The concept car was built in 1959 by Ghia and was presented in 1960. The red XNR, designed by Virgil M. Exner, was powered by a 170 Slant-Six engine prepared to NASCAR specs, which pumped out 250 horsepower. On Chrysler's testing track, the car had a top speed of 150 mph.
Chrysler decided there was just no market for the car; even if there had been, the styling would likely have seemed just too far out to sell well.
The XNR was eventually shipped back to the Ghia design studio. From there it changed hands several times; including a stay in the garage of the Shah of Iran, and from there it disappeared for a couple of decades -- until a Lebanese car collector found it. Karim Edde discovered the XNR stored in an underground garage in Beirut in the 1980s, and recognized it immediately.
Edde had the XNR restored to its original condition. After its display at classic car shows, the XNR won several awards, including its inclusion in an update of Sony's Gran Turismo driving game.
In August 2012 it sold at a California classic car auction for $935,000.
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Cool Concept Cars never built - Beyond Mad Max
The Mazda Furai debuted at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and marked the final concept in Mazda’s fluid Nagare line.
Its name, meaning “sound of the wind”, was fitting: the Furai was powered by an all-new 20B 3-rotor wankel engine that was good for over 400 hp.
Lamborghini has never built a production sedan. The Estoque was revealed in Geneva in 2008 and looked like it was intended to be a production model.
The Estoque had all the makings of a top-end sedan, including a powerful 5.2-liter V10 engine.
The Renault DeZir Concept. Though it was only powered by a 150 hp electric motor, its too sexy sheet metal stole the show at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.
The HX Concept was going to be the one that saved Hummer. Smaller than the H3, the HX still had Hummer DNA but in a far less clumsy package.
The HX came far too late to save Hummer.
The Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina is a one-off sports car made by Italian sports car manufacturer Ferrari but redesigned by Pininfarina.
The car was an Enzo. The project cost US$ 4 million and was officially presented to the public in August 2006.
Cadillac Sixteen Concept. The Cadillac Sixteen is a high performance concept car first presented by Cadillac in 2003.
The vehicle was equipped with a Cadillac proprietary-developed 32-valve V16 engine displacing 13.6 liters (~830 cu. in) mated to a four-speed, electronically controlled, automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. The Sixteen would seamlessly shut down twelve cylinders in light driving, eight during strenuous driving, and only awaken the entire engine under full acceleration. The engine was said to produce a minimum of 1,000 horsepower.
BMW M1 Hommage Concept. The M1 Hommage was unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este in Italy in 2008.
The concept marked a celebration of the 30-year anniversary of the original German supercar.
The Citroën GT Concept. In a partnership between the French automaker and racing simulation developer Polyphony Digital, the GT was designed and created for Gran Turismo 5.
The car weighs a mere 3,086 pounds and houses a Ford V8 with 646 horsepower.
The Ford Interceptor is a concept car debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
It featured a Ford Racing 5.0-liter Cammer engine producing 600 hp, with the capability of running on ethanol. It included a manual six-speed transmission.
No single machine from the film Mad Max was as memorable as Max's Pursuit Special, a 1973 Ford XB Falcon GT351. The car is a limited edition with a 5.7-litre V8 351 Cleveland engine and a four-speed manual transmission.
Only 949 XB GT coupes were built.
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Cool Concept Cars
The Centurion name was first used on a Buick concept car in the 1956 Motorama. It featured a red and white fiberglass body, airplane like interior design, and a full clear "bubble top" roof. It also had the first backup camera in place of a rear view mirror, although it was never shown to be functional, merely a concept.
Lamborghini Concept S. 2006. This 5-litre V10-powered concept, of which there are only two in existence, looks just as inspiring as its Gallardo production brother.
The Audi quattro concept was produced by Audi and presented at the Paris Motor Show in 2010.
The car was shelved in 2012.
2007 Audi Locus Concept Design by Ugur Sahin.
The 1953 General Motors Firebird 1 was created to see whether a gas turbine engine would be viable in the cars of the future. It wasn't.
1938 Buick Y-Job. Complete with electric windows and headlights that could hide away, it was revolutionary in it's day.
