Even though concept cars are very cool, they can also be quite annoying. Not due to functional reasons, but due to the fact that the manufacturer refuses to put them into production. Sometimes, this doesn't really matter, but other times, when the concepts in question are really, really cool, it's a real shame.
Pretty much all auto manufacturers are guilty of this, and that doesn't exclude the Ingolstadt-based premium and performance giant Audi. Throughout the years, Audi has made some truly cool concept cars, and to this day we're sad that they never made it into production. Here are 10 of the coolest ones.
10 Rosemeyer
Ever heard the word "bizarre" used in a positive connotation? Well, that's the closest thing we'd use to describe this extremely unusual concept Audi. As well as the 1930s-inspired stainless steel body, this, along with the Bentley Hunaudières concept of the same time period, used an early evolution of the W16 engine that eventually found its way into the Bugatti Veyron.
In the Rosemeyer, named after a legendary race car driver, it was paired up with a 6-speed manual transmission. Sadly, it never saw the production green light, and it was never planned to. A real shame.
9 Avus Quattro
Another mid-engined concept similar to the Rosemeyer, though this came first. Instead of the massive W16, the Avus was meant to use a W12 engine. As the powertrain was still in development at the time, the Avus featured a dummy engine in the rear.
Though it was never destined for production, it was still an excellent showcase of new technology and developments, with Audi turning down huge offers from would-be customers. For example, there was the engine, for one thing, but also NACA ducts, and hand-beaten aluminum panels, which allowed for this featherweight car to reach a theoretical top speed of 210 mph - in 1991.
8 A8 Coupe
As much as it might not seem like it, this was indeed a concept - well, a fully working prototype of the concept, more specifically. A concept so mysterious, there are barely any photos of it online, no matter how hard you look.
The A8 Coupe is based on the D2 A8 (the first generation), and it's safe to assume that it would have competed with the BMW 8 Series and Mercedes CL-Class of the day. But it never saw the light of day. Sadly, Audi canned this car due to a lack of faith in potential sales numbers, and has never made a coupe version of any generation of the A8 that followed.
7 Avantissimo
This one is slightly cheating, as the Avantissimo eventually went on to become the A6 Avant (C6 generation). However, there are so many differences between the two, we're still counting this one. The Avantissimo is approaching freezing levels of cool. From the paint, to the wheels, to the profile, to the exhausts, to the rear end, and the interior... It has so much presence and it is definitely unique.
Power is no joke, either. Under the hood is the legendary 4.2 FSI V8, with two snails for good measure. The total system output is around 430 hp. There was also a good amount of innovative tech on the Avantissimo, which went on to appear on the D3 A8.
6 Nuvolari Quattro
At first glance, the Nuvolari Quattro looks a bit like the TT's younger brother that has somehow grown to be bigger than the TT. However, the Nuvolari has nothing to do with the TT.
It was powered by the 5.0 liter FSI V10 engine that you might be familiar with. The total output was around 600 hp, and as the name implies, it featured the legendary Quattro AWD system. Though the Nuvolari specifically was never put into production, it eventually evolved into the A5 around four years later.
5 Steppenwolf
You can definitely tell that this Audi concept was born to be wild... Anyway, this three-door SUV (remember those?) was powered by a 3.2-liter V6 engine, and as expected, featured Quattro. It was also a convertible, sort of.
It's a shame that this never went into production, because it would be cool to see Audi do a dedicated off-roader to compete with the G Wagen. And especially nowadays, if Audi were to modernize it and give it an extra two doors, it would sell like hotcakes.
4 Quattro Concept
One of the biggest disappointments ever, particularly for fans of Audi. Not the car itself, but the fact that it was planned to be put into production, but ultimately wasn't.
This Quattro, while looking very modern, still stays faithful to the original. Using the A5's platform and manual transmission, it features a 400 hp version of the 2.5 TFSI inline-5 up front. It was almost going to happen as a limited production run, but ultimately, it was canned. Very, very disappointing.
3 E-Tron Spyder
This is one of the many concept cars that Audi slapped the name "e-tron" to. In this case, we're really hoping this one goes into production sooner or later.
Despite being called a "Spyder," this stunning concept takes on more of a speedster approach, with the low and curved glass area. If the next Audi TT is fully electric (and hopefully not a crossover), it would be nice if it looked like this.
2 Prologue
The suave Prologue (coupe) concept was designed to preview the technology and design of the current generation A8, though it did spark rumors that Audi was working on an "A9" flagship coupe.
Sadly, that never happened. And it's a real shame, because this is a truly stunning concept with some very innovative technology, and it could have potentially put up a fight with the new BMW 8 Series. The concepts were all powered by a 4.0-liter TFSI V8 with around 605 hp. This coupe, however, wasn't the best from the Prologue family.
1 Prologue Avant
The Prologue Avant is by far the coolest in the Avant family - because it's a wagon. Just imagine if Audi put this car into production.
The Prologue Avant simply throws any type of misconception that wagons aren't cool right out the window. Unlike its coupe sibling, the Avant is a diesel hybrid. Pairing a 3.0 TDI engine with an electric motor, it's more catered to carrying heavy loads, as wagons do. Did we mention, it looks really, really cool?
These are just a handful of some of the achingly cool concepts Audi has put out over the years, and each one, along with countless others, always makes us wonder the same thing: How cool would it be if they were all put into production?