8 MODERN CARS THAT STARTED OUT AS WILD CONCEPTS

Pontiac Aztek

Original concept: Aztek, 1999


Before the Aztek spent a decade as a laughing stock rivaling the Edsel for the title of biggest automotive disaster in history, and before it became the poster car for fictional Albuquerquian drug manufacturers, it was actually a pretty novel concept, with looks that, well, didn’t quite translate to production, and ideas like an optional tent that comes out of the rear.

BMW i8

Early concept: Vision EfficientDynamics, 2009

The i8 is a marvel in many respects, as a lightweight hybrid that’s highly efficient yet can compete with a Porsche 911 head to head. When BMW introduced the concept Vision EfficientDynamics in 2009, it was immediately one of those cars that everyone wished BMW would have the balls to build, but deep down knew wouldn’t happen. Rarely have so many been so glad to be so wrong.