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In 1974, the 2 + 2 spider (length - 4040 mm) debuted - its production started in 1975. Pininfarina developed the design, but Zagato produced the roadster. Source: carstyling (translated from Russian) Images: Pininfarina

The Lamborghini Bravo is a concept car designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone for Lamborghini. It was first presented in 1974 at the Turin Auto Show. The Bravo was designed to showcase ideas for a replacement to the Urraco. It was never put into production, but the Countach inspired many styling features, including the angular features and the window arrangement. The completely working prototype featured a 3.0L 300 hp (224 kW) V8 that powered the rear wheels and underwent nearly 168,000 miles (270,000 km) of testing before placing it in the Bertone museum. The Bravo was sold at auction for €588,000 on 21 May 2011. The Bravo has had several different paints, first a pearlescent yellow, then green, then champagne, and lastly white. Source: wiki Images: Carrozzeria Bertone s.p.a.; www.benedictredgrove.com; www.classicdriver.com

The luxury super-saloon is nowadays considered a must-have model for most prestige manufacturers. But the legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro was working hard on perfecting a car that combined performance and luxury with four-door practicality back in the mid-70s. In 1974, the tireless Giugiaro – fresh from penning Maseratis Ghibli, Bora, and Merak – began a project to design a four-door Maserati that combined the luxury of an American limousine with abundant power – the latter being notably absent in the 207bhp Quattroporte II of the same year. The philosophy of Giugiaro's car was expounded in its name, 'Medici': inspired by the celebrated Florence family that had risen to fame in the 14th Century through a certain business aptitude and a love of culture and arts. The Medici sat on an existing Maserati chassis and boasted a longitudinally mounted 5.0-liter V8 instead of the underwhelming 3.0-liter V6 used in the Quattroporte II. Inside, the car had seating for six – with four 'living-room' style chairs facing each other, giving the velour-lined interior an atmosphere reminiscent of a limousine, just as the design brief had specified. Giugiaro sought a 'balanced and elegant shape for the car's body, taking cues from some of his previous work such as the 1973 Audi Asso Di Picche by ItalDesign (with a design language also evident in the later B2 Audi Coupé – you may see some resemblance). However, the final outcome bore a bonnet that was too streamlined for the roofline, resulting in an oddly proportioned car – extremely un-Giugiaro-like, considering that his catalog raisonné includes the De Tomaso Mangusta, Iso Grifo, and BMW M1. Like many geniuses, Giugiaro is extremely self-critical, and even official documentation from the Italdesign styling house he formed in 1968 accepts the disappointments of the Medici's styling. Nevertheless, another trait of an artistic genius is persistence, which Giugiaro duly displayed in the years to come. Indeed, he brought the regrettable Maserati back into his workshop and set about creating the 1976 Maserati Medici II by ItalDesign, 'cutting and stitching' the metalwork to correct the anomalous proportions of the 1974 Turin Motor Show car. Engine & performance: Position: front longitudinal Type: Maserati Indy, V8 Capacity: 4931 cc Power: 320 HP @ 5500 rpm Drive: RWD Dimensions: Length: 5220 mm Width: 1860 mm Height: 1370 mm Wheelbase: 3100 mm Source: Classic Concepts: 1976 Maserati Medici II | Classic Driver .... https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/classic-concepts-1976-maserati-medici-ii Images: ItalDesign

Born from the Hyundai Pony sedan floor, it will be the greatest source of inspiration for a production car designed to leave its mark: the "legendary" De Lorean DMC 12. Pony Coupé is a successful experiment: very slim and extremely graphic surface treatment and the adoption of the bumpers painted in body color draw the Asso di Picche. The interior is probably the most successful of the early Italdesign's prototypes. The dashboard is cylindrical, while the seats remind some container objects of industrial design than a car. Pony Coupé comes as independent research, but on the eve of the Turin Motor Show, Hyundai management takes it seriously and asks to rename it as Hyundai Pony Coupé. Press releases are. However, Italdesign already left and carried a different name: Asso di Fiori. The confusion is further fed five years later when Italdesign presented a prototype called Asso di Fiori, and some Japanese journalists think it's a joke. Source: Project: Pony Coupé - 1974 - Italdesign. https://www.italdesign.it/project/pony-coupe/ Images: ItalDesign; oldcar-korea.tistory.com

Sportiva II, an experimental roadster version of Ford's new Mustang II, will be displayed in the Ford Division exhibit at the Detroit Auto Show, November 17-25 at Cobo Hall. The one-of-a-kind show car has a removable roof panel, roll bar integrated into the roof, a rumble seat, and an elegant, hand-fashioned interior. The exterior color is a rich white/gold Murano finish which gives hue variations when viewed from different angles. Source: Ford Press Release Images: Ford

The Fiat 127 Village springs from a new way of looking at the automobile. Its conception was shaped by economic factors, which in the 1970s, the energy crisis spelled reduced fuel consumption. Although a utility vehicle, Bertone took up the challenge with a car that allowed for a wide range of possible versions. Based on the mechanics of the Fiat 127, this design experiment takes the utility car concept to a new level. The Fiat 127 Village is the precursor of the popular leisure and transport cars of 2000. Its tubular structure was strengthened to create a convertible version. The Village could easily be transformed into a spider, van, pick-up, or many other versions. The modular nature of the optional features made it possible to create as many versions as there were combinations with the basic vehicle. The elegance Bertone put into every detail of the Village by no means detracts from its functionality. When this prototype was presented at the Geneva Motor Show, its simplicity and versatility captured the attention of the public and experts alike. Source: www.bertone.it Images: Carrozzeria Bertone s.p.a.

A coupé prototype based on the diminutive Pio Manzù-designed 127. Though the Lombardi car was never produced, it resembles the Fiat 128 3P. The Fiat 127 Coupé with a Lombardi body was supposed to be presented at the 1974 Turin Motor Show, but due to the current situation, the company closed and could no longer participate in it. Source & Images: carsthatnevermadeitetc.tumblr

Swiss Ferrari dealer Willy Felber had a history of rebodying and restyling cars from the Autbianchi A112 to the Pontiac Firebird and turning them into neo-classic one-offs or limited production vehicles - indeed, he'd already had several Felber-Ferrari 330GTCs constructed, with the standard coupe bodywork replaced by neoclassic styling which aped the 1950's Ferrari 166, Spider Corsa. It was presented at the 1974 Geneva Motor Show. Features: Engine type: V12, Ferrari Displacement: 4.0 l (242 ci / 3967 cc) Power: 300 ps (296 bhp / 221 kw) @ 7000 rpm Torque: 390 Nm (288 lb-ft) @ 5000 rpm Power / liter: 76 ps (75 hp) Power / weight: 306 ps (302 bhp) / t Torque / weight: 398 Nm (294 lb-ft) / t Transmission: 5-Speed-Manual Layout: front engine, rear wheel drive Source: www.365gtc4.com Images: Archive “Automobil Revue” / Zwischengas.com; www.autotitre.com

Although Ferrari's four-seat models ranked among the firm's top sellers, Pininfarina's prancing horse-badged styling concepts were typically based on racier platforms that were better suited to dramatic coachwork. This was especially true during the 1960s when Ferrari regularly sent Pininfarina competition chassis that had become surplus to requirements. Throughout this period, Pininfarina was unveiling futuristic Ferrari-badged dream cars practically every year. However, the supply of suitable racing chassis quickly dried up following FIAT's 1969 acquisition of Ferrari, at which point the firm's sports car racing program was rationalized. The CR 25 was presented at the Turin Motor Show in October 1974 and was the first Pininfarina-Ferrari concept since the Modulo of 1970. It arrived two years after the four-seat 365 GT4 was launched and previewed how a potential successor might look. While the CR 25 could have taken Ferrari's four-seat line in a new stylistic direction, the Maranello firm stuck with its existing design. Through four different series, the 365 GT4 stayed in production until 1989, by which time it had evolved into the 412i. The CR 25 was named in recognition of its 0.025 drag coefficient. The main brief demonstrated that an aerodynamically efficient design could still look exciting. Pininfarina also explored innovative ways of adapting to increasingly stringent safety legislation. Lawmakers (particularly in the USA) were demanding bigger impact-absorbing bumpers proving difficult for designers to integrate elegantly. Theoretically, the CR 25 could have run Ferrari's 4.4-liter V12 or even a Flat 12 motor. No engine was ever fitted, though, nor were any technical details proposed. The chassis shared an identical 2700mm wheelbase with the 365 GT4. The track was widened by 150mm at the front and 80mm at the rear. The 365 GT4 tubular steel chassis that the CR 25 was most likely based upon was almost identical to 365 GTC/4, albeit with a 200mm wheelbase extension. The suspension was independent all-around with unequal-length wishbones and coil-sprung telescopic Koni shocks. A self-leveling rear axle was fitted along with power steering. Anti-roll bars were installed at both ends. The quest for clean aerodynamics heavily influenced the new fastback body. To this end, considerable time was spent in Pininfarina's wind tunnel had built-in 1972. The CR 25 came with little ornamentation but did feature several innovations that were not immediately obvious. For example, there were concealed touch-sensitive door catches, a front bumper that acted as a spoiler, and sail panels that housed pop-up air brakes. The CR 25's livery comprised three sections. The upper body was painted pearlescent white. At its base, the louvered sill panels and the front and rear aprons were finished in brushed aluminum to match the dished wheel discs. Next, there was a thick satin black waistline to mask the bumpers. The front bumper was designed to stabilize airflow over the car. It largely obscured the CR 25's dramatically drooped nose. Retractable headlights were installed, each with a single rectangular lens. The lights were located below a full-width bank of body-colored radiator louvers. A set of auxiliary driving lights were housed underneath the bumper. An integrated spoiler was formed at the back by a rear screen that sloped beneath the trailing edge of the connected C-pillars. An inverted tail housed two rows of full-width light clusters above the bumper. Overall, the CR 25 was 124mm wider and 130mm lower than the 365 GT4. It was also 10mm shorter despite a prodigious rear overhang. Inside, Pininfarina opted for a typical seventies color combination. The bright blue fabric was used for the seats, door panels, and rear bulkhead. The beige carpet and natural alloy were used for much of the switchgear. The dash, transmission tunnel, seat frames, roof, pillars, and parcel shelf were upholstered in dark brown Alcantara. A digital dash was connected to the transmission tunnel through a vertical central control panel that housed neat touch-sensitive controls instead of traditional levers and toggles. The kind of minimalist two-spoke steering wheel fitted was all the rage at the time. The vivid blue seats were six cushions and added to the futuristic ambiance. The cabin was extremely spacious, especially the rear quarters. A considerable glass area gave a light and airy feel. After making its salon debut at the Turin Motor Show in October 1974, the CR 25 returned to Pininfarina's studio. Although Ferrari opted not to go down the CR 25 route for its V12-engined four-seat line, some of the styling details were later adopted on the Mondial, most notably the thick black bumper treatment. The upper body sections were then repainted silver, and the CR 25 was rolled out for another series of publicity photos. It has since faded into obscurity. Source: Supercar Nostalgia Images: Pininfarina; Concept Car Central; scanzen.tumblr.com

A modified Ferrari Daytona by the famed Luigi Colani. If anything is known about this rate one-off, please comment below. Images: www.ferraridatabase.com

In 1974, Chinetti commissioned the 330 Convertibile Zagato. Zagato’s tenth car based on a Ferrari chassis was inspired by the 3Z Spider, albeit with significant changes. The name Convertibile reflected the type of body, which was fitted with rear pillars and a “targa” type removable rigid roof. The tail was higher and heavier and did not slope down on the blue version. The front headlights were visible but veiled with an innovative darkened plexiglass cover that was rectangular and flush with the body. The rear light clusters were also modified and recessed in smaller niches than before. The car, a light red, looked strong and marginally heavier than the Spider, which was probably Chinetti’s intention, to bring out the Convertible element. The catastrophic Oil Crisis in the mid-Seventies started the inevitable decline of this type of personal luxury item. And the 330 Convertible was the only one of its type. Source: Zagato Images: RM Auctions; Zagato; www.ferraridatabase.com

The 1974 Special Version of the Colani GT2, which Colani himself drove, was the final version of his conversion of a classic VW. The GT2, pictured here in front of a pagoda in Sri Lanka, is reminiscent of Jules Verne's introduction of technology to an exotic world. Colani himself drove through the Indian subcontinent in this sports version of a basic VW. The vehicle, equipped with a world receiver and numerous extras, is preserved today. Source: carstyling.ru Images: Colani Design

The logical follow-on from the iconic Citroën DS was the CX, and it continued Citroën's passion for designs that challenged the market standards of the time. Designed by Robert Opron, a French automotive designer who originally trained as an architect, the sharp angles, covered rear wheels, and a squared-off Kamm tail were the main features of the CX. All steering-column stalk controls were also eliminated in favor of buttons on the steering wheel, making it another design innovation that saw into what would be the future of car design. Source: info.citroen.co.uk Images: CITROEN

Only Bill Mitchell could get away with this. Bill always managed to have a hot daily ride. Engineering prototypes that weren't street-legal stayed behind the fence, but many of the show car Corvettes managed to go home with Bill. His usual statement on his "design study" cars was, "This thing runs like a bear!" For the Mulsanne, Bill added, "This is the best Stingray ever." The Mulsanne had three previous lives. Born as a stock 350 '68 Corvette, the car was initially the '69 "Aero Coupe" show car used to preview the' 70-1/2 styling changes. It had a ZL-1 all-aluminum engine and a prototype four-speed automatic and was, well, a "real bear." A short time later, the Aero Coupe received the slim, Manta Ray-style side pipe covers, got a new paint job with the front bumper-grille assembly painted body color, and was renamed the "Scirocco." The car worked as a pace car at Can-Am races for the next four years. These were the days of heavy ZL-1 powered McLaren dominance. Mitchell thought it was cool that his Mulsanne pace car had the same basic engine as the McLarens. Like all of the Mitchell show cars, the Mulsanne had a large crowd around it at the '75 New York Automobile Show. Bill didn't pen every line on the Corvette, but his style was always present. The Corvette Mulsanne wore' 75-style front, and rear bumper covers painted bright metallic silver. The pop-up headlights replaced four rectangular lamps under body-fitting clear plastic covers. The new hood had a raised center section with recessed, functional scoops on both sides. The curved A-pillar, high-mounted racing mirrors, and electric rear window were all carry-overs from the Scirocco exercise. Since the Mulsanne was made to be a pace car, Mitchell kept the removable one-piece roof panel but added a periscope rearview mirror system. The interior was completely trimmed in leather with fixed seats, adjustable pedals, and a steering wheel. Mitchell couldn't have a "stock" ZL-1. This engine was bored to 454 cubic inches and wore an experimental Rochester fuel injection system. Chaparral lace wheels and flames exiting the fender vents added show car splash. Mitchell wanted the speedometer to look like a gunner's sight. So a roller-type speedometer reflected speed numbers onto the windshield. This was so that the driver could watch the road while "blasting" past lesser cars. Designer Chuck Jordan said, "The man had flair!" Source: Mario van Ginneken - www.corvettes.nl Images: www.shorey.net; www.chicagoautoshow.com; www.corvettes.nl

The Audi Coupe was designed by Frua and was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in 1974. It featured a mid-engined 1,871cc four-cylinder engine. Source: www.lotusespritturbo.com Images: www.lotusespritturbo.com; www.pietro-frua.de

The Zagato Zeta 80 is a concept car built in 1975. The car was unveiled at the 1975 Turin Motor Show. A concept for a 4-seat coupé, powered by the 2,418cc Ferrari/Fiat Dino V6, was intended to project what a sports coupé of the 1980s might look like. The Zeta 80 was a styling mock-up and wasn't entered into production. Source: carrozzieri-italiani Images: Concept Car Central; Mario Buonocunto Concept Cars Page

The Chicco prototype was developed by VW Design like formal research of livability and development. The Chicco prototype was a study for a new body assembly concept, an extremely compact structure, an ideal expression of utilization, increased performances, reduced consumption, and the most effective approach to production costs. Volkswagen thought about creating a small city car almost forty years ago when the Golf and Polo of the first generations were getting ready for production. The Volkswagen Chicco prototype appeared in 1975: a front-wheel-drive three-door with a length of 3.3 m was 212 mm shorter than the serial Polo. The austere interior accommodated four riders. There were no rear seats - the passengers were located on a gas tank covered with pile flooring, to which tiny backs were attached. Under the hood was an experimental 900 cc three-cylinder engine with 40 hp, which accelerated a 650-kilogram car to 130 km / h. But Chicco did not go into the series - the Polo did a good job playing a compact, inexpensive car. Engine & performance: Type: 3-cylinder, in-line Capacity: 900 cc Power: 40 hp Source: Mario Buonocunto Concept Cars Page; www.ltv-vwc.org.uk; Igor VLADIMIRSKY "Long way up" - Newspaper AUTO REVIEW 2011, No. 21 Images: Mario Buonocunto Concept Cars Page; www.volkswagen-automuseum.de

The Rolls-Royce Camargue is a 2-door luxury saloon manufactured and marketed by Rolls-Royce Motors from 1975 to 1986. Designed by Paolo Martin at Pininfarina, the Camargue was the first post-war production Rolls Royce not designed in-house (not including the more prolific coachbuilt Corniche by Mulliner-Park Ward, and the coachbuilt variants of production models such as Silver Wraith, Silver Cloud, and Silver Shadow, which were built by firms such as James Young, Mulliner, Park Ward, Hooper, et al. The Camargue derives its name from the coastal region in southern France. At launch, the Camargue was the Rolls-Royce flagship and the most expensive production car globally. The Camargue had already been on sale in the U.K. for over a year at its official U.S. launch. The New York Times noted that the U.S. price at this stage was approximately $5,000 higher than the U.K. price. In the 1970s, many European models retailed for significantly less in the U.S. than they did in Europe to compete with prices set aggressively by Detroit's Big Three and Japanese importers. The manufacturer rejected this approach with the Camargue, referencing the high cost of safety and pollution engineering needed to adapt the few cars (approximately 30 per year) is expected to send to North America in 1976. At its 1975 press debut, Rolls-Royce highlighted an automatic split-level climate control system, the first of its kind. According to Rolls Royce, the system's development took eight years. The recommended price of a new Camargue at launch on the U.K. market in March 1975 was £29,250, including sales taxes. Rapid currency depreciation would greatly raise the price of the Camargue in the late 1970s, both in the U.K. and North America. The Camargue shared its platform with the Rolls-Royce Corniche and Silver Shadow and was powered by the same 6.75-liter (412 cu in) V8 engine as the Silver Shadow, although the Camargue engine was slightly more powerful. The transmission was also carried over – a General Motors Turbo-Hydramatic 3-speed automatic. The first 65 Camargues produced used S.U. carburetors, while the remaining carburetted cars used Solex units. U.S. delivered cars used Bosch Jetronic fuel injection during the 1980s, sharing with the Corniche and Silver Spirit/Spur. The Camargue was fitted with the Silver Shadow II's power rack and pinion steering rack in February 1977. In 1979, it received the rear independent suspension of the Silver Spirit. With a 3,048 mm (120 in) wheelbase, the Camargue was the first Rolls-Royce automobile to be designed to metric dimensions and was the first Rolls-Royce to feature an inclined rather than perfectly vertical grille; the Camargue's grille was slanted at an angle of seven degrees. The car was sold in very limited numbers in European, American, Canadian, Australian, and Asian markets. Several of the cars have since been modified into convertibles by after-market customizers. The Camargue received a mixed reception, having ranked as one of the "10 Worst Cars"' as chosen in 2010 by readers of The Globe and Mail; having ranked 38 in the 2005 book Crap Cars by Richard Porter (the author saying the car "looked utterly terrible)" and having ranked 92 in a 2008 poll of the 100 ugliest cars of all time by readers of The Daily Telegraph. Autoblo said the Camargue had been ranked "conspicuously low on the list," adding the Camargue "really was horrid, no matter how well it sold." In response, automotive journalist James May said the Camargue "is not ugly, either. It has presence, like that pug-faced but well-dressed bloke down the pub." Features: V8, 6750 cc max. speed 200 km/h Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; wikipedia Images: Pininfarina; www.productioncars.com Pictured Above: 1975-1985 Rolls-Royce Camargue by Pininfarina Pictured Above: 1985 Rolls-Royce Camargue by Pininfarina

The Opel Geneve was a styling study by General Motors. It featured a mid-mounted Opel Diplomate V8 engine, with 5354cc, developing 230bhp and a top speed of 235 km/h. In Geneva in 1975, Opel revealed a beautifully streamlined two-seater, the “Genève.” Engineered to take a Wankel-type rotary engine, its original name was “GT/W” (“W” for Wankel). However, GM dropped its Wankel development program before the car was completed. Opel Design renamed it and exhibited its fiberglass mock-up as an eye-catcher at the show. The car was never put into production. Sources: Lotusespritturbo.com; www.carbodydesign.com Images: GM

The Opel GT2 amazed visitors to the 1975 IAA with its futuristic wedge shape and sliding doors. It announced a new, rational car age of greater efficiency – in fuel consumption, safety, interior space, and aerodynamics. The oil crisis in 1973 had again turned the spotlight on these themes. And the pioneering work that Opel had already done on the aerodynamics of the Experimental GT and Opel CD concepts were put to full use in the GT2. The Opel GT2 concept car shown at the IAA 1975 in Frankfurt was based on the chassis of the Manta / Ascona B. The two-seater coupe had a 1.9 liter 4 cylinder OHC engine and boasted a drag efficiency of 0.326. Over 16% better than the already sleek Experimental GT. Even the wheels were aerodynamically optimized. The rear wheels were partially covered to boost efficiency. At first glance, the sleek wedge form and recessed headlights make a very futuristic impression. But the feature that got the most attention at the Frankfurt Motor Show was the eye-catching sliding doors without visible rails. The opening mechanism was housed in the rearview mirror housing. The body was made of sheet metal, but the plastic was planned in a later production version. The interior was also ahead of its time: the bucket seats were constructed of individual plastic-foam components, the cockpit consisted of interchangeable modules with digital displays from VDO, and there was even an onboard computer. Source: www.opel.com Images: Opel; autozeitung.de; JOHN LLOYD Collection