1970 Ford Maverick Estate Coupe design concept - I've never seen this before, that back end is so stupid ugly it's utterly unforgettable, and that's how I know I've never seen it before

Ford exhibited the Maverick Estate Coupe concept vehicle at the 1971 Chicago Auto Show.

 The Estate Coupe had a dark green padded "Landaulet" roof over the rear seating, and the body finished in limefire green. That unique color used a subtle gold-flake base and complimented the avocado interior. 

Cast magnesium wheels had a spoke design reminiscent of the classic wire wheels.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10231810084372047&set=p.10231810084372047&type=3

https://www.story-cars.com/1970-ford-maverick-estate-coupe-concept

1963 Corvette Rondine Concept Pininfarina, a unique design by Tom Tjaarda

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1858759185534659&set=pcb.3499412740232305 via 

Vintage Men, Classic Sporting Life & Adventure, https://www.facebook.com/groups/132380976935515

the BMW Motorrad Vision Next 100, a self-balancing concept motorcycle unveiled in 2016 inspired by the historic 1923 BMW R32.

https://robbreport.com/motors/cars/gallery/bmw-motorrads-vision-next-100-motorcycle-concept-takes-the-long-view-251913/bmw-motorrads-vision-next-100-concept-bike/

via 

https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2026/08/ooooh-imagine-driving-that-around-town.html

the M2 F1 in 1963 proof of concept that the wingless lifting-body aircraft was viable as a emergency life shuttle from large aircraft (the big Navy dirigibles, big bombers, and possibly from spacecraft if they added heatshields)

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/on-this-day-in-space-aug-16-1963-wingless-m2-f1-completes-1st-glide-flight

Since I recall posting this before, I went to look in the archives... and I find that this is the ONE (tail numbers) in the 2013 post about NASA using a Pontiac Catalina

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/06/most-far-out-thing-ive-seen-in-while.html

the 1953 Cadillac Elegante concept car is coming to auction (thank you Doug!)

https://listings.kruseauctions.com/listings/auction/AF26/1953-cadillac-elegante-one-off-concept-car

concept art vehicle from Jorodowsky's Dune movie project

He had some great casting choices! 

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

Ever heard of the concept car, the 1969 Fairlane Machette? A prototype

A modified version of the 1968 Fairlane Torino GT Fastback, the show car was created at the Ford Design Center in Dearborn, Mich. 

It has a special two-tone "pearlescent" white and silver finish. 

The unusual grille features twin horizontal black air scoops. Headlamps are concealed behind electrically operated doors. 

Roof pillars have been widened to provide additional privacy for rear seat passengers. 

Machete's taillights are flush with the lower portion of the deck panel, and concealed by white coated lenses. With light off, the taillamps are hidden, blending smoothly into the white rear panel.

It was based on the Torino, not the Fairlane, and actually was a '68 that had debuted as early as December 1967.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1413815327441873&set=a.556433073180107

https://www.story-cars.com/1968-ford-torino-machete-concept

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 early artists concepts were typically unable to be recreated in mass production by stamping presses

 

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/30/

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.

The IMV stands for Toyota's long-running "Innovative International Multi-purpose Vehicle" platform was revealed at this year's Japan Mobility Show

the idea is that the truck ships out as a set of assemble-yourself components in a crate and the buyer puts the end product together after arrival, presumably using included assembly instructions and normal garage tools 

at the show, Toyota showed images of a few example configurations at its press conference, including a produce delivery truck and logging truck. Beyond those, the open-ended nature of the IMV Origin concept could spur a large customization ecosystem for the African markets in which it would theoretically be sold.

https://newatlas.com/automotive/toyota-imv-origin-modular-pickup-concept/

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

interesting unusual designs for remote control aircraft

steampunk trains and train stations

after the first 100 seconds, it get a bit weird

unreal... hard to believe there is a need for wind turbine blade transport by airplane, though still only a concept, its first flight might be in 2029

Radia, which has received funding from a number of investors including Caruso Ventures and ConocoPhillips, started work on the project in 2017 and is projecting its first flight in 2029.

https://www.popsci.com/technology/worlds-largest-airplane/

something new in wheels... not likely to get into production, but an interesting concept. Pushrods aren't delivering torque to the wheel in an axial direction, they're delivering linear force diagonally downward

This pushrod style rim is only a digital concept, and in the real world, would be unlikely to be purchased for commuter use, too many moving parts that can fail, wear from road dust, sand, plus unsprung weight, wheel complexity, and replacement cost.

https://newatlas.com/automotive/surfaceplan-actuator-wheel-reinvent

In 1980 a few enterprising Lockheed engineers began to toy with the idea of a sort of huge flying “flatbed truck”. The project reached the wind-tunnel testing stage, with NASA participation

 

https://elpoderdelasgalaxias.wordpress.com/2025/07/20/lockheed-flatbed-we-gonna-do-what-they-say-cant-be-done/

1954 Lockheed XFV-1 prototype tailsitter aircraft

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gcdnz/48561802606/