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The 1970 Garmisch resulted from a design produced by the Bertone Design Centre for a car with the mechanics of the BMW 2200 TI, aimed at updating the look of the BMW range. Bertone devoted particular attention to the details, especially the large rectangular front headlamps, the linear motif which runs along with the wings, and the honeycomb-effect covering of the rear windscreen. It is a four-seater coupé. The car was presented at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show, and its sober, elegant styling reveals a new trend set to shape the evolution of Italian design. The design was becoming more concrete, more closely linked to the world of production, a need springing from the difficult conditions facing the Italian automobile industry at the beginning of the 1970s. Source: www.bertone.it Images: Bertone; Concept Car Central

The Bertone Shake was built on a SIMCA 1200 S chassis, the same one used for the coupé created by the Turin designer for the French manufacturer. The "dune buggy" idea had captured Bertone's attention, and he decided to try his hand at this type of vehicle, albeit on a different level from the typical "home-made" car. A prototype like this was conditioned by the need to guarantee safety in all driving conditions because the car would often be used off-road, and the SIMCA 1200 S chassis was therefore adapted to include some stylistic elements used in a previous design (the 1969 Runabout). The Turin designer also devoted the same level of attention that had gone into preparing and adapting the car's structure to cope with difficult conditions to the finishing touches. The Bertone Shake was presented at the 1970 Paris Motor Show to widespread acclaim among the younger visitors. Source: www.bertone.it Images: Bertone; www.csi-auto.nl

In 1970 American Motors made a splash with this all-new mid-engined Dick Teague-designed supercar. The car was derived from the front-engined AMX coupe, AMC’s mainstream sports car. To design the suspension and drivetrain, AMC hired Italian master designer Giotto Bizzarrini. Bizzarrini’s experience with his mid-engined P538 made him one of the few engineers with hands-on knowledge designing mid-engined supercars. Combining leftover bits and some new AMC parts, Bizzarrini compiled a fully independent suspension. The chassis was a semi-monocoque backbone type, which, with the body welded on, proved to be very stiff. AMC added a 390 ci V8 engine, directly derived from the AMX coupe. In mid-1970, THIS AMX/3 was first unveiled to the Roman press. The reception was enthusiastic. AMC ordered 24 more prototypes for testing purposes. Unfortunately, financial problems at AMC and stricter safety and emissions requirements 86ed the project. In total, six examples of the AMX supercar were constructed. Source: www.jaylenosgarage.com Images: Vintage Web; aldenjewell's photostream

Released under the direction of Carol Shelby, the Viper is reminiscent of the Ford-Driven Cobra produced in the sixties. Both cars have a familiar 2-seater, front-engine layout and lend their names from reptiles. Unlike any other Viper, this car did not feature a V10. Instead, VM01 used the 360 Chrysler V8. This power plant may have been due to the long development time of the upcoming V10. In any case, the most radical concept behind the new Viper was its styling. With looks alone, the Viper caught the attention of America. Eventually, Chrysler gave the green light for Viper production, with the first car being made in 1992. Little did the company know that this car would eventually include a long-lasting production and a race program which would consist of many class victories, including Le Mans. Source: https://www.supercars.net/ Images: DaimlerChrysler

Syd Mead created a design for a convertible Ford pickup, similar to the modern Chevrolet SSR. According to Syd, "This was designed to mount onto a '63 Ford station wagon frame. It was fully operational with A/C, radio, and a fully operational top conversion. The vehicle converted electrically from a bench seat, three-passenger vehicle into a five-passenger close-coupled club sedan/truck. The small rear 'cab' roof slid back, a rear seat unfolded, and a 'filler' section with a window rose into position. This meant sacrificing bed length. The vehicle was toured for about two year"." According to Ford's press release,"Ford Division's Ranger II is an ultra-modern pickup truck with a custom-designed passenger compartment. Seen as a two-seater vehicle in the above photo, the Ranger II converts into a four-passenger pickup (below) at the flick of a finger. The rear portion of the cab moves 18-inches into the truck's bed while a roof section moves up into position and two additional bucket seats fall into place. The Ranger II's ultra-streamlined windshield is made of specially tempered plastic-type glass. It also features high-intensity headlights of rectangular design, extruded aluminum grille, and walnut flooring in the cargo bed." Ford Division's advance design Ranger II, an ultramodern idea in pickup trucks, will be one of the attractions of the Detroit Auto Show, which opens at Cobo Hall on November 26 and runs through December 4. The unique show vehicle in the F-250 class features a custom-designed passenger compartment that expands from a pickup to a two-door sedan accommodating two additional passengers in the rear compartment. When a four-passenger sedan is desired, a switch on the master control is activated. The rear portion of the cab moves 18 inches into the truck's bed, a roof section moves up into position, and two additional bucket seats fall into place. Other innovations include aircraft-type canopy doors that operate hydraulically at the turn of a key and a forward-hinged hood that opens hydraulically by a switch on the master control. The ultra-streamlined windshield of specially tempered plastic-type glass, special high-intensity headlights of rectangular design, contoured bumper, extruded aluminum grill, and a Clearwater Aqua finish give the vehicle a look at the future. As a two-passenger pickup, the truck bed is six feet wide and eight feet long -- the standard F-250 bed size. The cargo bed has walnut flooring, courtesy lights, aluminum loading rails, vinyl-covered side panels, and padded wheel housing. The functional interior features contoured bucket seats and options, including power steering, tilt-away steering wheel, SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic transmission, AM/FM radio, and a SelectAire air-conditioner. The Ranger II is 57 inches high, 18 feet long, 84 inches wide, and has a 120-inch wheelbase. A 390 cubic-inch V-8 provides power for the special show vehicle with three carburetors. Source: Ford Motor Company Images: Ford Motor Company; Syd Mead via www.promotex.ca

The 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo concept car was based on the race-derived mechanicals of the exclusive 33 Stradale from the previous year, but that wasn’t its only claim to fame: it also inspired two of last century’s most iconic cars. The Carabo project was a collaborative effort between the Italian manufacturer and the Bertone styling house: a partnership that had previously borne fruits that included the 2000 Sportiva and BAT concept cars of the mid-1950s. The basis of the Carabo was a chassis numbered 75033.109, which was, more specifically, that of a 33 Stradale road car. Despite sharing mechanicals with the Tipo 33 race car and since being recognized as one of the most beautiful cars in history, Alfa had trouble finding owners for the Stradale due to its steep asking price of around $17,000. As a result, five of the Stradale chassis were passed to Italian carrozzerie: two to Pininfarina (used for the 33.2 and Cuneo concepts), one to Italdesign (which became the Iguana concept), and two to Bertone – the other being used as a basis for the 1976 Navajo concept. The H-shaped tubular chassis supported an all-aluminum 1995cc engine designed by Carlo Chiti and, incidentally, was the first Alfa Romeo V8. The fuel-injected, longitudinally-mounted motor used chain-driven camshafts and red-lined at 10,000rpm, despite being detuned to 230bhp from the Tipo race car’s 250-270bhp. The power was sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed, synchromesh transaxle gearbox designed by Valerio Colotti. This granted the Carabo a top speed of 160mph and the ability to dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in 5.5 seconds. Because of its underpinnings, designer Marcelo Gandini had the opportunity to create a car that would revolutionize the automotive industry for many years afterward. The engine is mounted amidships, allowing for a pointed front end, while the ground-hugging poise inherited from the Tipo race car meant the car was under a meter tall at its highest point. Combined with the squared-off rear end, these characteristics inspired countless wedge-shaped designs of the 70s and 80s and gave the car its name and color: Carabo is derived from ‘Carabidae,’ a family of ground-beetles with a distinctive green and gold color. The principle of the wedge-shaped profile was used to eliminate the high-speed aerodynamic lift troubles of the Lamborghini Miura, which Gandini had penned two years earlier. However, his innovative celebration didn’t stop there. As well as having headlights hidden beneath active flaps, the Carabo was the first concept car with front-hinged wing doors, later used by Gandini when designing the Lamborghini Countach and since assuming the ‘Lamborghini doors’ meme. As well as inspiring the revolutionary raging bull, the Carabo also lent styling cues to the Lancia Stratos Zero concept car, which inspired the iconic Stratos HF. Unsurprisingly, the Carabo remained a one-off, but its revolutionary styling dramatically steered the automotive design industry onto a radically different path – one which produced some of the landmark cars of the 20th century. Even those who can’t look favorably on its apparent aversion to curved surfaces should take a second to appreciate its legacy; after all, would an Aventador have quite the same drama without its ‘Carabo doors’? Source: Joe Breeze - www.classicdriver.com Images: ClassicDriver.com, Motor1.com

The NSU Nergal was a small car, based on the NSU Prinz rear-engined model, presented as a prototype in the 1970 Turin Motor Show and designed by the Italian designer Aldo Sessano. Images: conceptcars.it

Francis Lombardi presented this one-of-a-kind coupe based on the NSU 1000 TTS at the 1970 Turin Motor Show. At the same time, a wedge-shaped coupe VW 1600 SS was on display at the Lombardi stand nearby. Images: www.zwischengas.com; ruoteclassiche.quattroruote.it

In 1970, Nissan released the 315-a electric commuter concept. With a single motor powering the rear wheels, the 315-a measured in at 95 inches and was capable of achieving 56mph with a neck-snapping 0-19mph in 6 seconds. Source: www.conceptnissan.com Images: www.conceptnissan.com

The 270X concept was introduced at the 17th Tokyo Motorshow in 1970. The aggressive style was not matched with its performance as the base mechanicals were from the Nissan E10 Cherry. The Cherry’s 1171cc motor was transversely mounted into an FWD design in which the exhaust system exited the back to conform to the sloping design. Source: www.conceptnissan.com Images: www.2000gt.net

The Nissan 126X concept of 1970 has to be one of the all-time classic concept cars. Also displayed at the 1970 Tokyo Motorshow, the 126X had striking styling and many novel features. One such feature was a series of colored lights, which were fitted into the louvered center rib on the front of the car. The red, amber, and green lights illuminated in series depending on whether the car was accelerating, cruising, or braking to allow other road users, especially pedestrians, to gauge the vehicle's approach. Technically the 126X was also unusual in that it was powered by a diagonal and transversely rear-mounted 3-liter version of the six-cylinder L series engine. Styling was as dramatic from the rear as it is from the front. Lesney Products modeled the 126X in their Superfast range as it was by Aguti Toy of Argentina and SZE of China. The original 126X concept still exists and was recently used in a Nissan Design exhibition in Japan. Source: www.conceptcars.it Images: Nissan

To say this Cat was before its time would be a serious understatement. Sporting a bold lime green paint job, El Gato (Spanish for "The Cat") was produced as a styling exercise for a futuristic-looking Cougar. Note the shaved door handles, chopped roof, and ultracool three-spoke 16" wheels with new-at-the-time Goodyear Polyglass radials. This was the first-ever fastback Cougar. While the front end merged styling from the Cougar and the GTO, it still projected an evil stance. Note how the limited flat black striping ends inside the molded-on hood scoop. Also, the front and rear pans were rolled, a very advanced-looking feature in an era of chrome bumpers. At the rear, the racing-style gas filler cap broke LTD-style taillamps at the left. The square center-exit exhaust tips lent a unique air to the car. It is not known if El Gato still exists, but it's presumed to have been destroyed (standard Ford practice for show vehicles at the time). Source: www.coolcats.net Images: Concept Car Central

The Mazda RX 500 was the star attraction at the 17th Tokyo Motor Show in 1970. It was developed by the research and design staff at the Toyo Kogyo Company and was a mobile test bed for high-speed safety. The body of the car was constructed from plastic, which helped keep the weight down to 1100 lbs. The Mazda RX 500 had a rotary engine mounted forward of the rear axles and was capable of 125mph. It also featured multi coloured lights, at the rear end of the car, which indicating whether the car was accelerating, braking or running at a constant speed. Source: Lotusespritturbo.com Images: Mazda Motor Corporation; drive-my.com; pen-online.com

The Mazda EX-005 debuted at the 1970 Tokyo Motor Show and was a bubble approximately the size of an office chair. Actually, it was a 4-seater, but passengers sat back to back and faced out towards its panoramic curved windshields. The car was controlled by joystick and its four wheels were arranged in a rhombus orientation rather than at the four corners (note the wheel wells in the front and rear). A single-rotor rotary engine charged the batteries (basically a bunch of conventional car batteries hooked together) that power the electric-drive motors. Its companion at the show, the RX-500 sports car, gets the fame, but the hybrid’s spirit would return over 40 years later in the Mazda Demio/2 RE Range Extender prototype. Source: japanesenostalgiccar.com Images: japanesenostalgiccar.com; philippe.boursin.perso.sfr.fr

Lincoln came up with a racy show car for the 1970 auto shows based on the Continental Mark III. Based on a styling exercise done under the supervision of Ford styling chief Larry Shinoda, the Dual Cowl Phaeton made its initial appearance at the Detroit Auto Show in November 1969. It also appeared at the Chicago Automobile Show on February 21, 1970, and shows in New York and at the Texas State Fair. The car began life as a production Continental Mark III, which was modified by Kar Kraft and had the roof structure removed to make it into a faux convertible, as there was no provision made for a top of any kind. The windshield header was removed, and the A-pillars were cut down to facilitate a new custom windshield with a polished upper edge. The windshield glass dipped in the center along the top edge to form a cut-out section repeated on the rear windshield, which was two pieces mounted to the front seatbacks to fold forward with the seat for ease of entry and exit. Most of the major body panels were modified. Only the hood, deck lid, and doors were stock Mark III parts. A sloping two-piece front header panel had angled upper and lower sections that created a vee horizontally where the two were joined together. This placed the concealed headlamp covers at an angle, and below them were rectangular parking and turn signal lights. The Mark III grille was customized and extended down beneath the car. It had a pronounced vertically-oriented vee shape, with the point of the vee jutting out even with the front fenders, which were rather pronounced compared to a production Mark III. The taillights were removed from the edge of the rear fenders and placed in a custom rear bumper. The rectangular lights matched the shape and size of the front parking/signal lights. The front and rear fenders were blunt, with slightly rounded upper and lower corners. Front and rear side marker lights were slim vertical slits placed near the edges of the fenders. The door handles were removed, and electric door mechanisms were installed. The Dual Cowl Phaeton was finished in a colorful Silver metal flake paint with a shadow paint treatment in charcoal gray metallic that ran along the lower edge of the body and followed the lower body line as it arced over the front and rear wheel opening flares. The two colors were carefully blended at the extreme front and rear of the car to avoid a line where the colors changed. The car featured a dark red leather interior with corduroy inserts in the seats accented on the exterior by red band tires mounted on custom wheels that resembled the production turbine wheel covers, only they had a different offset. The center caps were stock Lincoln parts. The same wheel design was used on the 1969 Ford Thunderbird Saturn II Show Car, with different center caps, which was also a huge hit at the auto shows. No performance modifications were made to the stock Lincoln drive train, although the car's appearance would certainly suggest otherwise. This concept car was designed and built to be displayed only, so it wouldn't make sense to do any mechanical upgrades. Unlike some Lincoln show cars of the past, this model was completely roadworthy and met all of the federal motor vehicle standards. It could be driven anywhere, as long as weather conditions didn't require a roof overhead for protection. The door and quarter windows were also missing, and the openings were covered with polished stainless trim. Even though the car didn't have dual cowls, nor was it a true phaeton, the concept car was a big attraction at the auto shows. This styling exercise never seriously considered for production allowed Lincoln to test new styling ideas for public response and keep its new Continental Mark III personal luxury car in the news. This was a very sporty-looking car, and it reminded people of Lincoln's hot rod past. After meeting its auto show circuit obligations, the car was loaned to Marcelino Mercury in Puerto Rico to display in its showroom. This was the largest Lincoln-Mercury dealer outside of the United States, and the original agreement was that the dealer could display the car for one year, then it would be returned for destruction. At the end of that one-year period, Marcelino Rivera, the dealership owner, had grown very fond of the car and asked Ford to extend the display period for another year, which it did. James Hodgins was the Sales and Marketing Manager of Overseas Operations for Ford and was in Puerto Rico in the fall of 1972 to launch the 1973 models. Knowing the time had come to return the show car, Rivera offered to buy it instead. He couldn't stand the thought of the car being destroyed. Ford initially rejected his offer but later changed its mind. Instead of selling it to Rivera, the car was awarded to Rivera's dealership to recognize its outstanding sales performance. The car remained on display at the dealership through 1973 and was beginning to suffer wear and tear due to exposure. The car was then moved to Rivera's house to be placed in covered storage for protection. Marcelino Rivera passed away in 1990, and Rivera's son, Rafael, restored the car in 1991. The car was offered at auction in February 2009. We hear it still survives today. Source: automotivemileposts.com Images: Lincoln-Mecury Division Ford Motor Company; www.chicagoautoshow.com

In 1969, when Nuccio Bertone bought a Lancia Fulvia from a friend and stripped it down to use as the basis for a wild, Gandini-styled concept car, the last thing he wanted was for Lancia to realize what he was up to. Bertone planned to design a futuristic, mid-engined replacement for the Fulvia – a car that was being rapidly left behind on the world rally stage by such mid-engined rivals as the Renault Alpine and Ford GT70. The problem was that Lancia favored Pininfarina, so Bertone had to move stealthily. "If I had as much as mentioned my idea to Lancia," he said later, "it would have been vetoed out of hand." So it was only shortly before 'Project Zero' appeared at the 1970 Turin Motor Show that Bertone revealed it to Lancia… and received the Italian manufacturer's approval. Bertone recalled years later: "One morning late in February 1971, Ugo Gobbato, the then chairman of Lancia, telephoned me." Gobbato wanted to see the car – and that very afternoon, Bertone drove it personally to Via San Paolo, headquarters of the Lancia works for racing team. "I drove up to the main gate, where an astonished Lancia gatekeeper stared motionlessly at that strange object so low it could pass beneath his barrier. Meanwhile, the engine's rumble [at that time a Fulvia V4] had brought all the Lancia racing team people who were waiting for us out into the yard. Then the gatekeeper raised the bar. It was an unforgettable entrance. In the middle of the crowd, I switched off the engine and climbed out of my' spaceship.'" Bertone was rapidly signed up to build a practical rally prototype. Space travel was all the rage, and it was christened Stratos. The prototype was very different from Project Zero. Instead of access via a hinged windscreen, there were conventional doors, and the flat screen was dropped in favor of a geometrical cylinder off-cut, but the car retained an unearthly, dart-like appearance. Lancia hoped to power the Stratos with the 2.4-liter Dino V6, but there was resistance within Ferrari's ranks – until Lancia approached Maserati with the idea of using the Bora unit. Suddenly Ferrari agreed to the deal. Suspension developments were still ongoing when internal politics forced the Stratos to make its rallying debut, and its 1972 outings were not a success. But by 1973, the car was starting to show form. Meanwhile, the road cars, a homologation requirement for the WRC, were hurriedly put together. Things were not helped by the Italian strikes of 1974, and the exact number of Stratoses produced is open to all the usual intrigue. Slightly fewer than 500 is likely. Meanwhile, the rally cars brought Lancia victory in the WRC from 1974 to 1976, until Lancia's untimely withdrawal from world rallying made way for the Fiat 131 Abarth. Source: Charis Whitcombe - www.classicdriver.com Images: Carrozzeria Bertone s.p.a.; www.benedictredgrove.com; www.classicdriver.com

This photo is a 1969 Kaiser Jeep factory shot of the XJ002 "Bolide" concept. The word Bolide means "a large meteor that explodes in the atmosphere," which is maybe appropriate for a flashy concept car that was never produced. It"s also an unusual name for a Jeep, but this was an unusual Jeep. Its plastic roof had bulges for head clearance. Built on a Commando V6 chassis, the off-road sports car was shown at the 1970 NYC Auto Show, and reportedly the XJ002 still survives and is undergoing restoration. Source & Images: www.film.queensu.ca

The Hondina Youngstar was a Zagato-bodied roofless "beach car" with no doors and bug-eye headlights, which was based on the Honda N360. Zagato's Honda Hondina was one of the first sporty kei cars ever built. It rode on the same platform as the tiny Honda N360 and used its 360cc two-cylinder engine, but it featured an open-top body with an integrated roll bar and no doors. Still, in its infancy, Honda wasn't interested in taking the Hondina past the concept stage, but it perhaps remembered the concept when it designed a topless, mid-engined kei car christened Beat in the late 1980s. Source: ranwhenparked.net Images: Zagato

A proposal by Dutch coachbuilder Harry Geeris for an off-road vehicle based on the DAF 66 with that car’s continuously variable transmission. The Buggy failed to get type approval and did not progress beyond a single prototype housed at the DAF Museum in Eindhoven, Holland. Source: carsthatnevermadeitetc.tumblr Images: oldconceptcars

Presented at the 1971 Paris Auto Show, Coggiola's Volvo 1800-based ESC Coupe was technically built for studying safety and comfort. It was 175 inches long, 67 inches wide, 49 inches high, and had a wheelbase of 96 inches. While not extreme in styling, a unique feature was the front grille which extended onto the lower portion of the hood. Source: Concept Car Central Images: www.conceptcars.it; Volvo Car Corporation