Concept Cars

I brought a camera to a recent auto show in Atlanta, and used up a whole film role on concept cars. Right now, I've only got about half of the photos I scanned on display, so watch this page as more pictures will appear shortly.

Dodge Charger R/T This street machine is one of my favorite of the concept cars. Powered by a natural gas burning, supercharged, intercooled 4.7 liter V8 similar to the one in the new Grand Cherokee, this car packs 325 horsepower while meeting Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle standards. Chrysler raided parts bins from the Intrepid, Viper, and Prowler as well to put this car together. I hope this one makes it into production.

The Lexus IS

Supposedly this one is coming to America soon. Even Lexus's official website isn't saying much on the drivetrain other than that it is a variable valve timing, six cylinder, 24 valve engine with rear wheel drive. Displacement, power output, and even the cylinder arrangement are uncertain, although Lexus says it is intended as a performance sedan. That depends on what your definition of IS is...

The Ford Libre

This car appears to be some sort of styling exercise. Unfortunately, they put a big sign right in front of the grille so I couldn't get a good angle on the front and the weird New Edge lines. This is a four door convertable subcompact, which is quite a strange combination. No word on what's under the hood, or even if there is anything under the hood. I suspect it's just a half-finished rolling chassis.

The Chrysler Phaeton

Another car that is somewhat of a styling exercise, the Phaeton is an attempt to pattern a modern car after the cars of the 30's. The long hoodline conceals what I believe is a straight eight built from two Neon motors, and the hardtop is removable, with a pop-up windsheild for the passengers in back.

The Mistubishi SST Spyder

This concept car was meant to be something of a preview of the next generation Eclipse, although the triple light pods and many other features will not carry over to the production Eclipse. No word on what powers it; my best guess is a naturally aspirated 3.0 liter V6 as the turbo motor is supposed to be dropped. Unfortunately, most of the pictures I took came out even worse than the one shown here.

Subaru Ralley Car

This one isn't really a concept car, just a car on display that you can't just buy off the showroom floor. Subaru's cars have been very successful on the WRC racing series, and they had one of their ralley cars on display at the auto show. Unfortunately, they did not explain what model this is, so I'm not sure if it's a WRX or an Imprezza.

Chrysler PT Cruiser

Is a mini-SUV to compete with the Toyota RAV-4 and Honda CR-V? Or the station wagon version of the Neon? Or a reincarnation of a 1936 Plymouth Business Coupe? While this car is difficult to classify, many things are certain. It is based on a modified Neon platform and shares the 2.4 liter engine with the Cloud Cars, and is one of the more unusual attempts to update the station wagon's practicality without appearing boring. This car (wagon? SUV?) is expected to go into production in the 2000 model year.

Toyota Solara Convertible

A preview of things to come? Toyota's attempt to challenge the Sebring convertable? I seem to have lost my notes on this one, so I can't tell for sure whether this is a concept car or a 2000 model. While it's no replacement for the Supra, it still has promise as an interesting daily driver.