Every year automakers spend millions of dollars developing cars that show off the newest technologies, fastest engines and most futuristic designs. The most obvious reason for the investment in these ‘concept cars’ is to show them off at one of the many auto shows that take place every year. Developing a concept car is also the only way to investigate the implementation of new parts and techniques to determine whether they are viable for production models. Some concept cars go on to be mass produced, but some will never see the showroom floor. Here are my favorite concept cars that were never sold to the public.
Mattel Hot Wheels Twin Mill
One of my earliest childhood memories is of owning a brand new candy apple red Twin Mill hot rod… or should I say Hot Wheels. The 1:64 die cast was hard to forget for the simple fact that it had two huge engines with mounted blowers protruding from the hood. I had almost forgotten about my first car when Mattel introduced a full sized operation concept version of the Twin Mill for Hot Wheels’ 35th anniversary. The gold behemoth was powered by dual GM 502 big block Crate engines, with stacked blowers just like the toy version. The full sized adaption was estimated to produce over 1,400 horsepower, but it could have been steam powered and still have scared petty production models off of the drag strip with its looks alone. The 35th anniversary Twin Mill first appeared at the SEMA auto show, and has made several rounds since then. It was never intended to be formatted into a production model.
Ford GT90
The Ford GT40 was originally a high performance race car that Ford made in the 1960s, and won the 24 hours of Le Mans endurance race 4 times in a row with. During Ford’s drive to market its heritage in the 1990s, Ford unveiled the GT40’s successor model, the GT90. Billed as the world’s mightiest supercar, the quad turbocharged V12 DOHC engine put 720hp to the rear wheels and could reach a theoretical top speed of 235 mph. The GT90’s first appearance came in 1995 at the Detroit auto show, and featured an angular design with a large bubble canopy. The body panels used carbon fiber extensively, which wasn’t as widespread at the time. The rear of the car was fitted with ceramic tiles because it was thought the exhaust was hot enough to damage the panels. While Ford never produced the GT90, they did make a production model of a re vamped GT40 called the Ford GT in 2002.
Mazda Taiki
The Mazda Taiki was introduced in 2007 at the Tokyo auto show. Possibly one of the most visually stunning concepts ever created, the Taiki was designed to show off the principle of ‘flow’, The most obvious features are the serene curves and the offset rear wheels that give the car a look unlike any other. Mazda used their trademark rotary style engine, a RENESIS 16x coupled to a 7-speed double clutch gearbox. Mazda says the Taiki “reflects one possible direction for a future generation of Mazda sports cars aimed at helping to create a sustainable society”. The gull wing doors are the only component that is closed to standard, even on concept machines. If everyone is going to be driving Taikis in the future, I hope I live that long.