Saab 900 Speedster

Built in 1984 in collaboration between designer Leif Mellberg (who was also the designer of Saab EV1 prototype) and Swedish car magazine “Teknikens Varld“. It took a 900, shortened the chassis and cleaned up those lines giving it a more custom look.

Rover P9

We’ve had several of Rovers "what could have been" prototypes on this site over the years, this one though in 1969 is quite the departure.

Random Video: 1951 “Park Car”

Utilising the spare wheel to help swing your car out of a tight space that the inventor says could be fitted to any car. Could easily see this making a resurgence with the size of modern cars and how small the parking spaces are in the UK!!!!!

Fitch Phoenix

Racer and fighter pilot John Cooper Fitch decided to take the Chevrolet Corvair and turn it in to something a lot more sporty and exclusive.

BMW 1602e

I was under the naive impression that BMW’s involvement in electric cars was a more recent thing, say the last 20 years or so, but after watching a recent video (see below) I was amazed to find out it first produced one in 1972. Not only that but it had a role in the Olympics of the same year!!!!

Giocattolo Group B

Giocattolo (Toy in Italian) Group B never got the chance to full fill its intended purpose, arriving after the doomed Group B had been wound up. However the story behind this car is interesting, particularly when you find out it was built in Australian.

Mathis 666

666 no not the number of the beast, it stood for 6 cylinders, 6 seats and 6 gears. This was produced as a prototype in 1947 by French company Mathis and had a few innovative features. One was mentioned in its name, it came with a 6 speed gear box, which is very modern by todays standards. The other was that 6 cylinder 2.4ltr engine that was a boxer unit and mounted up front and drinving the front wheels.

De Tomaso Vallelunga Alloy Body

Now as you know De Tomaso’s are generally rare, the Vallelunga is no exception with only 53 built, however this one is really really rare. During its development 6 alloy bodied prototypes were built by Fissore. Out of those 6 cars built 3 were destroyed under instruction from Fissore and 3 were kept by De Tomaso. This is one of those remaining 3.

Minki

The mini was in production for an impressive 41 years which just proves hoe versatile and loved the design, hell Rover even worked how to fit airbags to it in 1994. It even was sold against and beyond its replacements, the Metro. In 1992 though Rover planned probably its biggest shake up/ modernisation to date.

Triumph Herald Hatchback Factory Prototype

Usually when we cover prototypes their usually exotic or going for the wow factor, but this one’s a little more mundane. Built in 1965 as a styling exercise this is the original “mule”, if you look closer at the pictures below you’ll notice it’s asymmetrical with two different finishes to the rear.

Ford Escort RS1700T

Before the start of the “Turbo hot hatch” war in the early 80’s there was Group B Rallying in which required them as standard. However at this point Ford had released the 3^rd generation of the Escort and as we all know it was now front wheel drive. Not the perfect start at the new dawn of the rallying elite.

Tatra JK 2500

We’ve covered Iron Curtain sports cars before, namely the FSO Syrene Sport, which due to the political control in Eastern Europe was never going to reach production. This though is another glimpse into what the eastern bloc designers were capable off, and my it looks good.

Jaguar Kensington

Okay you’re Jaguar and just had the massive hypercar hit that was the XJ220 however the rest of your line up is looking a little dated, so what do you do? Hell get styling house Italdesign to come up with a saloon concept that blends the shapes of the XJ220 and adds in a few more doors. The result I think you’ll agree is very striking, particularly in the mundane jelly mould days of the early 90’s.

Cumberford Martinique

So another “modern” take on the 30’s style sports car, these are usually base on something else )like a beetle) and are just a crude body sat on awkward running gear to only give kind of look. This though is different, very different.

Jaguar XJ13

When most people hear Jaguar, mid-engined and V12 in the same sentence they instantly think oh what the XJ220, or rather what could have been the XJ220. However Jaguar had its first crack of the mid-engined recipe back in 1966!!!!

ADC Scout

I know what you’re thinking, “There’s a Rover Metro in there isn’t there!!!” and you’d be right. Back in 1991 ADC (Automotive Development Consultants) drew up 6 concepts all based upon the humble 5 door Metro, out of those a concept car of the Scout was built.

Ferrari FZ93 Zagato

Well what can I say, when Zagato build a one-off Ferrari prototype they don’t hold back. Based on a Testarossa chassis and running gear, it’s not a bad way to start, Ercole Spada styled it in to something that forward thinking. Well in 1993 when it was shown at the Geneva Auto Show, this thing was aggressive and away from the sleek styling that had taken over the auto industry and supercar building.

Lotus Etna

Could this have been the replacement of the legendary Esprit? Well this was a concept displayed at the Birmingham Motorshow in 1984 although it wasn’t a drivable at the time.

Audi Jaray “Ugly Duckling”

I was at the Alltypes show at Bodelwyddan Castle last weekend, there early as I was on a club stand and I was watching an enclosed transporter pull up in front of the Club Audi stand, thinking “someone must have too much time on their hands” my jaw hit the floor when this rolled out of the back. The Audi 1923 Jaray “Ugly Duckling” recreation you know the one from the recent TV advert, it was on load from Audi UK and what a scoop to have on your club stand.

Volkswagen ARVW

I first spotted this in a recent copy of Top Gear magazine in the “Concept Cars that Time Forgot”, I hadn’t seen anything like it before and had to find out more. The “Aerodynamic Research Volkswagen” was conceived in the late 1970’s to develop the correlation between body shape and fuel consumption. This though wasn’t powered by some new-fangled petrol engine, far from it, sat in the back was a tweaked 2.4ltr, 6 cylinder, 175bhp diesel engine from a lorry. This was then covered in a streamlined aluminium and composite body with a drag coefficient that would make any modern racer jealous.