Amazing Concept Cars that Remained Concepts

Concept cars almost always inspire awe from its viewers. Showrooms are never quite as exciting and complete without a few. In an ideal world, concept cars that wow us in the showroom will also eventually reach the real world and grace our roads with their elegance, beauty, and out-of-this-world design. However, the fate of many concept cars - including the five described below - does not lead to real-world drivers on the road; these cars remained concepts, visions of what automotive design could be. Hopefully, all is not lost and we can still dream for these visions to become realities.

1. The Saab Aero-X. A concept car that debuted in 2006 at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, the Saab Aero-X tops the list with its amazingly cool and elegant design. A sports coupe that does not sport pillars for its doors or windshield, the Saab Aero-X exterior view is truly a sight to behold. Without the pillars, the driver has a clear and unobstructed 180 degree view of the outside world. Its interior boasts of 3-D images in replacement of our traditional dials and buttons. And as if that weren't enough, the Saab Aero-X doesn't fall short on its performance and functionality either, with its high-capacity storage, four-wheel drive capability, and lightweight body. Sadly, despite loud clamor from excited car enthusiasts, the Saab Aero-X was never commercially produced. Since Saab is known for affordable, well-designed cars, the Saab Aero-X may not just fit their line-up. Whether or not it will eventually be mass-produced, the Saab Aero-X is truly a thing of beauty.

2. The Lotus M250. True to the nature of Lotus Cars, the Lotus M250 stands out for its extremely lightweight body, without sacrificing design, power, and performance. Lotus engineers prioritized downforce and high speed stability, leading to an overall package that has excellent aerodynamics. While the Lotus M250 was built to be more like an everyday car, it never reached commercial production after its reevaluation. As the PistonHeads website reveals, refunds were made by Lotus to those who have given deposits for the Lotus M250, with the reason that the global marketplace is not really demanding for such a car.

3. The Pininfarina Etabeta. This concept car from the 1996 Turin Motor Show is still arguably a concept car that needs to be seriously considered for commercial production. An ecological car, the Pininfarina Etabeta is made from recyclable light materials. Commissioned by the Italian National Research Council (for research purposes, I suppose), only one prototype unit of this car has been produced. True to its environment-friendly body, the Pininfarina Etabeta has a hybrid dual-power engine with low-emissions. A great green concept car!

4. The Citroen Osee. Another concept car from Pininfarina that was never commercially produced, the Citroen Osee looks like something a superhero like Bruce Wayne would drive. With its sharp, edgy sleekness, the Citroen Osee would be hard to miss on the road. A 3-seater car, the Citroen Osee won the "best in Show" award at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show. Unfortunately, it was only created to be a study on the "pure mid-engined sports car," thus only one unit was produced.

5. The Audi Avus. Now, this concept car from Audi was truly a great statement of what Audi is capable of imagining and perhaps building. Showcased in the 1991 Tokyo Motor Show, the Audi Avus never made it into production either. Despite this, however, the body of this concept car was quite magnificent - all aluminum and lightweight, unpainted (yes, no paint!) and polished to reveal its simple yet astounding elegance. A mid-engine sportscar with all-wheel drive, I must say that the most outstanding feature of this concept car was its unpainted aluminum body - truly a beauty to be seen.