When a manufacturer reveals an amazing concept, all we can do is hope they build it. These are some of the industry's most amazing cars that never made it to the road

1. Dodge Copperhead

The Copperhead, which was quickly renamed after a trademark infringement suit was filed, was built to be a smaller, lighter and more agile younger brother to the Dodge Viper. It was said to have much better handling and was rumoured to cost much less than half what the Viper did at the time in 1997. A 2.7-litre V6 and a manual gearbox just add weight to the question: why didn’t they build it?

2. Jaguar C-X75

The fact that the C-X75 used an independent electric motor at all four wheels wasn’t even the most amazing thing about it. The original concept used gas turbine engines in the middle of the chassis as range-extenders, promising over 550 miles on a single fill-up while delivering a total of 780bhp and 1180lb ft. It would have been epic beyond description, but it never made it past the accountants.

3. Cadillac Cien

If the straight-from-the-future looks aren’t enough to make you want one, the incredible 7.5-litre V12 might. The mid-engined, rear-wheel drive supercar concept had the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini in its sights, with the added marketing boast that the bodywork was modelled on the F-22 Raptor. A working prototype was built by Prodrive in the UK, but never went further.

4. BMW E46 M3 Touring

The E46 M3 is still many drivers’ favourite M3 thanks to a screaming, super-responsive straight-six engine and ideal dimensions. Plus, it looked amazing. As an estate, though, it would have been even better. BMW built a single one as a test, but bizarrely only used it as a design exercise focused on the rear doors. What a shame it was never produced. Much want.

5. Audi Quattro Spyder

Does this look familiar? There’s more than a little Quattro Spyder in the original R8. The Spyder was much smaller, though, presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1991 when its eighteen inch wheels looked huge. It was four-wheel drive, with a V6 mounted in the middle and an eye on performance. The project was ultimately shelved in favour of the front-engined TT, but its ghost lives on in the R8.

6. Renault Alpine A110-50

The A110-50 almost broke the Internet when it was unveiled to the media. Gloriously angry looks and a 50th anniversary link to the stunning Alpine A110 came with a promise that vehicles like this were very much on the cards at Renault. Alpine has since been registered as a company, but there’s no sign of any production happening yet, sadly.

7. Lotus Elan (2010)

Lotus endured a turbulent decade in the 2000s, culminating with the Elan concept. Designed to weigh little more than the Exige and be powered by a mid-mounted 4.0-litre V6, it was revealed at the Paris Motor Show in 2010. Production was scheduled for 2013, but money problems meant it simply never happened.

8. Nissan MID4

Nissan was seriously looking at the MID4 as a rival to Honda’s groundbreaking NSX, which had been seen in its earliest stages a year beforehand. Just like Honda, Nissan was targeting the likes of Porsche and Ferrari. Its attempt was a mid-engined, four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering platform, with 67 per cent of the power sent to the rear. It was a recipe for genius, but production was too expensive.

9. Saab Aero X

We’re not sure where the buyers would have come from for such an outrageous coupé built by Saab, but it looks so good we can’t help but regret that it was never built. It was four-wheel drive, had transparent A-pillars for better visibility and used a 400bhp V6 to sprint to 62mph in 4.9 seconds. Carbonfibre panels were another highlight. Only design elements were ever taken forward.

source: Car Throttle