Concept cars are often a designers fantasy; given free-reign to craft and create a vehicle they could only dream of. As beautifully creative and sleek as many of these concepts are, sadly few make it to production due to the feasibility of mass production. However, there’s another side to these concepts, a darker side. A side that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Rinspeed Presto

The Presto was produced back in 2002 in Germany and unlike other wonderfully crafted models they’ve produced, like a Lotus that doubles as a submarine, this model fell short, very short of the mark. This repulsive looking model, with sliding doors and hideous styling would even look seriously out of place in a Disney film.

Honda Fuya-Jo

Reputable Honda are well-known for their technically sound motors and pioneering use of technology, but management must have taken a holiday when the Fuya-Jo was built. Sharing more in common with a hoover than a car, this boxy approach to creating a party on wheels wasn’t made into production, not surprisingly.

Peugeot Egochine

Peugeot Egochine

Did Peugeot somehow mistake the brief of creating a car with razor-light speed, rather than razor styling? This V8 powered monstrosity claims to draw inspiration from Figoni-bodied cars – however that’s just an insult to those who love classic French motors.

Aurora Safety Car

Aurora-speredi

The Aurora had many brilliant safety features that are all conventional features today, like seat belts, a roll cage, a padded instrument cluster and collapsible steering column. But as it paved the way to make today a safer place for motorists, it somehow got lost in a styling mix-up, with the accumulation of a hip-thumping bumper that was designed to “scoop up pedestrians without injury”. The mind-blowing bumper wasn’t the only whacky addition; designers threw in seats that swiveled backwards if a collision seemed imminent, thankfully we’ve since been blessed with the airbag.

Ford Nucleon

Back in the 50’s when nuclear power was seen as the pinnacle of progress and modernity, Ford conjured up the unthinkable with the atomic car – the first nuclear powered car. It was believed Ford’s nutty engineers imagined full-service recharging stations in place of petrol stations, where depleted reactors cores could be swapped out for fresh ones. Luckily for them and the rest of the world, petrol, diesel and even electric powered motors are deemed more appropriate.