Concept We Forgot: Best Of 2017

Arguably one of the most interesting concepts to ever wear the four rings, the Audi Quattro Spyder can be described as an R8 of the early 1990s. It weighed just 2,425 lbs (1,100 kg) and had a mid-mounted V6 engine delivering 172 horsepower to an all-wheel-drive arrangement. There were actually plans to put the concept into production, but Audi wasn’t able to drive down the costs and ultimately axed the project out of concern the Quattro Spyder would have been too expensive.

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What started out in life as a 1977 Bronco was then transformed by Ford into a peculiar 4x4 with side exhausts and see-through removable doors made out of Plexiglas. Other interesting features included foam bumpers, a retractable loading ramp, and a few gizmos inside the cabin, such as ventilated seats and a digital instrument cluster. Not too shabby for a concept built more than 35 years ago, right?

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Fitted with a striking carbon fiber body, this is not your typical Porsche 911. It was a 964 Carrera 4 Cabriolet in its early days before getting an unusual makeover from the same Dr. Ulrich Bez in charge of the BMW Z1’s design. With open wheel arches and a removable zippered fabric top, the turquoise-blue Porsche is to this day a Nine Eleven oddity. Fun fact: the one-off was created as a birthday gift for Ferdinand Porsche’s son, Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche, on his 80^th birthday.

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The first-generation CLS was introduced back in 2005, but the idea of a large sedan with an imposing appearance and the three-pointed star badge has been around since the early 1980s. Aside from its imposing body with a drag coefficient of only 0.28, the Auto 2000 a.k.a. the “Mercedes-Benz for the new millennium” was engineered to accommodate three types of powertrains: gasoline 3.8-liter V8 (with cylinder deactivation tech), six-cylinder 3.3-liter diesel with two turbochargers, and a gas turbine engine.

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What happens when you take the Ferrari Testarossa and give it an F1-derived design penned by Zagato? The F.Z. 93 concept is born, complete with an interesting front bumper extending onto the wheel arches. Influenced by Ferrari’s 1991 F1 car, the showcar received Zagato’s signature double bubble roof and a number of carbon fiber parts on its futuristic low-slung body.

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The idea of an Alfa Romeo supercar always stirs emotions among enthusiasts and the Scighera did just that. Based on the 164, the remarkable concept not only looked fast, but it also had the hardware to match its appealing exterior clad in aluminum wrapping a carbon fiber-composite frame structure. A 3.0-liter V6 mounted in the middle had a pair of turbochargers pushing out 400 horsepower to both front and rear axles. Featured in Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, the concept spawned a GT race car variant with a gargantuan rear wing.

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Lexus concepts in the 1990s were few and far between and the all-wheel-drive Landau was actually one of the first from Toyota’s luxury division. Although it was based on the GS, it took the shape of a compact hatchback approximately 24 inches (60 centimeters) shorter than the donor car. Despite being much smaller, the V8-powered Landau actually had more headroom as a result of raising the roof. To free up more space, the fuel tank was moved underneath the rear seats.

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The fifth-generation Mustang in the GT version served as foundation for a lovely showcar styled by Giugiaro. Equipped with carbon fiber fenders, the concept was significantly wider than the regular pony car from Ford and had a completely different body. Fitted with a single-piece glass roof and scissor doors, the ‘Stang made the headlines following its debut at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show. It even had real horsehide inside the cabin.

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Looking at the stats, we have to admit that the number one took us by surprise. Created before “four-door coupes” were cool, the B11S was Subaru’s idea of a sporty sedan with a so-called “frosted glass roof.” Some would say the side profile bears somewhat of a resemblance to the Mazda RX-8, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Armed with 400 horsepower from a biturbo six-cylinder engine, the concept had the familiar symmetrical AWD system with a rear-biased configuration and a five-speed automatic transmission.

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