Sometimes concept cars are way cooler than the actual production car that came from the concept. The reasons for this are many. For one thing, concept cars don't have to meet budget costs or safety specifications.
Another thing is that concept cars are by their very nature designed to push the envelope of what is a car. Whereas production cars have to get 2 or more people from 1 location to another, a concept car is an expression of style and perspective. Some concept cars were so ahead of their time that they are still written about long after they are gone.
10 Pontiac Banshee
Well, this car was too radical for GM to let it be produced other than by Chevrolet. Whereas Pontiac was thinking they too should have a 2 seat supercar, GM was like, nope! You can see that much of the style ended up in the C3 Corvette Platform that started selling 2 years after this car.
The Banshee was closer to a Stingray in terms of styling, whereas the C3, which was called a Stingray was actually styled after a Mako Shark. The inlaid chrome bumper for the banshee was pretty cool looking and classy.
9 1962 Corvair Monza GT Concept Car
This looked very much like a European Exotic Sports Car, but the actual production car that derived from the development was the 1966 Corvair Coupe which was much more conservative. We like the concept car which looks like something that Pininfarina would have designed for Ferrari.
The Ford GT40 race car would have been the closest car that came from this, but that was a competitor and the GT40 was never a production car as it was for endurance racing. The knock-off spinner wheels are a nice touch to make the styling authentic.
8 1969 Dodge Challenger Yellow Jacket
This car looked like a combination of a Mustang Mach 1, a Dodge Challenger, and a Trans Am. You could see several style exercises that showed up on all three major manufacturers in just a few short years. This was very cutting edge in terms of concept but very low tech on execution. Pure genius.
The front end even looks like a BMW M1 and the rear quarters have a little style that showed up in the Javelin. The canopy styling of the removable top says Pontiac Trans Am. Overall despite being relatively simple in design this one gets high marks because so many points on it became styling trends for production.
7 Ford Mustang Concept III
This concept fastback came so close to production as the first fastback, that the very same car in the photo is privately owned. Most concept cars are destroyed by the manufacturer or reside in a museum. Not this one. Whereas the actual fastback appeared in 1965, this concept took styling cue from the Plymouth Barracuda and the AMC Marlin around the rear quarter window.
Ford ended up going with a more traditional Ford execution of a small rear window similar to an opera window in the fastback version, but we like the idea they played with as a what-if concept? Obviously the gas cap was rushed in the concept.
6 AMC AMX III Concept
Wow, this car looks like an exotic that would have sold very well. Does this thing not look like certain Lamborghini models that appeared during the 1970s? AMC didn't even produce any AMX after 1972, save for the in name only model that appeared in 1979 based on an economy car with an optional 4-wheel drive.
You can see where the tilted rear quarter window styling did show up in the Matador just a couple of years after this concept was produced. We think this car would have sold as an exotic in the way Ford sold The Pantera starting in 1971.
5 Ford Ghia Coupe Concept Car
You can clearly see where the front end treatment showed up on the later Probe models and the second generation Taurus models also used some of the cabin area styling of this concept.
You can imagine that as long as the mating surfaces were properly sealed that this would be a very quiet car due to the smooth transition of airflow over the cabin. The Chrysler Sebring definitely shares some styling for the front end treatment.
It's kind of odd that Ford named the concept after the styling firm because most things that were sold as Ford Ghia models were very uninspiring. This model is attractive.
4 Dodge Charger III Concept Car
Despite no production Charger ever looking like this, the first thing you notice is the huge tires and rims which did become common on performance cars later on but were not even available for sale in 1969.
This car is rather extreme in terms of styling, and the C4 Corvette would be the closest thing we can think of as an actual production car that looks like this. We wonder if Chrysler was thinking of producing its own two-seat sports car or did they just design the concept car to see what could be?
3 Ford Evos Concept Car
Wow, except for the Gullwing Doors, what styling cues didn't make it onto Ford production cars just a few years after this concept was produced? You can see parts of the Focus, C-Max, Edge, and if you look closely even the Escape in this thing. It certainly would be the easiest sedan ever to vacuum and detail.
The chassis would have to be very rigid to produce satisfactory results with doors that swing open like that. It is an amazing car and had Ford not significantly curtailed car production, this may have ended up a production car in one form or another.
2 Porsche Cayenne Concept Car
We aren't even 100% sure the name given is the true name of the actual concept car. This one is spooky, but can you not see the Genesis of the Cayenne in this one? More so, it could be the next Cayenne model as it is very cutting edge. You can see a lot of the styling in the BMW made Toyota Supra in this car.
The mirror-polished monolithic roof and side glass treatment are awesome to look at. The hidden lighting is interesting, and we can't see the headlamps at this angle. The classic long and low look works quite well in this concept car.
1 Ford Forty Nine Concept Car
Ford went retro when they had Chip Foose design this car. Normally, Foose was known for building hot rods, so this was a great exercise for him. While the car harkens back to a 1949 Ford Tudor Sedan, the bullet nose was deleted and the car is a concept of 21st-century retro-styling.
This may have been a car designed along the Chevy SSR retro theme. It's certainly beautiful, and we love the treatment of the wheels and the chrome trim along the roofline. The better metallurgy and ability to form complex shapes 50 years after 1949 gives the car a fluidity not possible in the post-war years.