Holden Tornado
The 1969 Hurricane, which had a mid-mounted 5.0-liter V8 engine, resembled a modern sports racing car and was described by its manufacturer as a “research vehicle.”
At barely 39 inches, it was slightly smaller than a Ford GT40, but it had some extremely contemporary design elements, such digital instrumentation and a rear-view camera that made up for the absence of glass behind the heads of the occupants.
After being abandoned for a number of years, the Hurricane was fully restored and put on display in October 2011.
Dodge TurboFlite
Chrysler began a protracted and ultimately fruitless endeavor to build roadworthy automobiles using turbine engines in the 1950s.
Early iterations were modifications of standard vehicles, but Chrysler unveiled the TurboFlite concept in 1961. This concept was created by Ghia and designed by Virgil Exner.
The TurboFlite had a rear-hinged canopy that raised automatically when the doors were opened, giving it a little aeroplane-like appearance. In addition, an airbrake was installed to make up for the lack of engine braking that turbines have.
Although only few were produced, the Chrysler Turbine Car went into production a few years after the TurboFlite was never put into production. In the end, Chrysler stopped using turbines in the 1970s.
Unwind mentally
Nowadays, it’s almost impossible to imagine a big auto show taking place without at least one concept car on exhibit.
This wasn’t always the case. Before the Second World War, there were a few concept vehicles. They were starting to become widespread by the 1960s, and in many cases they offered a glimpse into the far future—even if that specific future never materialized.
These 22 ideas from that era, presented alphabetically, demonstrate what happens when auto designers truly allow their creative juices run wild.
The Rondine Chevrolet
Other than transporting a Corvette chassis to Pininfarina across the Atlantic in 1963, Chevrolet had very little involvement with the Rondine project.
Tom Tjaarda designed a redesigned body that gave the distinctly American Corvette a distinctly European appearance.
Next, Tjaarda created the Fiat 124 Spider. This car and the Rondine have similarities at the very back, but it was not possible to reduce the design of the entire vehicle to fit a much smaller vehicle.
Once sold at auction in 2008, the Rondine was owned by Pininfarina for a long time until it was acquired by private individuals.
Canon Romeo Alfa Romeo
Several concept automobiles have been created by outside firms as opposed to the automakers.
This also applied to Bertone’s 1964 idea for a road-going Alfa Romeo Giulietta TZ sports racing car, which was called Canguro (the Italian term for “kangaroo”).
Although the Bertone version may have had a better appearance than the racer, Alfa chose not to produce it.