2002 Pontiac Solstice Coupe Concept

Source: Internet

1999 Pontiac GTO Concept

Prior to the GTO reintroduction in 2004, Pontiac showcased a more extreme-looking concept in 1999, with blocky styling far removed from the Holden Monaro body used in the current GTO model.

While the concept car sported 19-inch wheels in the front and 20-inch wheels in the rear, the car had no engine or drivetrain to power them, and was strictly a design-concept piece.

The concept GTO pays homage to Pontiac's muscle car of the 1960's and 70's. GTO styling cues include a side profile with hints of the famous "Coke bottle" shape introduced on mid- to late-60's' models. The rear quarter windows are reminiscent of 1968-69 GTOs. A hood-mounted tachometer pod like the one that first appeared in 1967 is part of the package. However, the large, 19-inch-diameter front wheels, 20-inch rear wheels, and ultra-low profile, 40-series tires are much different from the 14-inch bias-ply US Royal Red Line tires included in the original GTO option package. The car's computer-generated interior uses high-tech materials such as aluminum, and the center section of the dashboard is an extension of the hood and painted to match.

Source: Internet

1956 Citroen C-10 Coccinelle Concept

C1 to C10 - Coccinelle* or "Goutte d'eau"**
*Beetle (Ladybug), **Drop of water in French.

In the early fifties, Citroën's range comprised two models - the 2 CV and the Traction, shortly to be replaced by the DS. Work was underway to plug this gap - there were two projects, one resulted in the Ami 6 while the other, regrettably was never launched.

In 1953, André Lefèbvre thought to develop a vehicle that would by more modern and more compact than the 2CV and to this end, the C range of prototypes were developed, ranging from C1 in 1955 through to C10 in 1956.

The C10 was a front wheel drive design (using the A Series flat twin), housed in an ultra lightweight (382 kg), aerodynamic body with DS style wide front track and narrow rear track. Shaped like a drop of water - tapering in all three planes towards the rear and employing aircraft construction techniques to ensure low weight, it looked not unlike a flattened, widened Messerschmitt bubble car, even down to the aircraft canopy glasshouse. The decision was taken to proceed with the "conventional" looking Ami 6. The Ami 6 was always viewed as a temporary stopgap solution to the chasm between the 2 CV and the DS - a chasm that was not really filled until the launch of the GS. Having rejected the Cocinelle, work started on the C 60 project to fill this gap.

Source: www.citroenet.org.uk

2008 Hummer HX Concept

X may be the Roman numeral for ten, but in this instance, it almost stands for "four." Had this small, two-door Hummer concept been built, it would have reached production as the H4, and it would have directly competed against the Jeep Wrangler (which, ironically, shares a sizable portion of its lineage with the Hummer brand) and the Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Hotness then (1-10): 9

The HX was everything we wanted a new Hummer to be: small, stylish, muscular, and capable of tackling the most challenging backwoods trails.

Hotness now (1-10): 9

It's still everything we still want a new Hummer to be: small, stylish, muscular, et cetera. The H3 and H3T proved capable of holding their own off-road (especially when compared to the bloated H2), but the HX/H4 would have been even easier to thread between trees, boulders, sherpas, and other off-road obstacles.

Could it have saved the brand?

The jury's still out on this one. Although a sizable core of Hummer loyalists purchased the vehicles for their off-road prowess, the advent of the H2 and H3 helped shift that demographic to suburbanite soccer moms. True off-roader may pine for a smaller Hummer that can tackle the Rubicon as well as any Wrangler, but we doubt the HX would have resonated with those looking for a station wagon with a stratospherically high seating position.

Source: Internet

2004 Hummer H3T Concept

Built on a modified GM midsize truck platform, the Hummer H3T features a 350 horsepower, turbocharged Vortec 3500 inline 5-cylinder engine backed by the heavy-duty Hydra-Matic electronically controlled four-speed transmission. Painted Petrol Blue Metallic and Satin Titanium, the exterior details include side-access doors, along with drop-down assist steps that double as weather-tight storage compartments. Riding on 34-inch-tall tires, the H3T has 11.5 inches of ground clearance. Underneath, a carbon fiber skid plate/belly pan is added for extra protection. Nike-designed Sphere seat fabric, military-inspired toggle switches, dash mounted altimeter, compass and inclinometer highlight the interior.

Source: Internet

1977 American Motors AM VAN

1921 Rumpler Tropfenwagen

The Rumpler Tropfenwagen was a odd yet advanced car developed by Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler. Rumpler had worked primarily as a designer of airplanes, when in 1921 he introduced his Tropfenwagen at the Berlin Auto Show. That car is historically credited as being the first truly and purposely designed streamline car (predating the Chrysler Airflow and Tatra T107 from Czechoslovakia). Oddly enough, the car was designed to cut wind resistance vertically, not horizontally.

This mid-engined mechanical marvel, the product of Rumpler’s wartime aviation experience, featured a W6 engine with three banks of paired cylinders, all working on a common crankshaft. Winglets, a teardrop-shaped cabin and body, and that cycloptic center headlight, somehow conspired to produce a super-slippery drag coefficient of .28 - a reading that is quite low even by today’s standards. As many as 80 Rumplers were made, including two that were featured and then set aflame in the German silent science fiction film “Metropolis” (1927). Today, only two Rumpler Tropfenwagen examples are known to exist.
Source: Internet