Back in the 50's it was not uncommon for car manufacturers to show up at the Sebring 12-Hour race with some of their concept cars like the Oldsmobile F-88 Mark II

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=27294882026804994&set=pcb.27498344786495263

the Bronco is tring so hard to be a Jeep.. look at this copy cat

https://fordauthority.com/2026/07/ford-bronco-roadster-concept-live-photo-gallery

the Robb Report says the new Dodge sports car was not shown, only described, and it sounds like the Copperhead concept car from 29 years ago

well it's about damn time. 

"Dodge wouldn’t let those reporters share images of the car, but they were allowed to describe it. And from those accounts, it appears that the Copperhead will be based on the current-gen Charger, though it will be more than just another muscle car. Car and Driver reports it’s a low-slung, two-door coupe with an aggressive stance, while the Drive added that its highlights include a shark nose and a giant rear wing."

https://robbreport.com/motors/cars/dodge-halo-car-copperhead-viper-teaser-1238169929/

1961 Chrysler Turboflite concept Thank you George!

It had huge throttle and brake pedals, which took up all the footwell. No footrest, you had to use the brake pedal instead.

the pedals were designed oversize; with no dead pedal so a driver had no choice but to rest both feet on the pedals, an odd design that Chrysler insisted would help reduce reaction time by forcing a driver to brake with his left foot.

The massive rear wing acted as a crude sort of airbrake

The air brake was more than just a gimmick. Turbine engines, such as the third-generation CR2A used in the Turboflite, provided virtually no compression braking when the throttle was released. Instead, all reduction in forward motion essentially came from the car’s hydraulic brakes, so the air brake was seen as a necessary addition to reduce brake fade on repeated high-speed stops.

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/ten-quite-weird-and-quite-wonderful-concept-cars-time-forgot

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/cars-of-futures-past-1961-chrysler-turboflite/

the electromechanical navigation system in the Ford Aurora I station wagon concept car at the 1964 Worlds Fair

https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/cars-of-worlds-fair-1964-new-york-worlds-fair

Netflix has a documentary on car design, (lots of 90s Mopar concept cars!) focused on Ralph Gilles, head of design for Mopar/Dodge/Chrysler/FCA "Abstract: The Art Of Design" (Season 1 ep 4) and it seems you can watch it on You Tube

Of course you can watch it at home on your big screen too, on Netflix

I had no idea he was born in Montreal, whose parents were Haitian immigrants, who must have been incredible parents, he became the youngest, fastest achieving head of design of one of the major dozen car making corporations, and his brother became a doctor, was an emergency room Dr at St Joe's in Elgin Illinois, and now is a board member of Morris Hospital (both are in the Chicago area) 

Dr Gilles is now Medical Director of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Morris, prior to this, he practiced at hospitals throughout the Chicago area for nearly 20 years.

it's a MIni, built by BMW, to look like a Porsche, so they call it a "Mini Ferrari" concept. What were they drinking?

 
The MINI Superleggera — or, “Minarri” as it’s sometimes called, was originally scheduled as an “i4,” to slot below the i8.

The car was unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in 2014  

https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/12/01/mini-superleggera-mini-ferrari-drives-porsche/

https://www.bmwblog.com/2023/12/28/mini-planned-to-build-the-superlegerra-concept/

Ferrari tested it's own 6-wheel concept with a 312 T2 and with dual rear tires in '77

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1134933111483074&set=pcb.2611831679010066

Mini worked with clothing brand Deus Ex Machina to design a pair of concept cars

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a65970221/mini-deus-ex-machina-jcw-hatchback-concepts-details/

ever heard of the 1979 Ford Mustang Daytona Concept? Me neither. It's also nuts to realize it's a 46 year old car.

one of just five such models built for Ford by Cars and Concepts, and believed to be the only example of that lot that received all of the planned updates, and is also thought to be the only one in running and driving condition. 

On the outside, those mods include a T-top conversion, a one-piece smoked grille panel with an etched pony log, 1979 Lincoln Versailles headlights, a smoked plastic rear panel, and Dayton wire wheels.

5.0L V8 engine, mated to the four-speed manual transmission, while the suspension and dual exhaust have been modified as well.

It served as the pace car for 1979 Daytona road course events, and it was on display at the Henry Ford Museum for 20 years

https://fordauthority.com/2025/04/1979-ford-mustang-daytona-concept-heading-to-auction

Imagine if it was 1980, and we were talking about a 46 year old concept car, that would be a 1934 car! 

Mopar concept vehicles

Above the Dodge Copperhead

above the Dodge M80

Dodge Razor

https://backfirenews.com/dodges-concept-cars-a-glimpse-into-what-could-have-been

the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve was conceived and created in less than a year, then revealed at the 2004 North American International Auto Show

M275 quad-turbo V12 from Mercedes-AMG,  850 horsepower and 850 ft/lbs of torque sent strictly to the rear wheels

0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds, 1/4 mile in 10.6 seconds at 142.0 mph

An estimated top speed of 248 mph, nearly identical to Bugatti’s Veyron

https://carbuzz.com/chrysler-me-four-twelve-concept/

2007 Dodge Demon concept car, the possible new Mopar sports car for under 30k (if Stellantis has any clue on what to sell to get back into making a profit)

 

https://www.thedrive.com/news/dodge-thinks-theres-opportunity-in-a-basic-sub-30k-sports-car

these AI designs are getting really hard to tell from real cars, especially when you see them in a video

 

just trying to make sense of the sidewall was the first clue, but hell, I don't know written languages you know? I'm a car guy. That could be legit for all I know... but the lug nuts? That's a give away that the computer didn't know shit about rims. 

And they forgot the valve stems

https://www.instagram.com/motomuzi/reel/DFCkhldT2hD/
https://www.threads.net/@motomuzi

here's what the electric car looks like that Jaguar says is going to be the new line of cars after it converts to making electric vehicles only. If that even happens. Not many concept cars get put into production. These will cost double what the current Jaguar does

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/jaguar-type-00-is-the-name-of-the-design-vision-concept-they-copy-nothing-except-243656.html#

https://www.aol.com/jaguars-concept-car-divides-opinion-024915622.html

https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/11/from-growler-to-gib-jaguar-struck-by-bud-lightning/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsegal/2024/11/23/what-executives-can-learn-from-jaguars-new-rebranding-campaign/

https://www.newstatesman.com/thestaggers/2024/11/jaguars-woke-rebrand-is-a-commercial-masterstroke

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/22/jaguar-new-branding-cars-donald-trump

This reminds me, I meant to post some excerpts of the reaction articles that happened in the past 2 weeks:

Picture the champagne corks popping as the socials are timed to post the video at the appointed hour. “I hope the pre-order guys are ready for an onslaught – because we’ve got eight capital-D diverse models in category-five tulle busting out of a pink-planet lift wielding a hammer – and precisely NO cars! Let’s make some sales history!”

As far as I can make out, the best this ad’s defenders can come up with is that “the internet is talking about it”

But the one thing we can be absolutely sure of is: not a single one of those defenders will be buying a single one of these cars.

There is something ludicrous about a guy poised to roll out cars that are going to start at a hundred grand boasting about being mega-inclusive. 

“More importantly, the campaign appears disconnected from the very traits Jaguar spent decades building. Gone are the understated elegance, performance nods, and any clear connection to British heritage…For a car company to launch a rebrand video without a single reference to its cars—its core product—is simply mind-boggling,”

“Unfortunately, it appears Jaguar went too far in its attempt to be bold. The rebrand has created a crisis because they have successfully denounced what the brand has become known for and respected. This challenge is hard for humans because its a ‘redefining’ moment where they have thrown out the preexisting ‘meaning’ assigned to the perception of the automaker and then told the same audience a new ‘meaning’ that lacks substance and appears to be progress for the sake of progress,” he noted.

Tata-owned JLR might have had record sales in the most recent financial year and sold over 400,000 cars. But almost all the profit came from the Land Rover side of the business. The Jaguar CEO Adrian Mardell reportedly told investors that the Jaguar models were generating “close to zero profitability”. Rather than wait to see the inevitable losses as Jaguar’s tired brand declines further, JLR has decided to shake things up and take the business firmly upmarket. Jaguar reportedly expects 85 per cent of future sales to be from customers completely new to the brand.

Amanda Stretton, a racing driver and motoring journalist, said that the size of the new car appeared to be "absolute nonsense". "It needs to be shrunk by about 50% to be practical."

So, why is it most of the times I learn of an interesting car, there are no good photos of it, even when it was at a big car show event, like the 1972 Chicago Auto Show

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1291274111875832&set=pcb.8360532200735368

a 1985 Plymouth ‘Cuda concept car, based on the L-Body Shelby Chargers of the mid-80’s, one of 2.... I've never heard of this until now

 

Shelby halted the Barracuda project as soon as he discovered they were using parts from the Shelby Charger in its development. An article from March 2000 in Mopar Collector’s Guide revealed more details about it. 

https://www.streetmusclemag.com/news/the-story-of-the-only-two-85-plymouth-cudas/
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1123898235758598&set=pcb.1123898402425248

2007 Dodge Demon concept.... just what the Dodge company needs to make and sell, because the Charger and Challenger won't continue to sell much longer, neither will anything else Dodge makes

Dodge / Chrysler doesn't have anything new to offer, and hasn't for about 6 years since the Gladiator truck came along. 

The Journey? Durango? Challenger, Charger, and Jeep. They are all really long in the tooth. 

Sure, nicer ones are for sale now than a decade ago, but, people certainly jump to buy the newest, coolest thing around. See the Tesla truck. No reason to buy that except that you get attention. 

So, Dodge Chrysler, in the past decade has tried the Dart, fail. Avenger, fail. 200, fail. 300, sorta succeeded, but they quit making them. Viper, too expensive, quit making them, no one bought them anymore. 

But the Miata? How long has that been selling? 35 years. They got that right the 1st time, and improved on it slowly over the decades. The Mustang? Well, 60 years even though it's not much like the original, ditto, the Camaro, the Corvette... small cars, even two seaters, sell, and keep selling for decades. 

And do you know WHY they created this Demon roadster in 2007? To compete with the Miata, and the Soltice and Saturn Sky. 

https://moparinsiders.com/reviving-the-spirit-the-dodge-demon-roadster-concept/

1955 Abarth 208 Spyder concept car/race car, bodied by Boano

The brothers drove the cars for a few years, before selling it to a friend, who, in the early ’70s gifted it to an aircraft mechanic who worked for the Du Ponts, Bill Hale. Bill drove the car around his native Long Island until 2009 when it was sold to a series of flipping collectors. The car is registered in Greece, and is being sold from Monaco through RM Sotheby’s

https://www.carscoops.com/2024/05/completely-unique-and-utterly-adorable-the-abarth-208-a-spyder-by-boano

Somehow, the Plymouth XNR is in the opening scene of the Fallout tv show that just started on Amazon Prime (starring Walter Goggins (also was in Worlds Fastest Indian and Sons of Anarchy))

I haven't seen it since 2018 but the better post about it is this one  https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/06/factory-photo-from-ghia-of-plymouth-xnr.html