Life

The weird and wonderful world of concept cars

Every once in a while, car designers let their imaginations go wild with concept cars – here’s what happens.

Some of the weirdest concept cars were revealed in the 1990s and 2000s. (Toyota)
Some of the weirdest concept cars were revealed in the 1990s and 2000s. (Toyota) Some of the weirdest concept cars were revealed in the 1990s and 2000s. (Toyota)
By Cameron Richards

Over the years we’ve seen a flood of different concept cars that show the world where different car manufacturers are heading. Some designs are humble, sober and restrained while others are the exact opposite.

Sadly, almost every wild and wacky concept car that has been revealed never makes it into production due to regulations, but they do give us an indication of how car design can be expressed from certain makers that otherwise would shy away from creating something so spectacular.

One-off examples from the 1990s and 2000s seem to have the most interesting features and creativity. We’ve compiled a list of the best and maddest concept cars the world has ever seen.

Toyota POD

The Toyota POD showed the world that car’s could have feelings, too. (Toyota)
The Toyota POD showed the world that car’s could have feelings, too. (Toyota)

Officially revealed at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, the Toyota Pod demonstrated that personal transportation could have feelings and emotions like human beings. It had a boxy design with a wagging tail, sliding doors and a front end that would illuminate different colours depending on the car’s mood. Red would mean it was angry, blue as sad, gold referring to happy and pale green as sleepy.

The Pod was controlled by a joystick which acted as the steering wheel. The seats all swivelled 360 degrees and all featured a screen to allow the passengers to watch their own music or video content.

All these weird and wonderful designs never made it into production, sadly.

Renault Espace F1

The Renault Espace F1 is a concept car we wished would have gone into production. (Renault)
The Renault Espace F1 is a concept car we wished would have gone into production. (Renault)

Back in 1995, the world’s first people carrier, the Renault Espace, was celebrating its 10th birthday. To celebrate this milestone, the French firm decided to team up with the Williams Formula One team to make a one-off special like no other.

Introducing the Renault Espace F1. It was built on a carbon fibre chassis with a body which featured reinforced carbon fibre to make it even lighter. Under the bonnet was a 3.5-litre naturally aspirated 40-valve V10 engine out of the Williams’ FW14 Formula One car. The MPV produced 800bhp and 520Nm of torque. The engine itself was mounted in the middle of the car for better weight distribution with power being sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed semi automatic gearbox. It had a top speed of 194mph and could do 0-60mph in 2.6 seconds.

Volkswagen W12

The W12 was the Volkswagen supercar we never got. (Volkswagen)
The W12 was the Volkswagen supercar we never got. (Volkswagen)

Another car revealed at the 2001 Tokyo motor show that shook the world was the sleek Volkswagen W12 supercar. The German firm had never created something so out of the ordinary.

The car featured – as the name suggests – a W12 engine that produces 600bhp and 620Nm of torque allowing for a 0-60mph time of 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 217mph. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox. The engine itself is positioned in the middle of the car to help with its power to weight ratio.

Other features included ventilated Brembo brake discs, a double wishbone suspension setup and a combination of leather, aluminium and carbon fibre throughout the interior.

ItalDesign Columbus

The Columbus is a 304bhp seven-set MPV that looks like it’s come from the next century. (ItalDesign)
The Columbus is a 304bhp seven-set MPV that looks like it’s come from the next century. (ItalDesign)

One of the weirdest and most interesting concepts of all time is the ItalDesign Columbus from 1992.

The Columbus was a seven-seat MPV which measured nearly six metres in length and had an oddball double-decker-type look to it. The body was made from carbon fibre and a steel box-section load-bearing chassis.

Powering the vehicle is a 5.0-litre V12 BMW engine that produces 304bhp and powers all four wheels.

Due to where the engine is positioned and to help improve visibility, the driver’s cockpit is positioned centrally and is raised further up above the passenger compartment.

Rolls Royce 103EX

The 103EX previewed what Rolls Royce’s of the electrified future will look like. (Rolls Royce)
The 103EX previewed what Rolls Royce’s of the electrified future will look like. (Rolls Royce)

A more modern example of where a car firm lets its imagination go wild is Rolls Royce.

Back in 2016, it revealed the 103EX concept which was to show what the electrified era of the marque was going to look like. Now we have the Spectre being Rolls’ first EV, proving that this concept demonstrated that the company was focusing on a battery-powered future.

The exterior of the 103EX is like nothing else seen before with suicide opening doors and an electrically operating glass roof. There are also half-covered wheel arches to help with aerodynamics and a very long bonnet which houses a tall illuminated grille and the spirit of ecstasy figure.