Tag Archives: concept car

Plymouth Belmont Concept

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1954 Plymouth Belmont Concept

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1954 Plymouth Belmont Concept

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

In 1953, Chevrolet introduced the Corvette. Ford was working furiously trying to get the Thunderbird launched and Chrysler was wondering what they were supposed to be doing. There were a number of fabulous concept cars from Chrysler in the 1950s, but just about zero of them ever made it to production.

The Belmont was a one-off concept introduced at the 1954 Chicago Auto Show. Styling was by Virgil Exner and the body was made out of fiberglass – a first for Chrysler. The engine is a 3.9-liter V-8 making 150 horsepower. With only two seats, this would have been a perfect car to battle the Corvette and Thunderbird. But perhaps as a DeSoto and not necessarily a Plymouth. But it was not to be and this was the only one built.

It was originally a very nice light blue color but whenever it was restored, it was repainted red. It recently made appearances at Amelia Island and Pebble Beach and is currently looking for a good home – which, with a car of this caliber, shouldn’t be too hard to find. Look for it to bring between $750,000-$1,250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,200,000.

Update II: Not sold, Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2018.

One-Off Lincoln Concept Car

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1955 Lincoln Indianapolis by Boano

Offered by RM Auctions | New York, New York | November 21, 2013

1955 Lincoln Indianapolis Executive Study by Boano

This outlandish-looking Lincoln was designed and built in Italy by Gian Carlo Boano. There are some aircraft-inspired design elements that really take you back to the golden age of concept cars: the 1950s. I love the exhaust (even though the aren’t even functional and don’t match the number of cylinders under the hood).

What is underhood is a 200 horsepower 5.6-liter V-8. The car debuted at the 1955 Turin Auto Show and Ford purchased it from Boano right after. Ghia had a successful run with Chrysler in the 1950s and Boano wanted the same thing with Ford. Ford offered Boano a 10-year contract after this car was built, but Boano decided to partner with Fiat instead. So much for that.

The car has had a few owners since it left Ford’s ownership and was owned by one man for over three decades. The restoration was completed a little over 10 years ago and the car was shown at Pebble Beach in 2001. This has to be one of the most stylish Lincolns ever built. It will command a pricey sum. The pre-sale estimate is $2,000,000-$2,500,000. For more info click here and for more from this awesome sale, click here.

Update: Not sold (high bid of $1,550,000)

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s, Andrews Collection 2015, $1,210,000.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2019, $1,105,000.

Lotus Etna

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1984 Lotus Etna V8 Berlinetta Concept

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, England | June 29, 2012

There are a few Lotus concept cars/styling models on offer at Bonhams’ Goodwood sale. I chose to feature this one because it of its somewhat sad 1980s-vision-of-the-future styling – which is both a plus and a minus. It’s only a minus because it looks so dated. But that’s part of what makes it cool. The instrument panel looks like it was taken from KITT from Night Rider or something. The exterior was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and is very 80s.

It is based on a Lotus Esprit and you can tell. There is a lot of Esprit in there – maybe because both were designed by Giugiaro. It has a 4.0-liter V8 putting out 335 horsepower. It was also to have futuristic things such as traction control, anti-lock brakes, self-leveling suspension and active noise cancelling. The concept car was a hit on the show circuit in 1984.

But then General Motors trundled along in 1986 and bought up Lotus. The Etna was sent to storage. Fortunately, it was sold to the public in 2001 and the then-owner got the car into running condition. So here is your chance to buy a fully-functional road-going, one-of-a-kind Lotus. The price? $140,000-$200,000. For more information, click here. To check out some of the other Lotus concepts, click here.

Update: Not sold.

DeSoto Adventurer II Concept Car

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1954 DeSoto Adventurer II Coupe

Offered by Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, Arizona, January 15-22, 2012

The DeSoto Adventurer was a regular production model sold from 1956 through 1960. During it’s run, it was the best DeSoto you could buy. However, a few years prior to its introduction, Chrysler commissioned a series of beautiful concept cars, The DeSotos bore the Adventurer name (the Dodges were called Firearrows).

This is the Adventurer II – and it’s the only one. It has a sleek, jet-age body designed and built by Ghia in Italy. This car is an extension of the Ghia Supersonic cars that they built around the Fiat 8V – and the 1955 Ghia Gilda borrows a lot from the Adventurer II. It featured the Hemi engine of the day and was originally owned by King Mohammed V or Morocco.

This is another car coming from The Blackhawk Collection so you know it’s in fantastic shape and has been lovingly cared for. A few years ago Barrett-Jackson sold a Dodge Firearrow concept car for about $1 million. This car is far better looking and worth every penny of the Dodge, if not more. Fore more info, click here and more on the Barrett-Jackson auction here.

Update: Sold $1,430,000.