11 Disappointing Concept Cars That Didn't Live up to the Hype

The concept car is a dish best served blisteringly hot. Many manufacturers simply dial the styling up to 11 and create something that the public can ogle at. It's the perfect opportunity for car company's to really grab your attention with something refreshing, something never seen before, and something that might be a little (or a lot) outside the boundaries of what is required to make an actual production car. Production cars, after all, have an insane amount of restrictions about fuel economy, lighting size and placement, and crash ratings (and yet, every company still seems to need recalls).

But that's what makes concept cars great. They can come straight out of somebody's imagination onto a piece of paper, into a clay mold, and come out a beautifully shining sculpture of metal in any size or shape the designers choose. Unfortunately, some of those designers occasionally lack the creativity and spunk that we love. Or maybe they're just lazy. Either way, there have been some AWFUL concept cars. Take a look at these 11 Disappointing Concept Cars That Didn't Live up to the Hype.

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Year: 2002
Production: No

From 1950 to 1970, the first six generations of the Chevrolet Bel Air could be described with words like "striking" or "iconic", but neither of those come to mind when looking at Chevy's 2002 attempted reboot. The '02 Bel Air Concept looks a bit more '90s than it really should and features a plethora of dull lines. The only potentially interesting feature is the car's 3.5L straight-five powerplant. This thing is just hideous.

Year: 2005
Production: No

There's no hope for a production car if the concept it's based on is boring. Case in point, the Foria. It can claim the inspiration for the fourth generation Nissan Altima's front fascia, but not much else. It included some cool features like a four-wheel active steering system and suicide doors, but no amount of tech can take away from such a banal appearance.

Year: 2011
Production: No

The Concept Universe is as bland as undercooked white toast. If Volvo were to create a production version, it would undoubtedly be a comfy and relaxing car to drive, but there is nothing unique or different about its design. It reminds us of a late-model Audi, BMW, or Mercedes saloon, with all the details erased and smudged. Thankfully, Volvo delivered in the concept department this year.

Year: 2008
Production: No

Mitsubishi penned the striking Concept-Sportback in 2005, which set the tone for the current Lancer and Evo X. But then the firm came up with this shape three years later for an already-stodgy Eclipse. It sported some typically impressive Mitsubishi tech underneath, but looked as if the engineers had given up by the time it came to the body.

Year: 2010
Production: No

VW built an electric taxi version of its UP! compact car, and then built two more. The company painted them different colors and paraded these three cars around at different events, despite them all being exactly the same underneath. Each concept featured only two passenger seats, due to a luggage rack in the front. Hmm, wonder why that didn't catch on.

Year: 2007
Production: No (but Jeep did re-use the name)

When in doubt, add a body kit and turn it into a pickup. Jeep did this with the Trailhawk to demonstrate the off-road chassis of the Wrangler Unlimited, but the styling was way too closely based on the two-year-old Grand Cherokee. With a name like Trailhawk, this should have been an absolutely menacing monster that could take on anything. This just looks like a slightly modified production car.

Year: 2004
Production: No

If the MG GT were a creation of the '90s, it probably wouldn't make this list, but because somebody penned this thing in 2004, it affirms that Rover had lost its collective mind. It was based on the already unattractive MG TF and lacked any design spunk. The car's mid-engined 2.5L V6 produced a slightly wet 200-horsepower as well. BLAH.

Year: 1995
Production: No (it nearly did)

Here's proof that supercar makers can still get it wrong. In the '90s, Lamborghini was looking for a stable mate for its flagship Diablo, and Ital Design came up with the Cala as an entry-level alternative. It mirrored the Diablo design a little too closely for many tastes, and when Audi took control it introduced the Gallardo instead. Thank goodness.

Bottom line: It doesn't necessarily look bad, It was just way too similar to the Diablo to make a big splash.

Year: 1995
Production: No

The Kayak was a combination of many terrible things. With a historic nameplate like Lancia and styling by Bertone (which, incidentally, is now going bust), the design should have been typically Italian and rowdy. It wasn't. The Kayak featured a strange name, unfinished styling, and a front-wheel-drive platform.

Year: 2001
Production: 2002-2005

Ford had five beautiful generations of the Thunderbird from 1955 to 1971 to build off, but you'd be hard-pressed to hold Ford's 2002 Thunderbird up to that same caliber. The car's exterior wasn't sure of what decade it was living in and complemented soggy performance to boot. Sales took a nosedive after its first model year, and Ford put the old bird out of its misery in 2005.

Year: 2004
Production: No

2004 was not a bad year for cars: We had an attractive BMW 3-Series, the Honda S2000, and the Mazda RX-8. Yet, somehow, Rover came up with this. The 75 Coupe's front-fascia is confusing, and its silver trim looked outdated from the start. But then again, a Rover 75 sedan isn't exactly a good starting point for a concept car. It's no wonder the company's last year was 2005.