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The 1996 Turin show will be remembered as the year of the Fiat Bravo and Brava. Among 25 concept cars debuting at the show, 17 are based on the new Fiat models. Of the 17, ten are 'official' - sponsored by Fiat and displayed as a group - and seven are 'unofficial.' The 'official' section includes five coupes, two compact minivans, a four-door pick-up, a recreational vehicle, and a special taxi. The five-door pick-up is based on the Brava. The car has seating for five and an ample and open carrying space. Source: www.autonews.com Images: COGGIOLA S.p.A.

The 1996 Turin show will be remembered as the year of the Fiat Bravo and Brava. Among 25 concept cars debuting at the show, 17 are based on the new Fiat models. Of the 17, ten are 'official' - sponsored by Fiat and displayed as a group - and seven are 'unofficial.' The 'official' section includes five coupes, two compact minivans, a four-door pick-up, a recreational vehicle and a special taxi. The aerodynamic (Cd 0.19) 5 seat coupe (three in the front and two in the rear) based on Brava, was designed by Fiat's in-house styling center and built by Maggiora. Four of the five seats can be fully reclined to increase the luggage space. Source: www.autonews.com

In 1993, the Chrysler Corporation responded to a challenge by U.S. President Bill Clinton to produce a vehicle capable of meeting the demands of the modern consumer while still achieving an unprecedented 80 mpg overall in fuel economy. The PNGV - Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles project was aimed at The Big Three American car manufacturers. The second-generation Dodge Intrepid appeared at the 1996 Chicago Auto Show in concept form. Called the Dodge Intrepid ESX, the dream car featured an aluminum body and was constructed by Reynard Racing Cars in Great Britain. Ahead of its time in more than styling, it featured a hybrid propulsion system with a three-cylinder diesel and two electric motors for a combined rating of 245 horsepower. When the production Intrepid bowed for the 1998 model year, it was relatively sedate by comparison, with only a V-6 gas engine. Source: www.chicagoautoshow.com Images: Chrysler; www.caranddriver.com; www.chicagoautoshow.com

Like much of Colani's work, his Horch prototype proposed all sorts of excess -- excess in line and curve, excessive consumption, excessive power. Fitting, considering Horch did produce eight-cylinder luxury cars up to and during its time as one of the four carmakers combined to form Auto Union in 1932. Also, like much of Colani's work, it extensively used his signature style of sensual biomimicry in the guise of advanced aerodynamics. Colani always intended the lack of straight lines in his designs to reflect the human form. Likely not an authorized design by Audi, the Horch was reportedly Colani's follow-up to his L'Aiglon concept car from 20 years prior, a sort of neoclassic design with bulbous front fenders overshadowed only by the cartoonishly long hood and cowl-to-front-axle ratio. While not as long, Colani's Horch concept remained equally ostentatious with its Utah 8-like fenders, Buick-like grille, and proposed 16-cylinder power. In actuality, as we can see from the photos of the Horch on its auction profile, Colani employed a Ford V-8, reportedly a 460-cu.in. version good for 620 horsepower. The cowl appears full of GM components, while the dash looks like Colani used his Jeg's catalog. Dubbed the Mega-Roadster, it initially appeared painted silver with a hardtop spanning the cabin and blackwall tires before Colani resprayed it purple and added the whitewalls. Exactly how it ended up in a debt collection auction in the Swiss canton of Aargau, the auction description makes no note; according to the auction company, no paperwork accompanies the car, nor does the unique hood ornament. Source: https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2019/11/26/colanis-horch-resurrection-prototype-resurfaces-in-debt-collection-auction Images: Colani Design; Raimond Ray Strauß

Citroën unveiled three concept car versions of the new Berlingo at the 1996 Paris Salon. The third Berlingo concept car was the Grand Large which effectively went into production as the Berlingo Multispace. Source: www.citroenet.org.uk Images: CITROEN

Citroën unveiled three concept car versions of the new Berlingo at the 1996 Paris Salon. A sporty two-seater "Beach Coupe" designed by Citroen & built by Bertone for leisure was equipped with a pair of integrated beach chairs with reinforced pillars. Built-in cooperation with Bertone, the Coupe de Plage was intended for younger crowds frequently visiting the beach. Powered by a 103-horsepower 1.8-liter engine from the Citroen Xantia, the Coupe de Plage's top speed was 102 miles per hour. The rear pickup bed could be equipped with two beach reclining chairs for sunbathing after the rear window could be electrically lowered. The speedometers incorporated ocean wave designs and blue needles. The roof could be fitted with a surfboard rack. Folding shelves supported the cooling supplies while the external loudspeakers distilled the soft music of the car's radio. Coupé de Plage was styled in a manner evocative of the ZX Rallye Raide. In concept. It was not too dissimilar to the Méhari - while also drawing on the success of "leisure pickups" in North America. Perhaps a Berlingo pickup is on the cards. This car was powered by the 1.8-liter engine from the Xantia, developing 103 bhp and offering a top speed in the region of 165 kph (100 mph). Source: www.tokyo-motorshow.com; Concept Car Central; www.citroenet.org.uk

Citroën unveiled three concept car versions of the new Berlingo at the 1996 Paris Salon. The Bulle (Bubble) was presented at the 1996 Paris Auto Show based on the Citroën Berlingo. Great attention was paid to the rear passenger space, and overall legroom was increased by extending the body. The individual rear seats could also be folded flat for additional luggage space. Powered by a 103-horsepower 1761cc engine, the Bulle also seated the four passengers in a conventional atmosphere with orange accents. Built-in cooperation with Heuliez, the Bulle was never intended to go into production, despite its conventional appearance. The Bulle or "Bubble" is a bold new vision of a family car that breaks the traditional mold. Designed to be both practical and fun, it presents a nice, harmonious shape on the outside with lots of round and oval shapes. At the same time, on the inside, it is exceptionally roomy, airy, and welcoming. Source: Concept Car Central; www.citroenet.org.uk Images: Andre LE ROUX Site; www.citroenet.org.uk

Defined as a classic for tomorrow, the 1996 Chrysler LHX concept vehicle deftly blended the best aesthetic elements of the past with a modern interpretation and cab-forward architecture. An extremely fast windshield and rear window, large 20-inch rear wheels, and a beautifully sculpted silhouette gave this futuristic luxury sedan an extremely aggressive look. But instead of going overboard with futuristic gadgets and design, Chrysler designers combined the concept look with the classic feel luxury buyers look for and have come to expect from Chrysler. The LHX's interior combines graceful, simple forms and sophisticated materials that speak of craftsmanship and departs from typical mass-production molding techniques. LHX had plenty of power under the hood, too, with a 250-horsepower 3.5-liter, single overhead cam, 24-valve, V6 engine. The Chrysler LHX Concept was referred to by Chrysler Executive Vice President of Product Design and International Operations Tom Gale as a 'heritage design.' It incorporated the company's past while looking towards the future. It showcased many aesthetic and mechanical features later found on the next-generation Chrysler luxury sedans while introducing radical visual cues and futuristic technologies. It was given an aerodynamic design with an egg-crate grille surrounded on either side by tri-element ellipsoid beam headlights. In the back was a sculpted deck lid. The paintwork was Silver Green paint which subtly changed its hue depending on ambient light conditions. The wheelbase measured 124 inches and had an overall length of around 207 inches. It had a front engine and front-drive configuration with a steel unibody structure and exterior panels. After the Viper, Chrysler once again impressed everyone in 1996, this time with an unusual interpretation of the canonical form of a three-volume sedan. The car resembled a beast preparing to jump. Later, this compositional technique was called cab forward and replicated by all the studios of the Big Three. The formidable "muzzle" of the Viper and the "predatory" silhouette of the LHX sedan fully corresponded to the biological direction in design, the style of which has been widely used since the second half of the 80s. The appeal to soft lines and radius surfaces of wildlife is quite a natural protest against the dominance of High-tech and Neo-tech styles, which determined the technocratic direction in the shaping of things. Source: Н. Розанов, Журнал "Автомобили" 12-1998 (translated from Russian); Chrysler Images: Concept Car Central, Chrysler Corporation

The Moscow Cardi body shop does not need a lengthy introduction. Suffice it to recall last year's debut of the Body roadster, which received an unofficial press prize at MIMS'95 as the most hand-held exhibit. And here is the new premiere: the concept of a light sport utility vehicle, which has received the logical name Next, because it follows the Body. "Cardi" is so far the only Russian atelier that annually exhibits a new car. It had a carburetored 1.7L engine and permanent all-wheel drive with locking center differential. The Next Body has a spatial load-bearing truss made of steel pipes, on which fiberglass panels are hung both external and internal. The relative location of the Niva serial units on the new platform, the base, and the track remained the same. But the Body is an original—serial windshield with a "wiper" borrowed from "Tavria." The best definition that can be chosen for the Next Body is "off-road coupe." most all light "beach" cars produced in the world have a standard off-road body. The first production car with such a body appeared last fall. This is a Suzuki X90. However, the creators themselves called it "targa." The development of the Next Body was already underway at that time. And today, the all-terrain vehicle from "Cardi" is the only complete classmate of the X90. To build a two-seater coupe on an all-wheel-drive chassis means limiting the car's functionality: no refrigerator to take, no boards. But losing in one, you win in the other. It's not every day you have to carry a refrigerator through the swamp. In urban traffic and on the highway, the coupe-all-terrain vehicle looks much more sporty and flashy. But the view is a view, but what about the "beach passability" Next? We went to one of the reservoirs of the Moscow region. They did not test the car to overcome rough terrain - after all, the "Niva" will crawl through any dirt. I wanted to look at the behavior of the vehicle on the sand. The designers of Cardi made a bet on wide wheels with 235/75 R15 tires not only for stylistic reasons. They provide minimal pressure of an already light (1100 kg) car on the ground. Next, it leaves a barely noticeable trace in the sand. To "dig" a track, you need to drive through the same place a dozen times. Perhaps the creators of the car "guessed" with the wheels. But not with the clutch, which was left standard. Due to the wheels' increased diameter (740 instead of 680 mm), the clutch slips, and after a few laps in, the sand begins to smell. You will either have to return to the wheels of the previous diameter or put a reinforced clutch. The standard one is only suitable when driving on the highway. The smoothness of the course on the sand is acceptable - you can not be afraid to bite your tongue. But with rapid movement over potholes, the suspension does not have time to work out every unevenness, and the light machine starts to shake great. However, a car for outdoor activities cannot and should not be unnecessarily comfortable. A good shake-up is necessary. Note that thanks to the deep solid fenders, the engine compartment is well protected from sand and dirt flying from under the wheels. The interior of the car is the hobby of the company "Cardi." Like last year's model, it is made quite simply, but with taste. It's hard to believe that all the devices are taken from the "Field." The buttons and levers are made with special ingenuity. Chrome and light skin against the background of two body shades - this technique was used on expensive sports cars in the 50s and 60s. The leather-covered three-spoke steering wheel of Nardi is also in the style of those years. The instrument panel is original and extremely concise. The solidly leather-covered "eight-piece" seats have a standard set of adjustments. There is a decent-sized luggage compartment behind the seats. Access to it is possible only through the salon, with the back of the chair tilted forward. The roof is an easily removable plastic panel that easily fits in the luggage compartment. The car as a whole evokes one feeling - admiration for the beautiful handmade work. In fairness, we note that the design of such bodies is quite applied -the designers want to create a market niche and fill it themselves. In the case of the Suzuki X90, this is precisely the case. In the case of Next, the advantages of manual work with a serial chassis are demonstrated. Judge for yourself. Five enthusiasts create an original car in a year and then replicate it. With a small-scale replication, the price of the car would be about $15,000. One must think that Cardi does not sell its products "cheaper than work." It turns out that in Russia, it is more profitable to produce small-scale "exclusives" until giant factories learn how to make normal cars for an average price. In any case, the consumer will not lose. Source: Иван В. Падерин, Алексей Костюк - "Тайга" в бикини (Журнал "Мотор" 10-1996) (translated from Russian) Images: www.cardi.ru

The 1996 Alfa Romeo Nuvola was mechanized chassis engineered, developed and built by I.DE.A Institute. Named after Tazio Nuvolari, one of the greatest racing drivers, L: 429 W: 186 (cm) and their first show-off of the engine to be placed in the 1999 introduced 166, the 24 valve 2.5 liter V6. The Novula version is a 300 hp and 0-100 in 6 secs. Was apparently withdrawn from the 1997 Turin autoshow, otherwise it would have stolen attention from Fiats new Bravo/Bravo series introduced the same year. There is a spider version as well. Source: Passagen.se Images: Alfa Romeo; www.shorey.net; www.idea.institute.it Pictured above: 1996 Alfa Romeo Nuvola - Design team: Carlo Giavazzi, Wolfgang Egger, Daniela Masera, Walter de' Silva, Mario Favilla and Filippo Perini.

The main attraction of the 1996 Alfa Romeo Issima lay under its long, Alfa-badged bonnet. Nestling, a pair of Alfa Romeo 3.0 liter six-cylinder engines joined to make an in-line twelve with 500 bhp on tap. Its innovative styling was admired by Alfa's styling boss, Walter de Silva. Experts have evaluated Sbarro's role in the development of the global automotive design. In 1995, at the Geneva Motor Show, he was awarded the Car Design Award ("For the best car design"). During the award ceremony, Sbarro met with the heads of the Alfa Romeo design center, Walter da Silva and Mario Favilla, and the coordinator of the FIAT style center, Ermanno Cressoni. Sbarro offered them to revive the former glory of Alfa Romeo in the form of a sports car with a powerful engine. "The three-liter "six" is the most powerful thing we have," they answered him. "OK, then send me two," Sbarro calmly summed up. So the Issima roadster was born — the third car in history with two Alfa Romeo engines combined in a block and mounted in front. The total capacity of this power plant with a volume of six liters exceeded 500 hp. In the design of Issima, Sbarro laid two original technical solutions protected by patents. The first is the supporting structure of the Dual Frame spatial frame, which represents a longitudinal tunnel passing into a box in the area of the crew's legs and combining with the niches at the back. The second is a double suspension: rigid short-stroke suspension of wheels to the frame, soft and comfortable - between the frame and the body. The body for the Issima was chosen by the work of Pierre-Jean Bonnet, the successor of the glorious name of French automobile designers. Source: www.is-it-a-lemon.com; "Человек, придумавший колесо" Дмитрий Георгиев, Журнал "5 Колесо" 5-2002

It's difficult to dig up any information on the 1997 Daewoo Lanos Cabriolet Concept. Comment below if you know anything. Image: OldConceptCars

This concept, proposed by Marcelo Gandini as the successor to Diablo, was presented in parallel to a prototype conceived by Zagato, the P147 Canto. Despite respecting the cost parameters of the project while maintaining the roof, the door profile, and the windshield of the Diablo, this model was not at all appreciated. As a result, no prototype of this one-off concept was built. Source: UltimateCarPage; OldConceptCars

It's difficult to dig up any information on the 1997 Dodge Neon GTS Concept. Comment below if you know anything. Image: OldConceptCars

It's difficult to dig up any information on the 1997 Dodge Neon Sport-Biker Concept. Comment below if you know anything. Image: OldConceptCars

The smallest and most advanced mobile press room in the world is how Sbarro describes this Berlingo-based concept car called Grand Angle. Powered by a 3.0 liter V6 24 valve engine, it is all but indistinguishable from the normal Berlingo - until that is, that the television camera operator's seat is elevated through the roof opening. Grand Angle was displayed in 1997. Source: http://www.citroenet.org.uk/prototypes/sbarro/sbarro-05.html Images: oldconceptcars.com; wheelsage.org; Flickr

Very little is known about the 1997 Toyota Camry Solara Concept. Comment below if you know anything. Images: oldconceptcars.com

The 1997 Zender Escape 6 was a light vehicle concept powered by a Volkswagen VR6. It was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Sources: Zender; Andre LE ROUX

The Coupe Jetta prototype was a sneak preview of the Mk 4 Jetta/Golf as a 2-door coupe. No such version of the Jetta was made, the Mk 1 & 2 iterations being the only series to include two-door versions of the booted Golf. Volkswagen recently launched the Jetta brand as a new model line in China. And yet Volkswagen surprised everyone with its CJ concept car. The strange name CJ may hide nothing more than the future Volkswagen Corrado (the current Corrado is no longer being produced, and we have written more than once about the development of a new car. The CJ is based on the platform of the fourth-generation Golf model, and the design echoes the new VW Passat sedan. So far, information about CJ is very scarce — it is not even known what the serial car will be called (the name Corrado may sink into Oblivion). And yet, the appearance of CJ, to put it mildly, did not conquer. However, these German cars have always been distinguished by a strict, even a little dry appearance. The production car may look different — the final decision on the production of the vehicle has not yet been made, and the reaction of visitors to the motor show in Detroit may make adjustments to future plans. The Volkswagen CJ prototype on the Volkswagen Golf IV hatchback platform, shown in 1997 at the auto show in Detroit. Experts predicted this car to be a follower of the discontinued Volkswagen Corrado coupe. But the Germans went the other way, making a serial 4-door Bora sedan out of an experienced coupe. Source: М. КАДАКОВ - Газета «АВТОРЕВЮ», №1 (140) 1997; «Bora с перебором» - Газета АВТОРЕВЮ, N 2 (189) 1999 (translated from Russian) Images: Volkswagen AG

The 1997 Toyota MR-S concept was a small sports car in the spirit of the Toyota Sports 800 and third-generation (W30 series) tradition. This rear-engined concept debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show. Source: Toyota Motor Corporation