The most amazing concepts of the 80s

The 1980s left the automotive industry with some bold design choices and many interesting technological innovations. Let's take a look at some of the concept supercars that never went into production. Some of them are very famous and even legendary, like the Ferrari Mythos, while others, like the Ford Maya, have been given the impossible task of bringing the exotic to the masses.

Lamborghini Athon

In 1980, Lamborghini was not in good condition for a simple reason - the company ran out of money. To show their support for the brand, Bertone showed off the Athon concept at the Turin Motor Show in the same 1980s.

The Athon is based on the Silhouette, retaining the 264-horsepower 3-liter V8 engine and manual transmission. The convertible is named after the Egyptian cult of the sun and the god Athos.

The Athon never went into production, but the prototype has survived and is on the move: RM Sotheby's sold it at auction in 2011 for 350 euros.

aston martin bulldog

The Bulldog was created in 1979 but appeared in 1980 heavily influenced by the futuristic Lagonda sedan. The goal of its creators is for the Bulldog to reach a top speed of over 320 km / h, for which it is necessary to take care of a 5,3-liter V8 engine with two turbines and 710 horsepower, as well as a wedge-shaped car. In the calculations of the creators of Bulldog, it is indicated that the maximum speed of the car should be 381,5 km / h.

In 1980, Aston Martin bosses discussed a small series of Bulldogs, but the project was eventually canceled and the prototype was sold to a prince from the Middle East.

Now Bulldog is undergoing restoration, and when it is completed, the team that revived the model plans to accelerate the car to at least 320 km / h.

Chevrolet Corvette Indy

Long before the C8, Chevrolet had been discussing the idea of ​​a Corvett with an engine in front of the rear axle. So, until 1986, the Corvette Indy Concept showed up at the Detroit Auto Show.

The concept received an engine similar to the IndyCars of the time, with over 600 horsepower. Later, however, the following prototypes were powered by a 5,7-liter V8 engine developed by Lotus, which was then launched into series production with the Corvette ZR1.

The Corvette Indy features a Kevlar and carbon body, 4x4 and 4 swivel wheels, and Lotus active suspension. At the time, Lotus was owned by GM, and that explains these borrowings.

The concept was developed for almost 5 years, the latest version - CERV III appeared in 1990 and had a capacity of almost 660 horsepower. But once it's clear that the production version of the car will cost upwards of $300, it's all over.

Ferrari myth

Mythos was the big star at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show. The design is the work of Pininfarina, and in practice it is a Testarossa with a new body, since the 12-cylinder engine and manual transmission are preserved. Elements of this design would later appear on the F50, which debuted 6 years later.

The prototype was sold to a Japanese collector, but later the Sultan of Brunei was able to financially motivate Ferrari to produce two more such cars.

Ford maya

Maya is not exactly a supercar, but it has an engine in front of the rear axle and its design is the work of Giugiaro. Maya's debut took place in 1984, and the idea was to turn the model into an "exotic mass car." Ford plans to produce up to 50 of these vehicles a day.

The engine is a V6 with just over 250 horsepower, co-developed with Yamaha, driving the rear wheels and running on a 5-speed manual transmission.

The company prepared two more prototypes - Maya II ES and Maya EM, but eventually abandoned the project.

Lotus Etna

Here the designer is the same as in Ford Maya - Giorgetto Giugiaro, but for Italdesign studio. Etna appeared in the same year as Maya - 1984.

Lotus plans to use the company's new V8 along with an active suspension system developed by the company's Formula 1 team. GM's financial troubles and the sale of Lotus put an end to Etna. The prototype was sold to a collector who put in a lot of effort and turned it into a work car.

Buick Wildcat

Remember Buick? In the 1950s, the company created several concepts called the Wildcat, and in 1985 SEMA revived the name.

The concept is for show only, but Buick later created a prototype for testing. The engine is a 3,8-liter V6 manufactured by McLaren Engines, an American company founded in 1969 by Bruce McLaren to serve in Can-Am and IndyCar campaign campaigns that are not affiliated with the McLaren Group in the UK.

Wildcat has a 4x4 drive, 4-speed automatic and has no doors in the traditional sense of the word.

Panamerican Porsche

And it's not exactly a supercar, but it's a rather odd concept. The Panamericana is Ferry Porsche's 80th Anniversary gift, which has the distinction of predicting what future Porsche models will look like. This was later confirmed by the design of the 911 (993) and Boxster.

Under the carbon body is the standard version of the Porsche 964 convertible.