Concept cars for the most part are not typically intended to become production models, but every so often a car comes along that just has to be built. Whether it’s because the company believes in it so much or the reaction from fans is that the car is desirable these cars do make it to production. We have lamented the cars that should have been but weren’t, now let’s look at some cars that may have never been but actually made it from the concept phase at shows to become some of the most admired cars on the road.
1993 Plymouth Prowler Concept – With a retro look of a hot rod that you might build in your garage the Prowler was a build that we wanted right away. This gained it instant fandom and when it was presented in the plum purple garb it was hard to keep people from talking about it or wanting it on the road.
1997 Plymouth Prowler – This became the first year the Prowler made it to the road but there was something missing. This car needed a V8 engine and even though it was all about what Chrysler could do with aluminum it was never powered enough as it only had a V6 during its time in action which was only five years.
2006 Kia Soul Concept – This concept would be a turning point for Kia as they presented a vehicle that was no longer boring and bland. Until this time Kia was mostly your bargain basement brand that wasn’t well known on the market yet, but the reveal of this funky little box at the Detroit Auto Show made us want more.
2010 Kia Soul – Four years after the concept showed up the production model looked almost identical, which was a huge boon for the car. Using a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a five-speed automatic this is a car that plays well on any road to be one that we love for its style and efficiency making it an instant hit on the US market.
1995 Audi TT Concept – The trend in Germany was to have small sports cars and this was the version Audi came up with that impressed the world. With clean lines and a modern shape the TT was a car we wanted on the road right away.
1998 Audi TT – Taking the clean lines from the concept and turning it into the production model made this an instant hit on the market and gave us a new roadster that was fun to drive. This car has become iconic and has only been changed a little over the years to be a car that is fun to drive with great looks and of course an awesome interior.
2002 Ford GT-40 Concept – The GT is a classic name from the 1960s that made Ferrari go home with its tail between its legs four years in a row. To bring this back we were presented with a concept in 2002 that was a car we wanted now that had the good looks of the old cars and modern technology.
2005 Ford GT – The car made it to production only three years after concept and gave us 500 horsepower which was similar to the 1960s models. This car was made to take on the Ferrari 360 Modena and it beat the Ferrari in every capacity. Now we are on the verge of having a brand new version of this classic name to excite us for 2017.
1994 Volkswagen Concept One – This was a retro but modern style Beetle that kept much of the same styling that was part of the car’s heritage but added smoother lines to it. This car has always been a car that offered a simple design that we loved, which is why this car sold so well the first time around for so long.
1998 Volkswagen New Beetle – Using a different drivetrain from the original to make the Beetle a FWD and seeing a dash mounted flower vase up front this car had a huge following right out of the gate. It was further updated in 2012 to give it a more muscular look and also has been upgraded for 2016 to give us a new Dune Beetle look to enjoy a classic that has been around since the end of World War II.
2006 Dodge Challenger Concept – After three decades out of the muscle car game Dodge showed up in Detroit with a muscle car that looked awesome and straight out of the 1970s. This gorgeous retro-designed car instantly made us want one of our own and certainly looked like it was ready to take on the Mustang and Camaro.
2008 Dodge Challenger – Only two years of being introduced to the concept we were greeted with a production model and the massive power the comes from the SRT Hellcat at 707 horsepower. This quickly became and still is the most powerful American muscle car ever made. This car has sold out every year since it came back.
2009 BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics – With a debut in Frankfurt for 2009 this concept gave us something that would look futuristic with a three-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that also had a plug-in hybrid powertrain with two electric motors this beauty could make 356 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque.
2014 BMW i8 – It took a little longer to bring to production than most cars but the i8 is one of the most advanced supercars on the road today. This gorgeous sports car that uses a tiny engine but gains much of its power from the electric motors to be an instant classic. The lightweight build also makes this car one that you just have to drive and should be on your bucket list.
Certainly these are some awesome models that we get to enjoy and it’s easy to see why the concept came into being a production model. What is amazing is how close the production versions were to the concept to give us what we want.
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