Year: 2009
Debut at Khodro Competition
Production cost: $6,800*
The eRinGo is one of the most risky designs as it resembles a giant drum. Yes, a drum. The vehicle was designed by Iranian artist Mohamed Ghezel and only has room for one passenger compartment in the center of the hub.
The motor powers three rings (which surround the compartment), two side wheels and a gyroscope to keep the eRinGo upright. Though it certainly isn’t suited for the average buyer, Ghezel’s designs have won two Khodro Awards from Iran’s largest carmaker.
Plymouth XNR
Year: 1960
Debut at: Concours d’Elegance
Production cost: $935,000*
The Plymouth XNR design was a team effort by Chrysler and Plymouth in 1960 to develop a sports roadster. Virgil Exner conceptualized the two-door vehicle in an effort to add it to the Plymouth family. The XNR roadster was thought to be a potential competitor to the Chevy Corvette or Ford Falcon. It was finally created after Chrysler’s sales dropped, which caused Chrysler to reexamine their brand.
The XNR got 250 horsepower and the engine was an inline-six, with a steel body mounted onto a Plymouth Valiant Chassis. Unfortunately, the vehicle was too costly to be sent to mass production.
BMW LOVOS
Year: 2009
Debut at: Geneva Auto Show
Production cost: $200,000*
The BMW Lovos was a student design project turned public concept car. Anne Forschner, a German design student developed the solar-powered car model. The word “Lovos” stands for Lifestyle of Voluntary Simplicity and contains 260 interchangeable, identical, and movable photovoltaic exterior plates that resemble fish scales in their design.
The car’s parts produce a voltage when they are exposed to sunlight and twelve of the plates collapse and form turbines when the vehicle is put into motion. Its exterior design is certainly not for everyone’s taste, but the inside is made to be comfortable.
Ford Gyron
Year: 1954
Debut at The Detroit Motor Show
Production cost: $40,000*
The two-wheeled Ford Gyron is another striking concept that debuted at the Detroit Motor Show. The Gyron was designed by Syd Mead and Alex Tremulis and displayed to the public in 1961. Mead and Tremulis implemented Louis Brennan’s theories of gyroscopic systems into the design.
The Gyron was made from fiberglass and, when stationary, had two small legs that kept the vehicle stable. The Gyron was purely a concept and was used for marketing purposes only, with no intention of being mass-produced.
Lincoln Futura
Year: 1955
Debut at: Chicago Auto Show
Production cost: $250,000*
The Lincoln Futura was a very expensive design to make (for 1955) as it took $250,000. Today that’s the equivalent of $2.4 million! The Futura first appeared at the Chicago Auto Show and later on the Today Show (then called Today) in March of 1955. The car’s design featured a plastic clear canopy top, large headlight pods, and giant tailfins—all novel features in the fifties.
The Futura was showcased within the auto show circuit throughout the mid-fifties before it became an icon as the base design for the Batmobile. George Barris customized the Futura’s design for the ’66 TV series.