIT Car | The Massachusetts Institute of Technology concept car with Frank Gehry [2] |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
See also
External links
- Concept cars at HowStuffWorks
- Concept Cars & Car Design Information at ConceptCar. The Ford Nucleon was a nuclear-powered Concept car developed by Ford Motor Company in 1958 For the latter General Motors-produced vehicle see Pontiac Firebird. A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a rotary Engine that extracts energy from a flow of Combustion gas The Holden Efijy is a Concept car created in Australia by Holden. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology the idea of mobility in the urban context was re-examined through an on-going Concept car project Phantom Corsair is an Automobile Prototype from 1938 It is a six-passenger Coupe that was designed by Rust Heinz, a member of the The Pontiac Bonneville Special is a purpose-built Concept car unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in 1954 the first 2-seater Sports car Pontiac ever Pontiac is a Brand of Automobiles produced by General Motors that has been sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico A sports car is a term used to describe a class of Automobile. Motorama was an Auto show staged by General Motors from 1949 to 1961. The Pontiac Club de Mer was a purpose-built concept car that was unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in 1956 to celebrate GM's commitment to Futuristic design Pontiac is a Brand of Automobiles produced by General Motors that has been sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico A sports car is a term used to describe a class of Automobile. Motorama was an Auto show staged by General Motors from 1949 to 1961. The Porsche 989 was a 4-door performance-oriented touring sedan concept created by Porsche in 1988 Porsche SE or Porsche ( German, ˈpɔɹʃə is a German manufacturer of automobiles which is majority-owned by the Porsche and Piëch The Porsche Panamera is a four-door four-seat sedan, currently in design stage set to be launched in 2009 The Volvo YCC ("Your Concept Car" was a Concept car presented in 2004 with the stated goal of meeting the particular needs of women drivers The Lancia Megagamma minivan is a Concept car designed by Italdesign in 1978 and introduced the same year at the Turin Motor Show. A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle (abbreviated MPV) people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle (shortened In 1953 Alfa Romeo began a joint collaboration project with the Italian design house Bertone. Gruppo Bertone is an Italian car styling and coachbuilding house which also manufactures cars An auto show, or motorshow, is a public exhibition of current Automobile models debuts Concept cars or out-of-production classics Potential future car technologies include new energy sources and materials which are being developed in order to make Automobiles more sustainable, safer A production vehicle is one that is put into mass production as a model produced in large numbers and offered for sale to the public which was begun in the 1800s by Karl Benz A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category Mass production (also called flow production, repetitive flow production, series production, or serial production) is the production of A show car, sometimes called a dream car, is a custom-made Automobile created specifically for public display rather than sale co. uk
- Information on 250+ concept cars at Diseno-art.com
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