11 way-out-there concept cars that defined the 1970s

[Hagerty]

Concept cars are meant to cross boundaries. That, and establish them. The 1960s saw this subspecies of automobile become a regular fixture on the global stage, with even the stodgiest of marques overcoming reservations and seeing the worth of creating something that might rake in the column inches.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/11-way-out-there-concept-cars-that-defined-the-1970s/

[Snailish]

Fun article.

There is a 1970s "future truck" concept that didn't go anywhere in the day, but is the Cybertruck concept in too many ways to ignore.

I have seen bad scans of the pages, reportedly from Mechanix Illustrated (1975 or 76 I believe). Giorgetto Giugiaro face and name is on the page, but another source attributed the design to Curtis Brubaker in 1978.

Googling it today it looks like the internet incorrectly sources this image repeatedly (surprise, surprise) and it is actually from a 1978 Penthouse future cars article and multiple designers pitched ideas. The Cybertruck predecessor does appear to be Brubaker --but again it is a bad partial scan rather than the complete article I am seeing.

Anyways, a Hagerty detective solving this "true design heritage of the Cybertruck" could be a fun article and show that those 1970s concept drawings weren't a waste of time.

[Longroofjunkie]

That’s very cool.

“Everything comes from something”

[TonyT]

The Skoda 110 looks like a Saab Sonnet rear-ended a Bricklin SV-1.

[sclin10]

Peugeot Peugette, another ugly French car.

[Snailish]

Puegeot are pretty much non-existent in my area. An early 80s example with really strange (to me) headlights came up for sale a while back. It was a true survivor being sold by the original owner.

A younger me probably would have called it ugly.

I was enthralled, and actually closer to following up on the ad than things I have actually been looking for. I don't really regret passing on it and hopefully it got a second owner that loves it as much as that first one clearly did.

[TG]

I think smaller headlights would probably made a significant appearance improvement

[Longroofjunkie]

How exactly is it ugly ?

Be specific.

I didn’t understand that comment at all. Unless you just poop on anything French?

Less ugly than almost every other concept in the article.

Not all wedgy, to where you can’t even see out, not loaded with unnecessary frippery.

Actually something that could be produced.

[PhillipinSD]

Give it a break it's a little boys bed.

[vvic]

That’s exactly what it looks like! Or a brick on wheels (I don’t know why Volvo DL’s got stuck with that nickname).

[vvic]

I kind of liked Columbo’s Peugeot 

[Maestro1]

This is lots of fun and I appreciate it.
I'm a tall guy and as I look at the wonderful and also bizarre designs I'm wondering how I would fit in one of them if any reached production. I love the designs anyway; I've owned
a couple of older Italian cars and the driving position was very interesting.

[Punk]

Right? At just over 6 feet tall, the first thought I had when I saw the Bertone Lancia Str was yeah, no way I could get into that thing unless I was laying on my back!

[Padgett]

F1 aerodynamic design in the 60s had the drivers lying on their backs and arms straight out to keep elbows in. Is actually quite comfortable on a long trip. GM cars are pretty good, German cars not so.

[Longroofjunkie]

German cars are pretty good.

GM not so.

Fixed it for you.

[Longroofjunkie]

6’ 2” here.

Yep.

I once owned a 308 Berlinetta. No way in hell could I wear a helmet in it, though I could drive it OK. Drove it to work occasionally.

Most concepts are silly, and completely impractical. But not all of them!

They have to start somewhere.

Look at the BMW vs the later M1 (which Paul Bracq also penned). An icon.

And that engine was dropped into the 2002turbo. 170hp. In a 2300-pound car. A little rocket ship.

[silver-GT4]

Giorgetto Giugiaro (Italdesign) actually designed the M1. I wish that BMW had built the Braq version, which by the way was noticeably smaller than the M1.

[FloridaMarty]

Too bad most of these designs didn't see production. They are far more interesting than the 70's cars that actually got built. I am a fan of the wedge design, so futuristic looking They would have also made great Hot Wheels!

[Punk]

Well the Lotus basically did go into production, albeit with some changes as the Esprit. I always liked that car. Its a better of taste whether the earlier car like the show car, is better looking than the later one.

[Longroofjunkie]

The Esprit looked so good, overall, that they were able to sell it for about 23 years, I think. Especially once it received a V-8.

Generally pretty timeless, which is a sign of very good design.

[Iso_Grifo]

I'm pretty sure I had a Hot Wheels or Matchbox Mazda.

I've always liked the Maserati Boomerang. That would have been an awesome production supercar.

I have to say that the Bertone Lancia Stratos Zero takes the cake for Peak 70's supercar wedge lunacy. Haha! You can't even look out the sides!

[ChevyDave]

The two dark panels on its sides are actually windows; exterior mirrors are built-in to the trailing edge of the wheel arches. A roof-mounted mirror was experimented with; you can see it some pictures of the car. Actually a workable, driveable prototype, just a little short on practical. 😉

[MWL]

I had a toy car that I believe may have been based on the SRV.

[Rick2]

Mazda should have built it!

[Punk]

They still should!!! Bring back the rotary!

[Snailish]

Dormant in the hearts of the true Mazda engineers has to be the desire to bring back the rotary... but what tech leap is needed to make that appealing in this era of anti-ICE (from governments) and threatened-era-to-be?

I don't know, it's a genuine question.

If there was some wacky fuel/tech combo that could make a rotary carbon negative with math, then you stand a chance of seeing it.

[Longroofjunkie]

It’s nothing whatsoever to do with “anti-ICE.”


Crappy fuel economy, burns way too much oil, needs a rebuild every 60,000 miles or so. Maybe a little more durable now, but see the other two strikes.

Definitely way cool, though.

The Wankel was originally contracted to go into the AMC Pacer!

[SJ]

Weird but pretty cool, never seen or heard of any of them.

[70amc]

Shame on Hagerty. Not to mention the AMX III. A care that not only was mid engine but actually had 6 (actual numbers argued) running prototypes and in the hands of collectors. Just par for the course.

[buellerdan]

This piece was apparently limited to furrin' concept cars of the '70s.

[Longroofjunkie]

See above.

[drhino]

If some of the wording and the subjects presented didn’t give it away; “Via Hagerty UK” appears at the end of the piece.

[FloridaMarty]

Wow, I just looked up the AMX III, and that was a awesome looking vehicle. Before today, I never knew about it. Yes, that one deserved mention.

[ChevyDave]

There was also an AMX II. I believe only a styling buck was made, but I actually prefer its more muscular presentation to the AMX III.

[Longroofjunkie]

This is from their UK website….

[HotRodGTO]

Nice article Hagerty. Thank you. Not sure why some of these folks can't just enjoy the articles without the negative critiques.

[Gary_Bechtold]

That Mazda RX-500 has a bit of Miura on the front end of it. The back end, what happened there?

So many wedges! (wedgies?)

Some interesting things out there but very little made it towards production.

[Longroofjunkie]

Wedges were very big in the ‘70s

See also: Lamborghini Countach.

Not that much different than some of these concepts!

[Fisheral]

I was thinking Saab Sonett, but I'll give you Miura. I wrote it in a separate reply, but the back end looks to be from the Kammback Trans Am from 1977.

[SAABV4]

Youtuber Casey Putsch is building a tribute to the Stratos Zero, he's calling the King Zero, complete with BMW V12 amidships. It will be interesting to see done and on the street.

[Huntwt1]

Interesting article. I’d be curious about concept cars of the same period that either did make it into production, or where the concept car contributed significantly to a production car. What were the pie in the sky ideas there someone in Production said “we can do that, in fact, it’d be a bad idea if we didn’t.”

[Snailish]

You have minivans concepts from at least GM and Ford in the 70s to my understanding.

Dick Teague working at AMC drew a lot of stuff (some of it made production) that was pretty innovative. Some of it was panned by critics at the time, but looking back there is a lot of things in the last 30 years that maybe owe some debt there.

[Longroofjunkie]

Agreed.

(Disclaimer: I worked at AMC in the ‘80s)

[ChevyDave]

Off the top of my head (none of the prototypes were mentioned here):
Bertone Runabout = FIAT X1/9
Pininfarina Dino 206 Speciale = Dino (Ferrari) 206/246
Pininfarina P6 = Ferrari 365 GTB 4 BB

[mwroten63]

Hagerty articles are as bad as reading Car and driver or Motor trend up at discount tire. 90% foreign tin. Those two car magazines have always tended to snub their noses at American cars and especially GM (and Mopar) still using those "antiquated" pushrod mills. Who knows, maybe there's more foreign cars insured through Hagerty than American . Either way, I figured there would be at least a couple crappy American cars in there since they did hold quite a large market share of world car production.I'm not knocking foreign scrap iron, it just seems like they often get a lot of ink.

[uweschmidt]

Stop whining thereare many Articles from many peoplefor many people and everyone cannot be for your or my personal liking cheer up and enjoy everything you can its all fun

[Snailish]

This particular article should of had the word "Euro" in the headline. The author is from the UK and that is the point of view they are supposed to give here. I welcome it.

Should some other authors (or this one) give us the North American, Japanese, etc. parallel articles to this  --yes please.

[Longroofjunkie]

Settle down, grampa.

This is from their UK website!

[carguyjim]

I vote the Monkeymobile or Munster Roach
(at least CLOSE to 70's)

[Fisheral]

The Monkeymobile would be an excellent cruiser for someone living in SoCal.