A number of awe inspiring cars have been presented to the media and even the public, only to eventually be be permanently shelved for any number of reasons. What follows is a list of the 20 greatest concept cars to never see production.

Audi Avus

In the early 1990s, Audi was a company on the move. It was developing new design language that would eventually appear on everything from the diminutive powered TT, to large SUV products. The very essence of this design language was contained within the aluminum body of the Audi Avus. Since the Avus was first put on display in 1991, the W12 style engine and aluminum components have become part of many production Audis including the phenomenal R8.

BMW Turbo

While much of the svelte body of the BMW Turbo and the engine both went on to production, they did so only in separate vehicles. The BMW Turbo was as an attempt to deliver a smaller, lighter weight supercar powered by a turbocharged 2.0 liter engine. The low-profile body later went on to become part of the ill-fated joint engineering venture with Lamborghini, the M1.

Cadillac Cien

First unveiled in Detroit during the 2002 Auto Show, the Cadillac Cien attempted to blend European supercar looks with Cadillac’s new “Art & Science” design theme. Adding to the raw sensual appeal of the package was a V12 variant of Cadillac’s Northstar engine, producing 750 horsepower. The Cien would have been a welcome addition to Cadillac’s line-up but the F-22 inspired Cien was deemed impractical to produce.
Incidentally, the name Cien is the Spanish word for 100, which was chosen in order to celebrate the centennial birthday of the American luxury giant.

Cadillac Sixteen

Packing a stunning 16 cylinder engine under the long hood, easily capable of producing an estimated 1000 horsepower, the Cadillac Sixteen would arguably have been a better fit for the brand than the Cien. The powerful Cadillac Sixteen would have fit in well with the new “Art & Science” design theme at Cadillac which has slowly been turning the brand into something that attracts young 30-somethings rather than those getting ready to collect their company pensions.

Chevrolet Beat

Perhaps the least impressive of all the listed concept cars is the Chevrolet Beat, but it could very well be what Chevrolet Sparks bound for America look like sometime in the 2010-2012 timeframe. The funky urban style and aggressively raked windows of the Beat may just bring Americans into Chevrolet showrooms to take a look at the company’s smallest offering on its native soil. Chevrolet has a lot to prove when it comes to building small cars that people actually want to drive, and therefore the attention garnered by the Beat is a positive thing that will hopefully be delivered when the new Beat-flavored Spark goes on sale.

Chevrolet Corvette Four-Rotor

Wankel powered engines were all the rage in the 1970s, though they only went on to power a very limited number of models. One of the more tempting rotary powered concept cars was a variant of the venerable Chevrolet Corvette. Featuring radical new bodywork and a rumored output in the neighborhood of 400 horsepower could have changed the automotive landscape. Instead Chevrolet continued selling corvettes powered by conventional pushrod engines, and using less European inspired designs. Given the fuel crisis and the emergence of environmental standards in the auto industry of the 1970s,the American sports car was nearly killed. It seems fair, therefore, to wonder if Chevrolet’s decision to stick with massive push-rod engines versus exploring lighter, more fuel efficient combustion technologies may have been shortsighted.

Ferrari Modulo

Looking more like a shuttlecraft from Star Trek than an Italian supercar, the Modulo was an interesting piece of automotive bodywork. Built on top of Ferrari’s 26th 1970 512 S racing chassis, the only existing Modulo resides in Pininfarina’s museum. The extremely low body and canopy style door were very unique concepts that only the most daring auto manufacturers put on concept cars, must less production vehicles. Still, the Modulo had a certain visual pizzaz that could very well have taken supercars, and by extension the entire auto industry, down a radically different evolutionary path.
Given the incredibly attractive cars that Ferrari has been producing since the Modulo, it is probably a good thing that Ferrari and other Italian automaker never got carried away with the space-age look. Life just wouldn’t be the same without a sleek 512TR poster to drool over.

GM Hy-wire

General Motors has been promoting alternative fuel concepts for several years, perhaps in a bid to not seem as far behind the competition as the automotive press would have consumers seem. The GM Hy-wire is an excellent example of this trend.
Never intended for production, the GM Hy-wire made its debut in 2002 with promises to produce a vehicle with a similar fuel-cell drivetrain by 2010. That promise has since slipped to sometime before 2020 as hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles such as the Volt have stolen center stage.

Hyundai Qarmaq

Hyundai and GE Plastics announced a joint venture in the early 2000s, the first fruit of which has been the Hyundai Qarmaq. With an exterior made primarily of recycled plastics, the Qarmaq effectively demonstrates new technological innovations that turn low-grade recyclable plastics into automotive grade components. The car may never see the light of day, but it is likely that this avenue of recycling will eventually gain traction in the auto industry.

ItalDesign Lancia MegaGamma

Thirty years before its time, the Lancia MegaGamma by ItalDesign may well be the first tall wagon or crossover. The sharp angles and boxy design were certainly par for the course when it came to late 1970s/early 1980s econoboxes, but idea of building a taller, more upright econobox would take a significant amount of time to gestate into modern best sellers such as the Cadillac SRX or Hyundai Veracruz.

Lamborghini Portofino

A large influence on Chrysler products to come, the Portofino was never intended as a production vehicle. Chyrsler’s ownership of Lamborghini certainly paid off as one can clearly see the strong visual resemblance between the stretched Porotfino, itself mounted on an aging Jalpa chassis, and the Intrepids, 300s, and Concordes of the 1990s.
The 4 door Lamborghini going on display in 1987 may have opened up the doors to an era where consumers could buy Porsche SUVs and front engined Ferraris. No longer did exotic equate to two seats.

Lincoln Sentinel

In the 1990s the U.S. auto industry found itself under attack from both Europe and Asia. Ford decided to fire back with a vehicle so unique that it honestly look like they took design cues out of a Batman comic book. Ford eventually named that vehicle the Lincoln Sentinel, and despite positive reviews from the press, the car and its “new edge” design theme never really hit their stride at Ford. Instead, many elements of this design would find a home in Chrysler’s cars of the early 2000s.
The Sentinel’s unique looks also serve as the bedrock for their current crop of retro themed cars. Whether or not the striking design theme of the Lincoln Sentinel concept car was a case of “too little, too late” or well ahead of its time is not clear just yet.

Lotus M250

The Lotus M250 was shown off in the late 1990s in a production-ready state, and was intended to be a response to the relatively new (at that time) Porsche Boxter. Lotus immediately started taking orders for the mid-engined 2.5 liter sports car, but later canceled orders citing difficulties meeting American safety regulations. While the M250 never saw the light of day, it clearly bridges the large aesthetic gap between the lines of the venerable Esprit and the jaw-droopingly attractive curvaceous form of Lotus Exige.

Maserati Birdcage

Maserti has a long, proud racing heritage and the pinnacle of that pedigree was put on display in the form of the birdcage. With large wheels, and a low-slung chassis, this sheik supercar is wickedly seductive and temptingly fast; with an estimated 700 horsepower on tap, this supercar would have been the envy of virtually everyone who saw it on the road. Therein lay the problem however, the modern Birdcage is very low slung, and may not be seen by those driving SUVs. Alas, this is one car that wouldn’t be fit for most streets.

Mercedes C111

Mercedes Benz has had a storied history of vacillating between refusing to take racing seriously and building some of the most exquisite, if not the best, road racers in existence. Unfortunately the gorgeous C111 seemed to arrive at one of the company’s more schitzofrenic periods and was canned prior to receiving the go ahead for production. The C111 blended 1970 supercar sheik with the legendary Mercedes Benz quality and attention to detail. The result would have been a nearly 400 horsepower rotary powered supercar with the trademark gull-wing doors. Many auto journalists at the time believed that the C111 would have been the fastest production car in the world at the time.

Mini Spiritual/Spiritual Too

The original Mini was an automotive icon for an entire generation, so it wasn’t surprising that when BMW announced the resurrection of the brand that consumers had their interests piqued. Some of the first concept cars looked a lot more like their ancestors did than the current production models do. The Spiritual and Spiritual Too concept cars were well liked by the automotive press, but fell out of favor with engineers and management alike, reportedly for safety reasons.

Nissan Pivo

Despite its awkward looks, the Pivo’s cabin can rotate a full 360 degrees. Parallel parking might take a while with the Pivo, but it would never require a reverse gear. The Pivo would likely have found a welcome audience in crowded cities, but its unusual appearance and questionable safety have kept this very unique concept car off factory floors.
Still, the concept presented by the Pivo is intriguing and one cannot help but wonder the idea of a rotatable car will inspire other unique concept cars, which in turn may eventually result in some innovative production car.

TVR Cerbera Speed 12

In the late 1990s there was an automotive arms race spanning the globe. Manufacturers and custom builders alike competed for the title of the most powerful supercar, and the TVR Cerbera Speed 12 was a concept car contender that never made it into production. Featuring a mid engine 7.7 liter twelve cylinder engine producing approximately 1000 horsepower, the Cerbera took obvious design cues from the Dodge Viper, but amped up the attitude in a major way.

Saab Aero X

Even though the Aero X was introduced in 2006, the ensuing global financial crisis and subsequent sale of Saab seem to have doomed and chance that the Aero X may have had to make it into production. The unique aspect to Saab’s Aero X was the complete and total lack of doors. Instead of doors, entry and egress was facilitated via a roof that lifted off the main body of the Aero X. The style and design of the Aero X have helped win Saab attention at a critical juncture in time, and though it may not be destined for production, it is entirely possible that history books will recall the Aero X as the car that saved Saab.

Volvo ECC

After earning a reputation for building safe, reliable, and comfortable boxes on wheels, Volvo decided to hire Peter Horbury to create a unique concept car. The initial idea was to produce a variant of the popular 850 that had a hybrid electric/gas turbine engine instead of the more traditional piston style combustion engine. Despite incredibly poor acceleration and sluggish top speed, the sleek lines of the ECC have since become part of Volvo’s design language. This in turn has driven Volvo’s sales and revitalized a brand that was in danger of overlooked by consumers seeking trendier rides.

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