Lost Legend Concept Cars: Why Didn't They Build These?

wouldn't it have been cool if they actually put this car into production in the 1970s this is the 1970 AMC AMX 3 and it is stunning sadly it was never produced in this video we take a look at 10 of the baddest meanest performance concept and prototype cars from that era that should have hit the streets but remain confined to Design Studios and auto show turntables [Music] it appears to be a production Shelby GT500 but beneath the hood lies a powerful secret this 1967 Shelby super snake is a one-

off prototype that was crafted into existence as a test bed for goody years's line of Thunderbolt tires a requirement of the test car was that it could reach top speeds of over 150 m per hour as Shelby didn't have anything with those capabilities one had to be built they started with a Shelby GT500 and equipped it with a 650 horsepower 427 cubic in engine from a GT40 race car that made it wicked fast so fast in fact had they put the Super Snake into production it would have been the fastest prod

uction car of them all at the time there was a plan in place at the time to produce 50 copies of the Super Snake but Ford calculated that they would have to be sold to the public at a price that was double that of the GT 500 and canceled the project this one of one original prototype still exists and was last sold at auction for $2.2 million in [Music] 2019 back in 1964 Pontiac whiz kid John DeLorean rolled out the XP 833 concept car aiming to go head-to-head with Ford's Hot Shot Mustang and red

efine pontiac's image it isn't a astonishingly gorgeous concept that became two drivable prototypes a straight 6-cylinder powered hardtop and a convertible version with a V8 beneath its Sleek Hood the v8's performance was blistering which turned out to be its downfall GM Executives slamed the brakes on any plans to put the Banshee into production why well it turns out that this Sleek Speedster had the audacity to outshine the Corvette in GM world that's a major Unthinkable even to this day DeLor

ean got the memo to cool as jets in the Banshee despite not having ever become a Pontiac production car lent its styling to the C3 Corvette and the opal [Music] GT look at this beauty a 1969 Ford Mach 2C concept car that was envisioned to be powered by the Boss 429 or 427 cubicin big block camera engine it looks like a super Supercar from the 1970s or 80s and would have had the power to match starting in 1966 there were three versions in total of the Mach 2 concept cars that were created as mid-

engine powered affordable sports cars to compete with the Corvette there were two functioning fully drivable prototypes of the first version created for driving evaluation the second and third Mach 2 versions were created as clay model only design studies with the second version intended to be produced for the 1971 model year unfortunately the project was scrapped mostly due to technical issues related to its transaxle and poor handling characteristics and never saw the light of day in dealer sh

owrooms that version 3 design though what a beauty the Italian design Chevrolet testudo is an Innovative two- seat concept that explores futuristic styling Concepts in a one-off drivable prototype from its Jaguar e type inspired rear end to its fold up headlights and front hinged wraparound canopy windshield design the test studo looked indeed like the future had arrived in 1963 it was built on a wheelbase shortened and modified 1962 Chevrolet corver 900 Monza Coupe that featured that car's engi

ne and transmission a 102 horsepower air cooled flat 6-cylinder boxer engine with a four-speed transmission the testudo was vaguely envisioned as possibly a limited European local market style Corvair production car candidate but those plans never materialized however the design of the testudo was very influential on future cars like the Ferrari Daytona and the front end and headlights on the Lamborghini mirera and Porsche 928 the 1968 Dodge daru 1 concept car was a wild ride into the future tha

t sadly never hit the streets as a production vehicle crafted by George Baris the darus started Life as a 1967 Dodge Dart GT Convertible with a rare 383 cubic in engine beneath its futuristic looking Hood the overall v-shaped look was not by accident it was intentionally designed to resemble an aot tip or its donor car's namesake a dart the drivable daru 1 hit the major Auto Show circuit and was an instant croud favorite with its wild orange paint accompanied by black accents and Hood stripe it

was so popular in fact that Dodge decided to return it to the 1969 Auto Show circuit with a new Atomic green paint job and other minor modifications it was way too radical and impractical to ever have been considered for production and was retired and sold off after appearing at Auto shows in [Music] 1969 this mustang derived notchback Shelby Coupe was conceived as not just a goast tire melter with Thunderbird tailights but as an advanced technology high- performance Road and racetrack Superstar

behold the Shelby exp 500 nicknamed The Green Hornet for obvious reasons beneath its Hood lives a fuel injected 428 cubic in 335 horsepower engine made to a custom developed six-speed automatic transmission Corner handling was improved by inclusion of an independent rear suspension setup helping to stop the Beast after unleashing its ponies the braking system consisted of disc types all the way around the powertrain and suspension upgrades left enthusiasts wanting a production version of The Gr

een Hornet however Financial constraints and the intricate engineering demanded by the Prototype development posed challenges that Shelby couldn't overcome for even limited production quantities [Music] in the late 1960s AMC sought to elevate its sports car presence unveiling the showstopping 1970 AMC amx3 concept car an Italian design inspired mid-engine Marvel crafted by AMC designer dick Teague six drivable prototypes were created for testing and promotional appearances with either a 360 or 3

90 cubic inch engine power ing them public acceptance and enthusiasm were encouragingly positive and AMC fully intended to put the car into production after some serious number crunching AMC concluded that selling this Automotive dream for at least $112,000 would have made it out of step with the competition especially the damaso panta so sadly the curtain fell on the AMX 3 leaving us with a jaw-dropping what could have been tale from the Golden Age of concept cars [Music] in the early 1960s For

d aimed to challenge the Corvette with their own two- seat production sports car Ford's solution was to craft a refined Mass Market two-seater based on the Cobra's chassis and powertrain they got to work designing and building two versions of a concept one is a coupe the cougar 2 and the other as a roadster the bouret Cobra named after its designer only the Cobra was drivable outfitted with a 289 cubic in engine while the cougar 2 never had an engine that was only created as a rolling show car F

ord should have produced these as they might have been formidable Corvette contenders with the right engine choices and sports car appropriate handling characteristics but that never happened as Ford and Shelby decided to devote development resources to the GT40 race car and the Shelby Daytona instead [Music] as the muscle car Wars got underway with the launch of pontiac's GTO for the 1964 model year Chrysler's response was to get wild and futuristic with its Dodge Hemi Charger concept car Chrys

ler wasn't totally blindsided by the GTO and had just finished development of a second generation version of its legendary Hemi engine for racing and Street applications as its name implies the charger was intended to be equipped with a 600 horsepower hemir race engine but none were available at the time so it ended up with a 383 cubic in engine instead looking like it escaped from the Batmobile School of Design the concept wowed attendees at Auto shows and marks the first time that the charger

name was used on any Chrysler creation this polara based concept was a little too wild to be considered for the assembly line however the charger name did survive and was bestowed upon the a much loved and iconic 1968 through 1970 Dodge Charger that personifies the term muscle [Music] cover in the 1960s and70s Chevrolet embarked on the development of several mid-engine concept cars notably the serve 2 and the XP 880 Astro 2 however it was the unveiling of the mid-engine XP 882 concept car powere

d by a wank rotary engine at the 1970 New York Auto Show that truly ignited public enthusiasm this stunning concept car showcased avanguard design featuring elements such as slotted wheels and a Fastback roof that hinted at Future Corvette production models a modified version of the XP 882 reappeared in 1976 with a 400 cubic inch engine in place of the rotary engine and renamed the aerovette the aovet was actually slated for production in the early 1980s but got cancelled due to fuel efficiency

concerns and the poor sales performance of other manufacturers mid-engine sports cars giving us the front engine 1984 Corvette [Music] instead