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Every year, car manufacturers all over the world launch new concept cars. These are essentially cars that show off what the manufacturer can do or which direction their design language is taking. They usually either show a car that will be launched in the next few years or what a car will look like in the very distant future.
Unfortunately, some of these concept cars are ridiculous. They're taken at least one step too far. However, things get even worse when you realize a few of these crazy concepts actually made it into production. Some were utter flops, while others, bizarrely, became bestsellers. Here are the 5 most ridiculous concept cars ever and 5 crazy cars we can't even believe made it into production.
10 Ridiculous Concept - BMW Gina
This is a very strange car. It's a two-seater BMW roadster, which sounds awesome until you find out it's made from water-resistant translucent man-made fabric skin. Also known as polyurethane-coated Spandex. It's all weird and impractical, plus when you turn off the headlights, the fabric closes in an eye-lid fashion.
We can only imagine that BMW was very bored when designing this car. Thankfully, it never reached production, which sure was a good decision. The Gina was wild, and nothing like it has been made since.
9 We Can't Believe It Went Into Production - Nissan Cube
The Cube is a confusing car that plays mind games on you. One side is different from the other, and it's all a bit too fat. The original Cube looked pretty normal, but the second and third-generation cars were awful. It was a spacious economical car that was very practical and easy to live with. Just it was so embarrassing, you'd have to be nuts to live with it.
It was produced from 1998 till 2019 throughout three generations. It was pretty cheap too, but for a good reason. The Cube will go down as one of the strangest cars ever made, and you can get one yourself for peanuts nowadays.
8 Ridiculous Concept - Peugeot Moovie
The Peugeot Moovie is essentially a hamster wheel on wheels. Sounds a bit stupid, but it is a very wacky concept car, It was designed by a 23-year-old University student from Portugal, and it was meant to be an environmentally friendly car. If this is what saving the environment looks like in the future, we'll pass and just stick to our F-150s.
The Moovie was launched back in 2005, but it may as well be from 3005 as it is just so strange and futuristic. It also only weighs 500 kg which means it is very light indeed. A modern-day Caterham? We'll let you decide on that one.
7 We Can't Believe It Went Into Production - Peel P50
The Peel P50 was made when Europe was obsessed with making small, silly cars. You had the BMW Isetta, the Messerschmitt KR200, and the Peel Trident. However, none of them were as ridiculous as the single-seater Peel P50, which is absolutely tiny. Powered by a single-cylinder engine, it officially became the Guinness Book of Records smallest production car ever made in 2010.
Produced from 1962 until 1965, it was road legal in the UK under the three-wheeler category. It has no reverse, but that's not an issue since the car has a handle at the rear, and it only weighs 56 kg.
6 Ridiculous Concept - Chrysler Imperial
The 2006 Chrysler Imperial was a hideous sedan that was designed to compete with the likes of the Mercedes S-Class or even the Bentley Flying Spur. It looked like a Rolls-Royce Phantom knock-off with its suicide doors, Rolls Royce-like grille, and just the whole shape of the car.
It was an ugly car, and thankfully it did not go into production. If it had gone into production, it would be a broke man's Rolls-Royce Phantom and have zero street-cred whatsoever.
5 We Can't Believe It Went Into Production - Reliant Robin
Three-wheeler cars work, but only when the third wheel is at the back. Unfortunately, Reliant didn't know this and stuck the third wheel that turns the whole car at the front. It was cheaper, and it did let Reliant bypass some laws so that the Robin could be driven with a motorcycle license. It was a cheap car, but looking back on it now, it was ridiculous.
The Robin was produced from 1973 till 2002. That's 29 years of a three-wheeled, strange fiberglass car that would easily tip over. It did serve a purpose, but it was ridiculous, and it is very embarrassing.
4 Ridiculous Concept - Dodge Super 8 Hemi
This has to be one of the ugliest concept cars ever made. We don't even know what to say about this one. It looks like a back-to-front 1950s car, as the back end of the car is at the front and the front end is at the back. Ultimately, it was just a mess, and what Dodge was trying to achieve here really confuses us.
It was a combination of past designs and designs from Dodge trucks and SUVs. Not a great combination at all, but Dodge was smart enough not to put this monstrosity into production, as it would've just humiliated the brand.
3 We Can't Believe It Went Into Production - Pontiac Aztek
The Pontiac Aztek ruined Pontiac. When it was launched, everyone just laughed at it, and now, 20 years on, everyone still laughs at it. However, it is a very sad car because it essentially ruined Pontiac's reputation. It was also a pretty competent, spacious, and comfortable car.
Under the hood was a 3.4-liter V6, which was very gutless, and that meant the Aztek was very slow. It's a shame that the Aztek flopped so badly because, in all honesty, it isn't as bad as everyone makes out. It's just that the Aztek was just not what people expected from Pontiac at all. It's not sporty, and nor is it cool, it was a half-hearted attempt made by a company run by bean counters.
2 Ridiculous Concept - Aurora Safety Car
This is a dangerous car since it makes us have blurry vision. What on earth went on here? It was the world's safest car at the time, but you had to pay a price for good safety, and that was your dignity. It's horrible, it is the elephant man on wheels. It looks as if it is a car from a sci-fi movie.
The concept was launched in 1957, at a time when cars were getting pretty extreme. This was just too over the top, hence why it never reached the production stages. If it did, it would have been a complete flop.
1 We Can't Believe It Went Into Production - Bugatti Veyron
The Bugatti Veyron is a fantastic car, and is somewhat an outlier on this list. The reason why it's included, is because it really does make the impossible, possible. It has over 1000hp, it hits 60 in less than 3 seconds, and it has a top speed of over 250 mph. Yet, it's no super lightweight car at all. In fact, it's a heavy grand tourer.
The engineering is insane. It has tires that cost $20,000 a set, an engine that is made from two V8 motors and so many radiators it could fill up an entire home. The VW group lost money on every Bugatti sold since each one was just beyond overengineered. By far one of the best cars ever made.