Cool, Awesome & Amazing Custom/One-off/Prototype Cars

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1963 Chevrolet Corvette Pininfarina Rondine.

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A new one to me, the Spoon Civic GT Concept. It seems there's very few pictures of it; these are everything I've found. From Spoon Sports Australia's Facebook page:

"If you thought RWD Civic's, extreme aero with giant carbon wings and diffusers, wide-body kits and carbon bodies were a NEW thing, well 27 years ago (!!) Spoon were already there rolling in their 'Civic GT' Concept as part of their extensive R&D program. The phenomenal (and somewhat mythical) Spoon Civic GT made it's debut at the 1995 Tokyo Autosalon as a concept for the JGTC (Japanese Grand Touring Car Championship) series with intentions of participation in some races, however some class regulations and other factors meant that unfortunately the car was not eligible for entry. The Spoon Civic GT was based on a Japanese Formula 3 car (open wheeler), with wheelbase and track width modified to fit beneath the custom one-piece carbon bodyshell (based on the EG6) stretched to accommodate the wider track and centre-lock Group-A wheels. Powered by a mid-mounted Mugen MF204 (Formula 3 spec engine based on the B20A) rated at a conservative '170PS' from Mugen (more realistically 190-200PS), the Civic GT included Spoon original parts including Pistons and Titanium Rods resulting in ~240PS @ 9,500RPM / 215Nm Torque being sent to the rear wheels via a Hewland Transmission. The spartan cockpit maintained the centre driving position of the Formula Car for ultimate weight distribution, with the engine mounted behind the driver powering the rear wheels, forcing in air through the air ducts in front of the rear fenders for the intake and cooling."

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Two unique prototypes: the Renault 16 only came as a five-door hatchback
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but they experimented with a more traditional 4-door sedan
Renault_16_Tricorps.jpg


and a cabriolet/coupe.
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Here's one that just popped up on a Ferrari-focused episode of Motorweek which is currently having another YouTube marathon:

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A replacement for the 412 wouldn't come until the 456 in 1992. But a prototype 2+2 dubbed the 512 GT America was being tested around the time of Enzo's death. The front end in this artist's impression strongly resembles that of the 456 while the rest looks more like a conventional late 80s coupe. Seemingly little info on this beyond the odd spy shot and a projected release date of 1991.

ferrari 512 gt america 1988.jpg
 
Here's one that just popped up on a Ferrari-focused episode of Motorweek which is currently having another YouTube marathon:



A replacement for the 412 wouldn't come until the 456 in 1992. But a prototype 2+2 dubbed the 512 GT America was being tested around the time of Enzo's death. The front end in this artist's impression strongly resembles that of the 456 while the rest looks more like a conventional late 80s coupe. Seemingly little info on this beyond the odd spy shot and a projected release date of 1991.
Looks like Eunos Cosmo especially roofline.
 
Restored Mazda MX-81

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Is that 'wheel' set up to do what I think it is - rotate around the column like a caterpillar track in the direction of travel?!
 
VXR
Is that 'wheel' set up to do what I think it is - rotate around the column like a caterpillar track in the direction of travel?!
...drivers were presented with The Future: a rectangular steering wheel composed of a tracked belt that retracted into the dashboard.
However, the steering wheel became the real showstopper. It was comprised of a flexible plastic belt that ran around a fixed rectangular housing.
 
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You can certainly tell it was spun off Bertone's Volvo 1979 Tundra concept design (even down to the colour), which in turn had originally been designed for Reliant's FW11 in 1977 and ended up the basis for Citroen's BX (1982).

People think recycling is a modern concept :)
 
In 1964, Chrysler gave the world a glimpse of the future. These turbine engines would run on any flammable liquid diesel, heating oil, kerosene, tequila, even Chanel No. 5. If the cars had been mass produced, today we might have cars that do not require petroleum-derived fuels.

1963 Chrysler Turbine Car.jpg
 
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