The most beautiful designs and the most promising technology that never made it to the road.
Built on the chassis from an Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale, the Carabo was one of many wedge-shaped concept supercars from Italy that never got the chance to become a production car.
Lamborghini celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2006 by revealing a modernized version of its legendary Miura supercar, calling it the M-Concept. It didn’t come with the original car’s signature eyelash headlight surrounds, but it was still stunning.
The Bulldog’s wacky headlight setup is one of many design aspects that make it great. There are also massive gullwing doors and a twin-turbo V-8 making 700 horsepower. The car was recently restored and its new owners plan to perform a 200-mph top speed run.
This V-10 masterpiece was actually intended to be the new NSX all the way back in the late 2000s. But then the recession hit and Honda saw the demand for a new supercar go away. The road car project was immediately cancelled, but it lived on as a JGTC race car.
Before the Gallardo, Lamborghini thought of building a smaller car with a V-10. That car was the Cala, but it was abandoned late in the game, even after some journalists drove it.
In the 1970s, Mercedes did a series of rotary-powered concept cars. They ran and drove, but they never went on sale. Just one remains functional today, converted to use a conventional 3.5-liter V-8.
Envisioned as a road car and GT1 racer, the Speed 12 had a 7.7 liter V-12 and was the scariest car to drive in Gran Turismo 2. It was canceled due to changing GT1 regulations and the fact that it was just too damn hard to drive on the street.
It looked production ready, it was tested at Nardo where it set records, and it seemed to have lots of potential buyers. But VW never put it into production. Instead, it, along with other concepts from Bentley and Audi, served as inspiration for the Bugatti Veyron.
As part of a 2010s concept onslaught, Lotus showed a new Esprit supercar that would debut two years later. As all the other concepts were cancelled, the Esprit stood alone as the one that would be built. But after years of delays, it was finally canceled.
What started as a turbine hybrid ended up being a heavily boosted four cylinder hybrid. A handful were built, but Jag ultimately decided against series production when they realized the market for their million dollar car just wasn’t there.
While it wasn’t necessarily intended to be built, all the ingredients were there. The concept was a running, driving prototype with a 7.0 liter V-12 sitting behind the driver.
A mid engine, quad turbo, V-12 powered 850 horsepower supercar from Chrysler. Sounds too good to be true, but this one seems to have come close. Chrysler built running prototypes for track testing, and some senior decision makers within Chrysler wanted to make it happen. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.
The Asterion, Lamborghini’s first hybrid, would have been built if the Urus SUV didn’t get the green light. A starter-generator between the V-10 engine and gearbox, plus two electric motors on the front axle, meant a total output of 897 hp—an incredible number, especially for 2014.
Keyword: 13 Amazing Supercars That Never Reached Production