10 Supercars That Never Got a Green-Light
It always amazes me the amount of people who say “yes” to some truly horrible cars on the road. Yet supercars like the ones below simply stay a concept. What a shame.
Mercedes-Benz C111
More so an experimental car than a concept, this one ran, and ran well. With rotary, diesel, and gasoline power at various stages in its testing, this baby proceeded to break several speed records due to its drag efficiency. The C112 is worth a mention here as well.
TVR Cerbera Speed 12
The small British firm decided to go all out with the Speed 12. Back when GT1 was the category to win at LeMans, cars like the McLaren F1 and Lotus Elise GT1 were storming around the circuit. This got TVR a bit excited, so they created a 7.8 litre V12 monster. Regulations had changed within the racing series though, and after only a few were built, the project was scrapped.
Lamborghini Asterion
Lamborghini has made exclusively mid engine cars for decades. The Asterion was something seemingly forced out of the company due to strict fleet-wide emissions standards, and as such, it was (gasp) a hybrid. Lamborghini didn’t feel like participating in the hybrid game, so the Asterion was axed.
Lamborghini Cala
Sharing more resemblance to the Diablo than the Gallardo, the Italdesign creation known as the Cala was Lamborghini’s first shot at using the V10 engine as we know it today. My fondest memories of it come from the Need For Speed 2 video game, which is now 18-years-old. Time sure does fly.
Cadillac Cien
Cadillac’s shot at the supercar category was more so a styling exercise and a corporate representation as to where the company was heading in terms of performance.
Chrysler ME 4-12
The second one from Detroit is the Chrysler ME 4-12. The handsome supercar (how often do you ever say that about a Chrysler product?) was made in the early 2000s, and it actually worked. Motivation came in the form of a V12 pushed on by four turbo chargers, thus the 4-12. The Engine was placed in the middle, thus “ME.” Assuming this car was built, I wonder if they would have kept the name…
Honda HSV-010
Honda’s HSV race car was part of several year’s worth of teasing enthusiasts as to what the next Honda/Acura NSX would look like. The HSV competed in racing in its home land of Japan, but as we know from the current NSX, it doesn’t look a thing like what we’ll have on our roads.
Lotus Esprit
Proud wearer of the iconic supercar wedge shape, the Esprit has been absent from the Lotus lineup for over a decade now. The Evora has somewhat filled the void, but not entirely. I guess it’s all relative though. The design of this concept didn’t really speak to me in the way the fifth, and last generation, Esprit did.
Volkswagen w12
The Volkswagen W12 was soliloquy known as the ‘Nardo’ as that’s where it received most of its research and development. This is one car on this list that was genuinely close to being produced. Its main intention was to be fast, and as such, set quite a few records at Nardo. Perhaps bits and pieces of technology learned here found their way into the Veryron.
Jaguar C-X75
If you ever want to see me get riled up over something, just mention the C-X75 and I’ll be sure to tell you how wrong they got it and how right it could have been. The video (below) introducing the car is simply stunning, and then you learn they simply over-engineered it and installed the wrong engine. It is now teasing us again in the James Bond film Spectre, but this time powered by the  supercharged V8 found in other cats in the Jaguar showroom. Now all I can do is dream about the concept. Bah humbug.
For more on any of these cars, check out the full Road & Track gallery. And then let us know if you have a favorite supercar concept that never saw the road.
Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>
via [Road & Track]
