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"You have to create something beautiful and unusual in the face of what is banal and often ugly, that helps people smile," from Jean Pierre Ponthieu, a multi-card inventor who worked in the automotive industry, fashion, and decoration, corresponded to its Automodule. It was not until 1968 that the "automodules" were born, cars shaped like flying saucers. The "automodules" succeed the "Pussycars," the smallest cars in the world (at the time), and the "Chitty-Chitty-bang-bang," the world's largest car (at the time). The unique design and surrealist functions of the "Automodule" made this vehicle the focal point of all eyes in 1968. This spherical machine was considered "The Car of the Year 2000"! Powered by a 250cc single-cylinder engine propelling the machine at 50 km/h, its wheels allow it to go in all directions. Produced in only ten units, this "promotional" car is nonetheless a concept with unique charm. Source: 10/14/16 on GatsbyOnline.com (translated from French) Images: GatsbyOnline.com

Presented at the Geneva Motor Show, the Pininfarina Ethos 2 is a coupé designed by Pininfarina with two doors and a mid-mounted engine that transmits the power through the rear wheels. Its engine is a naturally aspirated petrol, 0.8 liters, two-stroke two cylinders. This application develops 55 bhp (56 PS/41 kW) of power at 5500 rpm. The coupé is characterized by an excellent aerodynamic efficiency (CD=0,19), and it is ideal for extra-urban use because of its qualities in terms of speed and handling. Recyclable and the other concepts, Ethos has elegant lines and a "clean" soul. Source: pininfarina spa. Images: Mario Buonocunto Concept Cars Page

The first concept of the Ethos trilogy, a family of environmentally-friendly vehicles of different configuration, this spider shares, with the following coupé and city car versions, the aluminum space frame (Hydro Aluminium), the body in thermoplastic material (General Electric Plastics), and the innovative Orbital thermic engine with excellent fuel economy and low emissions. With a curb weight of 1543 lbs (700 kgs), the Ethos 1 has a naturally-aspirated Inline 3 cylinder engine, Petrol motor. This engine produces a maximum power of 95 PS (94 bhp - 70 kW) at 5000-5500 rpm and a maximum torque of 125.0 Nm (92 lb. ft) at 5000-5500 rpm. The power is transmitted to the road by the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) with a five-speed manual gearbox. On the topic of chassis details responsible for road holding, handling behavior, and ride comfort, the Ethos has Coil springs. Anti-roll bar. Front suspension and McPherson struts. Coil springs. Anti-roll bar. Rear suspension. For stopping power, the Ethos 1 braking system includes the front and the rear. The Ethos model is a Cabriolet car manufactured by Pininfarina, sold new from the year 1992. Sources: Pininfarina, AllCarIndex.com Images: pininfarina spa.

Built-in collaboration with famed Italian design house and coachbuilder Carrozzeria Ghia, the Quicksilver was somewhere between a stretched hatchback and a station wagon. It had a ridiculously long wheelbase and a low, teardrop-shaped roofline that was designed to minimize drag, and seated five passengers. The car wasn’t just a showpiece – it was built to be driveable. Oddly enough, its chassis came from a mid-engined two-door sports coupe known as the AC 3000ME, stretched like a limousine by about 11 inches. Its Ford-sourced 2.8-liter Cologne V6 engine sits transversely behind the second row of seats, which I imagine significantly reduced rear cargo capacity. On the other hand, its frunk offered plenty of space upfront. The concept first turned up at the 1983 Geneva Auto Show and eventually made its way into the hands of private collectors. This unusual car last turned up for sale at a 2014 Mecum auction, where it ultimately fetched just $27,000 – which is a paltry sum for a driveable, one-of-a-kind prototype car from a major automaker. 📸: Mecum Auctions 📚: by Paul Strauss on 4/29/20 (via 95 Octane)

Marcello Gandini designed the Nissan AP-X Coupe concept. And guess what! It had a 0.20 drag co-efficient. A sports car to combine pleasure with responsibility, the AP-X features a new compact and super lightweight V6 engine with a high-performance toroidal CVT. The new concept car also has many active and passive safety features, combined with many fuel efficiency improvements. It may have looked futuristic at first glance, but the intention with the AP-X was that if Nissan had wanted to put the car into production, it could have done so pretty much straight away. Capable of replacing the S-13 200SX and 240SX along with the Z32 300ZX, the AP-X featured a 3.0-liter V6 up front driving the rear wheels via a CVT. With hatchback practicality and a surprisingly conservative interior, the AP-X could have been a great addition to the Nissan product range, but sadly it wasn't to be. What are your thoughts? Source: Nissan Press Release; www.autocar.co.uk

This 1984 Tri-Magnum is an early Honda Goldwing-powered trike kit that takes its model year from the donor bike. The seller says it was completed seven years ago following a two-year build process, adding that it’s fast and handles well. Plans are still available for this kit, which incorporates a standard VW Beetle front end mating up to the donor two-wheeler’s frame and drivetrain (minus front fork, fairings, and such) via some sort of custom bracket. This one looks pretty cool, but with “no reverse, no heat, and no air conditioning,” not to mention no opening windows in its tilting, one-piece canopy, some further sorting will be to make it usable for more than a few minutes at a time. 📚: BringATrailer 📸: Diseno-Art.com

The 70s and 80s were some of the most vibrant times in automobile history. Automakers were all-in for innovation, and all types of mad ideas were tried out to stand apart from the competition. Performance and comfort levels were seeing a rapid evolution. But in terms of design and looks, not much input was given in terms of efficiency, and it was all solely about turning heads and standing apart. But Karmann and Italdesign, two very prominent names, decided to join hands and build a car sourced from Volkswagen that focused on aerodynamic efficiency. This was called the 'Asso di Picche' Concept and was based on the game-changing Audi 80. As most of its components came from an Audi, they decided to give it the 4-rings. 'Asso di Picche' is an Italian phrase translated to Ace of Spades. Their main idea was to create a sporty, 2-door, 4-seat coupe that was efficient in all aspects, especially design. And the 1973 Audi-based Karmann Asso di Picchu wasn't their first work together as the 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Cheetah by Italidesign was a modified 2-seater VW Beetle with a soft-top, and it looked sharper! This car never proceeded past the concept stage but was very influential with the design of many iconic cars in history. Giugiaro later on improvised and built a trio of "Ace" concepts, with the 'Asso di Picche' being the first. The other two were Asso di Quadri (Ace of Clubs), based on a BMW 320i, and the Asso di Fiori (Ace of Clubs) based on the 1982 Isuzu Piazza/ Impulse. The 1973 Audi-based Karmann Asso di Picche by ItalDesign was a wedgy take on the future of the sports coupes, and it had a lasting impression. This concept was not decided to flaunt the 'Audi' badging as Volkswagen was the point of contact for both Karmann and ItalDesign for this project. The radical design was thanks to previous Giugiaro concepts that gave it angular looks and the unmistakable wedgy approach. It is only because of the dense amount of shared parts with an Audi that it got the badging. The Italians can never go wrong with making cars dramatic and beautiful. Combining that with tried-and-tested German engineering gave the Asso di Picche a well-rounded character and inspired the next wave of automobiles. It is one of the rare examples of fine Italian art and sturdy German engineering. And all of this was possible because of the sweet relationship between Giorgetto Giugiaro, the founder of ItalDesign, and the Volkswagen Group, thanks to their tasteful, creative investments in cars like the VW Golf, Passat, and Scirocco. The Asso di Picchu was based on an Audi 80. It used the same 1.3- or 1.5-liter inline-4 gasoline engines and packed a 4-speed manual gearbox, sending power to the rear wheels. The suspension, brakes, and mechanicals were unchanged, but the body was shorter and lighter than the Audi 80, which clearly would have given it an advantage in handling. The interior saw vast changes and had a quirky luxe appeal. The instrument cluster and center console was replaced by cylinder-shaped structures that grouped all the switches and dials into a clean layout. The cabin was heavily laid out with leather and had door pockets like hanging handbags. The final quirk piece here was the mono-spoke steering wheel which went well with the radical exterior design. Giugiaro has had an addictive obsession with wedges, but we aren't complaining. The Audi Karman Asso di Picche also took a wedgy approach under his design house, ItalDesign, known for quite a few quirky and sci-fi creations. This 2-door coupe had a fastback rear section and a long pointy nose. The hood also housed a neatly offset scoop that was most likely to provide air to the intake system. The design was sharp, but a fair amount of muscles were also added to give it an intimidating look. It was presented at the 1973 Frankfurt Motor Show While this wedgy Audi never made it past the concept stage, it influenced the design of many iconic cars. Giugiaro admitted that the Asso di Picche's radical design language was a major source of the iconic Lancia Delta's design. This muscular wedge was also found in other concept cars like the Maserati Medici and the Lancia Megagamma. This joint project had unknowingly and humbly started a new revolution in automobile design. Sources: Wikipedia.org, Dyler.com, Motor1.com, Supercars.net, Rawwhenparked.net Images: ItalDesign; Karmann

A rare one-off concept designed by Luigi Colani, a renowned German industrial designer for BMW. Built purely as a design concept with no possibility of production, the car was only a design exercise, which at that time was produced in a single unit with no drive train. It was an alternative proposal for Guigiaro‘s BMW M1 for the Le Mans race driver Jean Rondeau. Features: Production Years: 1981 released at: 1981 Paris Motor Show Body Stylist: Luigi Colani Engineers: Colani Production: 1 Engine: V8 Position: Rear Longitudinal Aspiration: Twin Turbo Fuel Feed: Bocshe fuel injection Source & Images: Colani Design

The Ghia Corrida was the first Fiesta-based concept car, introduced at the Turin Motor Show in November of 1976, the year the Fiesta was introduced. Corrida means bullfight, and the Corrida Concept was Ghia’s vision of a new-age sports car with an array of safety features. Corrida was based on a Fiesta and was also powered by a Fiesta engine. It featured pneumatically operated gull-wing doors hinged in two segments and electrically operated flaps for the headlamps to provide optimal aerodynamics performance. The rear luggage compartment was hinged at the bottom. Ford and Ghia developed the Corrida concept vehicle as a design and engineering exercise and feature car at auto shows. Built on a 90-inch wheelbase, the Corrida’s body and wheels were all weight-saving aluminum. Gull wing-styled doors were hinged at the top and folded in the middle for easy entry/exit, even when the car was parked in confined areas. The hatchback door was split in half, with the top section opening upward and a hinged lower section that could be locked in an open position to extend the carrying capacity. Source: https://classiccars.fandom.com/ Images: Mario Buonocunto; Concept Car Central; www.shorey.net; www.chicagoautoshow.com

The 1974 Coins was a striking curved wedge with a single rear-sited door. Built to celebrate the first anniversary of Ford’s takeover of the once-proud carrozzeria, stylist Tom Tjaarda produced this radical device in double-quick time. It’s notable for its three-abreast seating, central driving position, and means of access via a rear hatch, but Tjaarda positively hates the car. It was presented at the 1974 Geneva Motor Show. Source: AUTO LEMON; www.classicandperformancecar.com Images: Mario Buonocunto Concept Cars Page; www.classicandperformancecar.com

Paul Bracq was Director of Design at BMW during the formative period of the 1970s. The Turbo (E25) was one of his most striking creations. One of the greatest cars in the vast BMW stable is the 1972 Turbo prototype or concept car, created for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. In 1972, the eyes of the world were squarely on Munich, Germany. BMW had built a new corporate headquarters, remarkably styled on the shape of the cylinders of a 4-cylinder engine. A satellite building houses BMW museum pieces. And for the occasion, renowned designer Paul Bracq created an innovative design for a BMW automobile, the BMW Turbo. Only 2 Turbos were ever built. Today, it is one of the rarest of BMW's, with its elegant design, gullwing doors, and futuristic cockpit. Inside, the Turbo had several safety features, while on the outside, it had large window areas, a distinguished, sloping front, and balanced proportions throughout. The Turbo was powered by the 4-cylinder 1990cc turbocharged engine with 280 hp at 5200 rpm and a top speed of 165mph. The Turbo was BMW's first mid-engined car. Bracq's Turbo was awarded Concept Car of the Year honors in 1973. By 1979, the Turbo evolved into the original M1, BMW's first M Car. If you visit Munich, you can see a Turbo on display in the BMW Museum. The other Turbo is in the BMW Zentrum Museum in Spartanburg. "I could express with complete freedom my ideas concerning automobile style while respecting the image of BMW of the Seventies." Paul Bracq Source: www.usautoparts.net Images: BMW; www.lotusespritturbo.com; astebolaffi.it; @hub_raum_ / @bmwclassic (Instagram)

The Bianco S model was produced by Brazilian racecar designer Toni Bianco and introduced at the 1976 Sao Paulo Motor Show, featuring reinforced plastic and fiberglass bodywork over Volkswagen running gear. Safety substructures include roll bars and sheet-metal reinforcements. The bodywork on this example is finished in gold, and closeups in the gallery below include nicks on the left rear wheel arch. The Series 2 model featured cosmetic revisions such as engine ventilation changes, hood louvers elimination, and improved sealing. 14” alloy wheels are painted black with polished spokes and rims, along with model-branded hubcaps. Pirelli P400 tires are mounted. Lighting includes low-set double-round headlights, side markers, and taillights sourced from Opel. The cabin is trimmed black leather over the bucket seats, console, and dash, with color-matched carpeting and rubber floor mats. Equipment includes: A wood-rimmed steering wheel. A wood gearshift knob. Power windows. A power antenna. A Motoradio cassette player is equipped above the shifter. Instrumentation includes a 200-km/h speedometer and a tachometer with a 5k-rpm redline. The five-digit odometer shows 30k kilometers (~19k miles), approximately 200 of which have been added by the seller. The rear-mounted, air-cooled 1.6L Volkswagen flat-four features dual carburetors paired with a four-speed manual transaxle. Source & Images: 1979 Bianco S Series 2 Coupe for sale on BaT Auctions .... https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1979-bianco-s-coupe/

The Lancia Sibilo is a 1978 concept car designed and built by Bertone and based on the production Lancia Stratos, but 4 inches longer. Its main characteristics were its sharp, aerodynamic lines and polycarbonate windows. Like other Bertone concepts, the body is made from hand-beaten steel. A small circular portion of the side windows could be moved electrically, and a single large windshield wiper vertically swept the windshield. Retractable headlights with circular lenses garnished a sharply raked front end. Inside, the steering wheel was anatomically designed to fit the hand's natural grip and house switches for the warning lights and a loudspeaker.[2] Digital instrumentation was placed in the middle of the dashboard near the point where the dashboard and the windshield meet, designed to divert the driver's eyes as little as possible from the road. The vehicle was painted a lighter brown after its debut at the Turin Auto Show in 1978, following feedback regarding its extremely dark brown color. The wheels were also re-painted from bright yellow to light gold, and a Lancia badge was added to the hood. The Sibilo is powered by the same mechanicals as the Stratos, with a mid-mounted 2.4 L Dino V6 and 5-speed manual transmission. Source: Lancia Sibilo - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Sibilo Images: Bertone; Concept Car Central; RM Auctions; Corrado Lopresto Collection

The Ford Mustela II was a concept car built in 1973. The Mustela II was originally intended to be a design for De Tomaso. After Ford acquired Ghia in 1973, Ghia was used as the European styling and prototype wing of Ford's global organization. Ghia instantly came up with a string of concept cars, inevitably based on Fords. The Mustela II is thought to have been a possible replacement for the Ford Capri and fitted with an FR V6 engine. It was presented at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show. Source: Ford Mustela II | Classic Cars Wiki | Fandom. https://classiccars.fandom.com/wiki/Ford_Mustela_II Images: Ford Motor Company; www.tom-tjaarda.net

The Ghia Urban, later called the Ghia Manx, was one of the early Ghia creations using Fiesta architecture and running gear. It was a small city car, standing just 137 centimeters tall and only 259 centimeters long. Despite its diminutive size and short, two-door profile, this concept car could seat four people. It even had storage for luggage in a storage area in front of the driver. It was designed in the aftermath of the fuel crisis of 1973 as a solution to urban congestion and higher fuel prices. It would be presented at the 1977 Geneva Auto Show. Source & Images: Ford Media Site

Ford's experimental Tridon show vehicle was based on the 1971 Thunderbird and public display for the first time that year. Broad, low, and rakish, Tridon featured a long, sleek hood and forward-thrusting fenders that created a pronounced, tri-element design. In the rear, the treatment was strictly Thunderbird, with taillights deeply recessed in a broad oval frame that extended the car's width. A depressed scoop beneath the formal "backlite" contained the controlled-ventilation exhaust vent, flanked on either side by high-level stop-turn flashers that work in conjunction with the conventional flasher flare. Turned aluminum wheels with a circular brushed finish were held to the wheel by bolts around the entire perimeter of the outer wheel surface. Special tires for the Tridon were designed by Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. A flush-tinted skylight strip extended across the roof over the rear passengers and wrapped over the roof pillars down to the beltline. The exterior was painted with 20 coats of a murano lacquer called Moongold Mist. All exterior glass, including the skylight strip, was amber, tinted to harmonize with the paint. Source: Chicago Auto Show Images: Ford Motor Company; Concept Car Central; www.chicagoautoshow.com

The DeLorean hovercraft was a project undertaken by Rich Weissensel, using a shell of a parts car and a modified hovercraft that Rich obtained locally. Although the parts car had seen better days, the project was a success, as the picture above shows. Later on, Rich was approached to run the same project again for an episode of ‘Monster Garage’ – which was screened on the Discovery channel on October 13, 2003. The basic concept was to take a hovercraft and place a DeLorean DMC-12 shell on top. The key point is to keep the weight down, as the hovercraft’s capabilities weren’t designed to be used in this way – and there were questions early on about the output of the engine. In general, the DMC-12 components were stripped back as much as possible, including the removal of all additional door parts, window glass, and other unnecessary weight increasing parts. The original design for the car called for the build team to just cut off the top of the old DeLorean and stick it on top of a functioning hovercraft. But Jesse came in and stopped the build altogether and changed the direction of the project. But Rick had problems with Jesse's taking charge and walked off the build. That, coupled with too much weight and too little power saw the project doomed to failure. To seal the deal, Jesse James piloted a Marine AAV (Amphibious Assault Vehicle) over the failed project and crushed the failure under the treads. A sad ending to two DeLoreans, in the name of television - DeLorean fans everywhere hate to see anything relating to their cars destroyed – maybe it brings back bad memories of Back to the Future 3! What are your thoughts? 📚/📸: information and photos provided by Rich Weisensel via PJGrady.co.uk

As requested, here’s the DeLorean Monster Truck! DeLorean collector Rich Weissensel has created a unique collection of custom DeLorean DMC-12s. Among them a Monster Truck and a stretched limousine with no-less than 6 gull-wing doors. Build originally by the DeLorean Motor Company in Northern Ireland between January 1981 and late 1982, over 9,000 of the DeLorean DMC-12s made it out of the factory before production seized. Rich Weissensel started his DeLorean based projects in 2000 after he met John DeLorean at a show in Cleveland. Besides the monster truck and limousine, he also created a DMC-12 Roadster and even a hovercraft. The roadster was his first project and now nearly 13 years later he is in the process of redoing the original roadster design as version 2. 📚/📸: GTSpirit.com (written by Earl Karanja on 7/29/2013)

Here’s the DeLorean Roadster! DeLorean collector Rich Weissensel has created a unique collection of custom DeLorean DMC-12s. Among them a Monster Truck and a stretched limousine with no-less than 6 gull-wing doors. Build originally by the DeLorean Motor Company in Northern Ireland between January 1981 and late 1982, over 9,000 of the DeLorean DMC-12s made it out of the factory before production seized. Rich Weissensel started his DeLorean based projects in 2000 after he met John DeLorean at a show in Cleveland. Besides the monster truck and limousine, he also created a DMC-12 Roadster and even a hovercraft. The roadster was his first project and now nearly 13 years later he is in the process of redoing the original roadster design as version 2. 📚/📸: GTSpirit.com (written by Earl Karanja on 7/29/2013)

DeLorean collector Rich Weissensel has created a unique collection of custom DeLorean DMC-12s. Among them a Monster Truck and a stretched limousine with no-less than 6 gull-wing doors. Build originally by the DeLorean Motor Company in Northern Ireland between January 1981 and late 1982, over 9,000 of the DeLorean DMC-12s made it out of the factory before production seized. Rich Weissensel started his DeLorean based projects in 2000 after he met John DeLorean at a show in Cleveland. Besides the monster truck and limousine, he also created a DMC-12 Roadster and even a hovercraft. The roadster was his first project and now nearly 13 years later he is in the process of redoing the original roadster design as version 2. 📚/📸: GTSpirit.com (written by Earl Karanja on 7/29/2013)