Automotive designers in the 1960s dreamed big and out loud. They were chain-smoking geniuses in skinny ties, sketching spaceships on cocktail napkins and calling them “transportation.” Every curve promised and new tomorrow and a future coming sooner than you thought. These were cars for moon landings, for James Bond chases, and for that glamorous impossible life with perfect hair and the radio only playing hits.
Concept cars of the ’60s invented the rules and set the blueprint for the rest. Bubble tops, turbine engines, doors that opened like UFO hatches; it was optimism on four wheels, before reality showed up with seatbelt laws and fuel efficiency. They didn’t all make it off the drawing board, but man, if they had? The world might’ve looked like The Jetsons by now, only way cooler.
Buckle up, the future just got vintage.
1
Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT (1962)
Low, lean, and mid-engined; a glimpse of the Corvette’s future wrapped in pure sci-fi cool.
2
Alfa Romeo Canguro (1964)
A masterpiece by Bertone and Giugiaro, curves so perfect they could bend time itself.
3
Alfa Romeo Carabo (1968)
The wedge that changed everything; neon green, scissor doors, and the birth of the ’70s supercar.
4
AMC Amitron (1967)
AMC’s electric dream before Tesla was even a twinkle, battery power meets space-pod styling.
5
Autobianchi A112 Runabout (1969)
Designed like a mini speedboat for the road; bright, bubbly, and unmistakably Italian.
6
Bizzarrini Manta (1968)
Giorgetto Giugiaro’s first solo act, a wild three-seat wedge that screamed “the future is Italian.”
7
Chevrolet Astro III (1969)
A jet cockpit on wheels, no steering wheel in sight; just turbine dreams and pilot vibes.
8
Chevrolet Testudo (1963)
Another Giugiaro gem; gullwing windshield, turtle-shell design, and pure Milanese magic.
9
Chevrolet Rondine (1963)
Pininfarina meets Detroit steel, a Corvette chassis wearing an Italian tuxedo.
10
Chevrolet Monza GT (1962)
Streamlined perfection with hidden headlights, the template for GM’s sexiest decade.
11
Chrysler Turboflite (1961)
Jet-age fantasy with a glass canopy and turbine power, America thought the future would whistle.
12
Citroën C60 (1960)
A graceful prototype that hinted at the DS’s futuristic DNA, French minimalism in motion.
13
Dodge Flitewing (1961)
Butterfly doors, see-through roof, and enough chrome to blind the competition; pure show car theater.
14
Jaguar Pirana (1967)
Built for The Daily Telegraph, a one-off E-Type reborn as a Bond-worthy beauty.
15
Lamborghini Marzal (1967)
Silver glass, six cylinders, and see-through doors; the glam grandfather of the Espada.
16
Mercer Cobra (1965)
Carroll Shelby meets Virgil Exner, a golden age fantasy built for speed and swagger.
17
Pininfarina Berlina Aerodinamica (1967)
A rolling sculpture of airflow and ambition, Pininfarina proving that form is function.
18
Plymouth XNR (1960)
Asymmetrical, rebellious, and faster than it looked; Virgil Exner’s ego on four wheels.
19
Holden Hurricane (1969)
Australia’s first supercar concept; mid-engine, canopy doors, and early digital wizardry.
20
Ford Gyron (1961)
A two-wheeled balancing act straight from the atomic age; part motorcycle, part spaceship, all showbiz.
