ROBBREPORT.COM 117
T
rue concept cars are the
lightbulb moments of
the great car designers
made real: sketch-pad
doodles rendered in
steel, carbon fiber and glass, displayed
at auto shows looking like they’ve been
time-warped there from 20 years into
the future.
The very best can influence the
looks of an entire generation of cars
from a marque, as Cadillac’s Sixteen
concept did in 2003, or inspire an
entirely new breed of car. In 1976, New
York’s Museum of Modern Art asked
designers to create the checker cab of
the future. Giorgetto Giugiaro proposed
a taller, shorter vehicle that created
more space in the cabin. He developed
the idea in his Megagamma concept
of 1978, which in turn inspired every
minivan now on the road.
The US has always been a rich
source of great concept cars, especially
when its car industry was at its most
successful and exuberant. Its first was
the sensational Buick Y-job of 1938 by
Harley Earl, head of General Motor’s
famous Art and Color department. Earl
imagined his cars of the future in an
office called the “Hatchery” at GM’s
Detroit HQ, which had no windows or
telephone and a fake name on the door
so he wouldn’t be disturbed.
Across town, Ford’s concepts were
occasionally a little too exuberant. In
1958 it revealed the Nucleon, powered
by its own nuclear reactor and good forauto show, around two-thirds of the
manufacturers previewed an already
finished production car.
But I’m still enthusiastic about the
future of concept autos. Geneva also saw
the unveiling of the Giugiaro Kangaroo:
a crazy mash-up of hypercar and SUV. A
great-looking, truly blue-sky idea from
one of the great Italian design houses,
it’s a proper concept car that proves the
genre is still alive and well.
Generally, autonomy and
electrification will free designers of
the need to package bulky internal
combustion engines, fuel tanks and
forward-facing seats and steering
wheels, giving them unparalleled
freedom to reimagine how our cars look
and operate. Most electric cars still seem
like conventional cars, and privately
their designers tell me that their
employers’ focus is on getting customers
to accept this new form of propulsion;
asking us to accept new visual forms at
the same time might be too much. But
I’d urge those designers to exploit this
new liberty. Be like Harley Earl. Ignore
the customers and the managers, go into
the Hatchery, close the unmarked door
and just dream.Ben Oliver is an award-winning
automotive journalist, consultant and
speechwriter based in the UK.Illustrations by CELYNField Notes
Paul Altieri
on watches, p. 118Ben Oliver
on cars, p. 117Sara L. Schneider
on wine, p. 122Sheila Gibson Stoodley
on collecting, p. 1205,000 miles between uranium fill-ups.
Exactly what would happen in the
event of a heavy crash was never really
examined. There was also the ’61 Ford
Gyron, a two-wheel car balanced by
a gyroscope, and the Leva Car, a 500
mph hovercraft with no brakes. But the
best-known Ford concept of the period
was the ’55 Lincoln Futura. Built by
Italian coachbuilder Ghia, it was sold
to Californian “kustom kar” builder
George Barris, who painted it black and
turned it into the Batmobile in ’66.
Some were silly. But some really did
predict the future—or now—with their
lightweight bodies, keyless entry, rear
reversing cameras, sat-nav and collision-
avoidance systems.
Sadly, not all modern concept cars
are quite as inspired. It can take five
years for a production car to be designed
and engineered, and the exterior
design is one of the first things to be
signed off. So when a carmaker shows
a concept car and then reveals the
production version a year or two later,
don’t be fooled. They’re not graciously
responding to demand from an adoring
public. Too many concept cars are just
the still-secret-but-finished production
versions, dressed up with huge wheels
and mad features that will disappear on
the car we can buy. Of the two dozen or
so concepts I saw at this year’s GenevaBEN OLIVER
Do Concept Vehicles
Still Matter?
CARS Prototypes are a tool beloved by
designers, who can dream big and imagine
the future. It’s how we got the Batmobile...
and the Kangaroo.ROBBREPORT.COM 117
T
rueconceptcarsarethe
lightbulbmomentsof
thegreatcardesigners
madereal:sketch-pad
doodlesrenderedin
steel,carbonfiberandglass,displayed
atautoshowslookinglikethey’vebeen
time-warpedtherefrom 20 yearsinto
thefuture.
Theverybestcaninfluencethe
looksofanentiregenerationofcars
froma marque,asCadillac’sSixteen
conceptdidin2003,orinspirean
entirelynewbreedofcar.In1976,New
York’sMuseumofModernArtasked
designerstocreatethecheckercabof
thefuture.GiorgettoGiugiaroproposed
a taller,shortervehiclethatcreated
morespaceinthecabin.Hedeveloped
theideainhisMegagammaconcept
of1978,whichinturninspiredevery
minivannowontheroad.
TheUShasalwaysbeena rich
sourceofgreatconceptcars,especially
whenitscarindustrywasatitsmost
successfulandexuberant.Itsfirstwas
thesensationalBuickY-jobof 1938 by
HarleyEarl,headofGeneralMotor’s
famousArtandColordepartment.Earl
imaginedhiscarsofthefutureinan
officecalledthe“Hatchery”atGM’s
DetroitHQ,whichhadnowindowsor
telephoneanda fakenameonthedoor
sohewouldn’tbedisturbed.
Acrosstown,Ford’sconceptswere
occasionallya littletooexuberant.In
1958 it revealedtheNucleon,powered
byitsownnuclearreactorandgoodforauto show, around two-thirds of the
manufacturers previewed an already
finished production car.
But I’m still enthusiastic about the
future of concept autos. Geneva also saw
the unveiling of the Giugiaro Kangaroo:
a crazy mash-up of hypercar and SUV. A
great-looking, truly blue-sky idea from
one of the great Italian design houses,
it’s a proper concept car that proves the
genre is still alive and well.
Generally, autonomy and
electrification will free designers of
the need to package bulky internal
combustion engines, fuel tanks and
forward-facing seats and steering
wheels, giving them unparalleled
freedom to reimagine how our cars look
and operate. Most electric cars still seem
like conventional cars, and privately
their designers tell me that their
employers’ focus is on getting customers
to accept this new form of propulsion;
asking us to accept new visual forms at
the same time might be too much. But
I’d urge those designers to exploit this
new liberty. Be like Harley Earl. Ignore
the customers and the managers, go into
the Hatchery, close the unmarked door
and just dream.Ben Oliver is an award-winning
automotive journalist, consultant and
speechwriter based in the UK.Illustrations by CELYNField Notes
Paul Altieri
on watches, p. 118Ben Oliver
on cars, p. 117Sara L. Schneider
on wine, p. 122Sheila Gibson Stoodley
on collecting, p. 1205,000 miles between uranium fill-ups.
Exactly what would happen in the
event of a heavy crash was never really
examined. There was also the ’61 Ford
Gyron, a two-wheel car balanced by
a gyroscope, and the Leva Car, a 500
mph hovercraft with no brakes. But the
best-known Ford concept of the period
was the ’55 Lincoln Futura. Built by
Italian coachbuilder Ghia, it was sold
to Californian “kustom kar” builder
George Barris, who painted it black and
turned it into the Batmobile in ’66.
Some were silly. But some really did
predict the future—or now—with their
lightweight bodies, keyless entry, rear
reversing cameras, sat-nav and collision-
avoidance systems.
Sadly, not all modern concept cars
are quite as inspired. It can take five
years for a production car to be designed
and engineered, and the exterior
design is one of the first things to be
signed off. So when a carmaker shows
a concept car and then reveals the
production version a year or two later,
don’t be fooled. They’re not graciously
responding to demand from an adoring
public. Too many concept cars are just
the still-secret-but-finished production
versions, dressed up with huge wheels
and mad features that will disappear on
the car we can buy. Of the two dozen or
so concepts I saw at this year’s GenevaBEN OLIVER
Do Concept Vehicles
Still Matter?
CARS Prototypes are a tool beloved by
designers, who can dream big and imagine
the future. It’s how we got the Batmobile...
and the Kangaroo.