BOOK REVIEW:  Concept Cars by Jonathan Wood

Thunder Bay Press 1998

Concept: General notion, abstract idea

Anyone who has ever gone to the auto show has been drawn to what is known as the concept car. In fact, at many auto shows I've visited sometimes the only entertainment is the wild and wacky vehicles the manufacturers have on display that are NOT in production. Finally a book comes out that specifically looks into the history of these cars - from the late 30's to the present - some that made it to production and the others that are buried under dust at museums across the world.

According to this book - the phrase "concept car" was coined as late as the 80's when large manufacturers expressed a greater interest in evolving these hybrid ideas. But one of the earliest known concept car was the General Motors Y-Job unveiled in 1940 as the future of things to come. Unfortunately due to the outbreak of war this project was put on the back burner - with only a few details that found its' way into future production vehicles. 

After reading this book I could put each concept car in to one of three categories:
  1) Brings back memories of old. These vehicles have some design feature that reminds me of the older generation cars. i.e. Chrysler Atlantic, Alfa Romeo Nuvola 

  2) Looks like it's a production vehicle to me - Most of these cars end up as production vehicles in some similar shape and form. i.e. Audi TT, Plymouth Prowler, new VW Bug (Concept 1)

  3) The Future! A cross between Stars Wars and the Batmobile - these cars take the cake for being over the top! i.e. Concept 2096 - which looks like a giant snail

Historically only a chosen few concept cars become a reality - most are made with design at the forefront and issues as safety, aerodynamics and functionality secondary. Jonathan Wood details more than forty of these concept cars, from the familiar to the absurd and you will be entertained by the creativity of the designers, the ingenuity of the fabrication and the skill of the craftsmanship on each. A good read with excellent illustrations.