Designers all over the world have imagined the way a car looks and though this creativity might very easily pour out on paper, to get them translated into full-fledged production versions is quite a task. The convincing part is the biggest deal breaker for most concepts.
Some of the designs we get to see as concepts in Auto Shows across the globe and we manage to show our appreciation at the effort put into making this sketch a concept. But any amount of coaxing will not get the manufacturer to bring out a production version of it. We trace down a few that we can remember, to tell you what you have missed to see on roads. Had they seen the light of the assembly line; things would have been different.
Cadillac Sixteen
The Cadillac Sixteen was a car which was brought out and showcased in 2003, when General Motors was overflowing with profits and was a way to celebrate and tell the people about the future of the company, the Sixteen was the most ideal way to say that.
The Sixteen was made entirely of aluminium and had a low slung profile. Lookswise GM had it sorted but there was more. The name 'Sixteen' came from the car's powerful 16-cylinder, 1000bhp engine. It got the royal treatment too as it was dressed with silk carpets, a crystal Bulgari clock, smoked-glass roof and a chilled-champagne compartment. All this was a way of bringing back memories from the 30's when Cadillac first developed their V16.
It is said that the Sixteen was a dream project of the then Vice Chairman of GM Robert Lutz, but eventually the idea had to be scrapped due to budget constraints.
Alfa Romeo B. A. T
The B. A. T short for Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica, was a car thatwas given birth thanks to thejoint collaboration project between Alfa Romeo and the Italian design house Bertone in 1953. The alfa Romeo B.A.T made its public debut at the Turin Motor Show in 1953 and was called the BAT 5. Two more cars would join this badge of cars soon the BAT 5 and the BAT 7 but neither saw the light of production. All three cars were designed by Franco Scaglione.
The BAT was a model built to study the aerodynamics. The front has been designed to eliminate the problem of airflow disruption at high speeds. It was all about flowing with the air and doing all of this with equal ease. Alfa Romeo had put under the hood of this car a 100bhp monster which would allow, thanks to the construction of the car, a speed of 200km/h.
The BAT was light too and weighed in at 1100 kgs. The design was among the most popular cars back then but it was the rear that surprised most. The length-ways rear windscreen divided by a slim pillar, and the two fins tapering upwards and slightly inwards. So, even the aesthetic sense was very much maintained. Though it got the approval of the crowd and got three versions to its name, there was no production version of it.
Chevrolet Aerovette
The Chevrolete Aerovette was a beauty when we first got to see it in the 1970's. The car was built by the Chevrolet design team to test it out for high performance. But the Aerovette was stunning and everyone expected it to be next in line for production from the GM stable.
The Aerovette displayed a strongly triangulated "mound" shape, and was extremely balanced when it came to proportions. The gullwing doors brought back memories of the Mercedes 300SL and were designed to get out of tight parking spots (well that was the practical explanation).
The interior was fully engineered than the typical concept car which is one reason why everyone thought the Aerovette would, one day, see the light of production. The mid-engined car would be capable of producing close to 420bhp while transmission duties were handled by a four-speed manual and three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic.
The talk around town was it will be up for sale but it never happened. Some say it was a management move and others say it was because there was a change in management. Whatever, the reason, the lay man has not been able to succumb to the charm of what may have been one of the most loved sports cars of all times.
