Prototype Cars (Dial-up warning)

[X-Power]

Hello guys, I was just thinking about prototype cars and how interesting some of them are. Share any interesting one's you can think of.

Here's what I've got to share.

MG ZT-T 4X4.
This ZT-T is sat on Land-Rover Freelander running gear, which gives it AWD. Normal ZT's only came in RWD and the Rover version only in FWD. It's a shame they never released it as I'm sure it would've been a nice alternative to an Audi RS4. This car is now believed to be kept in the SAIC motor tech centre. (the current owners of MG)

Ferrari Enzo Prototype [M3].
This is a prototype built in 2000 which uses the Enzo's V12 engine and transmission. It was made to look like a 348 to disguise it during testing. This prototype is called the 'M3'. It went up for auction a few years ago.

 

[benzoboy]

Basically, it's a Ford Transit with Jaguar XJ220 running gear. This helpful bit of text I stole might explain it better than I can.

It was built by TWR in the early 90's as a rolling testbed. It was lighter than the 220 & would hit 60 quicker! Top speed at Millbrook was 170 mph. One lucky engineer (Patrick Walker) used to take it home at weekends for milage accumulation. The van was built to drive in city traffic and was a very important part of the XJ220 development as they had the test track at Millbrook to do the high speed work but nothing would test the car in city traffic,and Jaguar would not like to have bad press with a 220 at the side of the road, so the van was built as a test bed for every day driving in gridlock conditions. It is basically an XJ220 with a Transit Bodyshell stuck on top of it.

As you can see, they really went to town with making it look as authentic as possible. Pretty clever way for them to test it, fair play to them!





One word - want!

 

[Stevisiov]

^ That's awesome. Pretty much the epitome of a sleeper.

Not quite as cool as as the Espace F1 though.

With the engine, gearbox and suspension of a V10 Renault Formula 1 car, it was an incredible and unusual concept car. Frighteningly fast too.

 

[Prince.M5]

We all can dream, can’t we? Basically, it's an E32 BMW 7-Series... Sounds nothing much but the thing that made it very interesting is the 6.2L V16 at the front boasting 408 bhp at 5200rpm and 461 ft lb of torque at 3900rpm, more than 100bhp and 100 ft lb torque than the 5.0 liter V12. Within the walls of BMW, the Secret Seven project was also known as the “Goldfish” by Dr. Karlhienz Lange, Adolf Fischer and Hanns-Peter Weisbarth. One of the most exciting things about the Secret Seven project probably lies within the gearbox…. it’s a six-speed manual derived from the 8-Series Coupe!

The car is available in a secret BMW Museum somewhere in Munich. Further read on this car can be found right here: BMWBLOG.com

 

[benzoboy]

That's brilliant ^

Reminded me of the BMW M8;

Originally envisioned as a Ferrari competitor, only a single prototype BMW M8 was ever produced, equipped with a special 550 bhp (410 kW; 558 PS) version of the S70 engine, essentially a bored out version of the M70 with experimental multi-valve cylinder heads. A common misconception is that this engine powered the McLaren F1. However, when this was suggested to McLaren's designer Gordon Murray, the idea was rejected because the engine was too heavy and long for the McLaren F1. A completely new BMW engine was designed which has a closer resemblance to the later Euro S50B30 BMW M3 engine.
The project was eventually scrapped because BMW decided that there was no market for an M8. The only prototype ever produced (one that was reportedly not even road safe) was locked away by BMW in the company's Giftschrank (poison storage). BMW and the M Division had strongly denied that the car was even a possibility since the initial stages of its development. A world exclusive feature in the February 2010 issue of BMW Car Magazine, however, revealed that the M8 prototype still exists in its entirety. The car was unveiled for the first time in front of journalists on July 2, 2010 at the BMW Museum in Munich.
While the M8 was never produced, it is interesting to note that the 850CSi was also tuned by BMW's M division. Aside from sporting an M-tuned engine (as identified by the S suffix instead of the M prefix that a non-M tuned engine would wear), the car's VIN identifies the car as being built by BMW Motorsport (identified by the WBS prefix) instead of BMW AG (WBA prefix). This effectively identifies the 850CSi as essentially a detuned version of the M8.

 

[NotThePrez]

Porsche 959 Gruppe B Concept: Basically the concept version of the 959 supercar. It was designed to comply with the then new FIA Group B regulations. It had 4WD and a Twin Turbo Boxer 6 with 450 HP, basically the same as the production car.

Ford Supervan: The first of the Supervan series. It was a 1971 Transit with the full drivetrain from the Gt40 racecar. I don't quite remember, but I think it got 0-60 in over 7 seconds and topped out at a little over 170mph.

 

[analog]

Here's a picture of the Ferrari 408 prototype from around 1987 which was mainly used to test new technology, I believe 2 were build and both are 4WD but what always intrigued me is that it looked remarkably like the Honda NSX which came out a few years later........

 

[astrosdude91]

Some memorable prototypes for me include:

The 2004 Ford Bronco Concept Car:

At the 2004 North American International Auto Show, a Bronco concept car was introduced. Some features of the concept car, such as the box-like roof line, short wheelbase, and the round headlamps are features associated with the Early Bronco, but this concept car also had a 2.0 L intercooled turbodiesel I4 engine and a six-speed manual transmission. It was to be slotted next to the Ford Escape, as it would be built on the Escape frame. Ford was considering releasing this for production, but has not made a decision

The 2004 Toyota FTX

The Toyota FTX is a concept pickup truck that Toyota showed to the public at the 2004 North American International Auto Show. The redesigned 2007 Tundra was based on the FTX concept vehicle.

The 2002 Cadillac Cien

The Cadillac Cien was a concept car created by Cadillac and unveiled at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show to celebrate Cadillac's 100th anniversary ("cien" is Spanish for one hundred, which compares the Buick Centieme). It was designed by Simon Cox.

The Cadillac Cien had a 7.5 L V12 Northstar XV12 engine, which produced 750 hp (559 kW) and 450 lb·ft (610 N·m) of torque. This experimental engine featured direct injection and Displacement on Demand, which allowed the engine to run on only six or fewer cylinders under light load. The Cien was designed at General Motors' Advanced Design Studio in England and built as a fully-working road-going vehicle with the help of the UK-based engineering and motorsport company Prodrive. The Cien's low, sleek style was created out of a block of aluminum and its design was inspired by the F-22 Raptor

 

[Ariel Atom Bomb]

Here's a picture of the Ferrari 408 prototype from around 1987 which was mainly used to test new technology, I believe 2 were build and both are 4WD but what always intrigued me is that it looked remarkably like the Honda NSX which came out a few years later........

Looks like an NSX? You're smoking crack.

 

[GT_Prologue5]

Umm...it does look like an NSX. Look at all the F40's in the background.

 

[Prince.M5]

Looks like an NSX? You're smoking crack.

Not sure of your eyes but to me it does looks like an NSX...

 

[Eric.]

I can see the resemblance in the rear quarter panel and the surrounding areas. The cabin has a little bit of a Lancia Stratos look to me, being kind of bubbly.

 

[kikie]

Some memorable prototypes for me include:

The 2002 Cadillac Cien

My kind of car. I definitely like the style of this car. Seems that the Cadillac Converj is based on this car.