Tag Archives: concept cars

Rover Scout Concept

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1991 Rover Scout Concept

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | November 27, 2019

Photo – Brightwells

This Rover concept car was a little ahead of its time. Where it to be introduced today, they would sell quite a lot of them. It’s basically a Rover Metro five-door hatchback with some lower body cladding, headlight guards, roof rails, and sporty graphics. In today’s word, that means it is a crossover. It’s off-road-ready!*

Power is from a 1.4-liter inline-four. The Scout was one of six “lifestyle” concepts based on the Metro that were built around this time. Land Rover would ultimately enter the space that this was intended to fill with the Rover 200-based Freelander.

This car has covered just over 1,000 miles since new and is coming from a private collection without a pre-sale estimate or a reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

*Not really.

Update: Sold $3,307.

Vector Avtech WX-3

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1993 Vector Avtech WX-3 Prototype

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 17, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

If my schoolgirl-like giddiness for this car becomes too distracting in the text that follows, please just bear with me. I love Vectors. They are outrageous. The company traces its roots back to the 1970s when founder Gerald Wiegert showed his first prototype, the W2, in 1978. The W8 was their first production car in 1989.

The Avtech WX-3 debuted in 1992 and was to go into production with three engine options. This, the coupe version (just wait until next week), is finished in a beautiful shade of Brilliant Aquamarine, though it was originally silver.

Wiegert lost control of the company shortly after this car debuted and the new owners, while barred from using this design, more or less did anyway with the very similar-looking M12 that used Lamborghini engines. This car is powered by a twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter V8 putting out 1,000 horsepower.

This is the only car like it in the world, and Wiegert has never parted with it, until now. It’s so over-the-top in a wonderfully 90s kind of way. I just love these cars. The details are just so extreme, to wit: its shark-like appearance and the fact that the fuel cap looks like it was ripped right off of a Cessna. It is expected to bring between $450,000-$550,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $615,500.

Citroen Citela Concept

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1991 Citroen Citela Concept

Offered by Leclere-MDV | Aulnay sous Bois, France | December 10, 2018

 Photo – Leclere-MDV

The Citela was Citroen’s take on the urban EV… back in 1991. This car was first shown at the French Pavilion of the 1992 World Expo in Seville, Spain. It had an electric motor and powers two inboard rear wheels (notice how you can’t seem them from this angle?). It sort of just looks like an over-sized mobility scooter.

The powered version (that Citroen still has) will do 68 mph and makes 26 horsepower. A couple of these prototypes were built in varying body styles and this one is just a roller. It should bring between $11,750-$14,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $17,233.

Update: Not sold, Aguttes July 2019.

Citroen Concept Cars

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Citroen Concept Cars

Offered by Leclere | Aulnay sous Bois, France | December 10, 2017

1980 Citroen Xenia Concept

Photo – Leclere

Leclere has been tasked with unloading some extras from Citroen’s private collection. Among the many cars are more than a few concepts, including this 1980 Xenia. First shown at the 1981 Frankfurt Motor Show, this wagonoid design study was what wagons were supposed to look like in the year 2000. Apparently Citroen didn’t see the SUV craze coming.

Presumably unpowered (but hey, it has solar panels to run the air conditioning!), this would make an interesting piece in any collection. It should bring between $17,500-$29,500. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $8,616.

1983 Citroen Eco 2000 SA 109

Photo – Leclere

Warning: this car is MUCH smaller than it appears. It is not mini-van-esque in size as its shape might belie, but (and look at the old cars parked nearby) it’s a miniature version of a compact car. The Eco 2000 program began to see if they could build a car that got great gas mileage and the lowest possible drag coefficient.

That Eco 2000 program lasted from 1981 through 1984 and four prototypes were built. This was the third one and it was built for wind tunnel testing. It should sell for between $3,500-$8,250. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $11,268.

1984 Citroen Eco 2000 SL 10

Photo – Leclere

Here’s another Eco 2000 prototype. This was the final and most sophisticated of the four Eco 2000 cars and it actually looks more like a road car than the wind tunnel model shown above as it was actually shown to the public. It’s a roller, as Citroen is keeping the only example that has an engine.

This car should sell for between $9,500-$14,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $19,222.

1991 Citroen Citela Concept

Photo – Leclere

The Citela was Citroen’s take on the urban EV… back in 1991. This car was first shown at the French Pavilion of the 1992 World Expo in Seville, Spain. It had an electric motor and powers two inboard rear wheels (notice how you can’t seem them from this angle?). It sort of just looks like an over-sized mobility scooter.

The powered version (that Citroen still has) will do 68 mph and makes 26 horsepower. A couple of these prototypes were built in varying body styles and this one is just a roller. It should bring between $11,750-$14,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $17,233.

1999 Citroen Berlingo Flanerie by Sbarro

Photo – Leclere

The Berlingo is a van built sold by Citroen. The first generation was introduced in 1996. Switzerland-based Sbarro got their hands on this one and made it wacky. In all, they did at least three takes on the Berlingo. This one has four rows of seats and looks like an amusement park vehicle, like something that would be used in Jurassic Park.

This is the only one like it and it is currently missing running gear. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a Berlingo power unit and pop it back under hood. This should bring between $10,500-$13,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $12,593.

2010 Citroen Tubyk Concept

Photo – Leclere

No, this is not a panda with wheels. Instead, it is a modern take on Citroen’s TUB light van of 1939-1941. The TUB was the first van ever to feature a sliding side door. This concept van debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. It’s full-on French weird in that they-just-might-build-it kind of way.

This one isn’t powered but it should bring between $23,500-$35,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the Citroen’s on offer.

Update: Sold $43,747.

Update: Sold, Aguttes July 2017, $7,156.

Citroen Eco 2000 SA

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1983 Citroen Eco 2000 SA 109

Offered by Leclere | Aulnay sous Bois, France | December 10, 2017

Photo – Leclere

Warning: this car is MUCH smaller than it appears. It is not mini-van-esque in size as its shape might belie, but (and look at the old cars parked nearby) it’s a miniature version of a compact car. The Eco 2000 program began to see if they could build a car that got great gas mileage and the lowest possible drag coefficient.

That Eco 2000 program lasted from 1981 through 1984 and four prototypes were built. This was the third one and it was built for wind tunnel testing. It should sell for between $3,500-$8,250. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $11,268.

Update: Sold, Aguttes July 2019, $1,137.

Sbarro Berlingo Flanerie

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1999 Citroen Berlingo Flanerie by Sbarro

Offered by Leclere | Aulnay sous Bois, France | December 10, 2017

Photo – Leclere

The Berlingo is a van built sold by Citroen. The first generation was introduced in 1996. Switzerland-based Sbarro got their hands on this one and made it wacky. In all, they did at least three takes on the Berlingo. This one has four rows of seats and looks like an amusement park vehicle, like something that would be used in Jurassic Park.

This is the only one like it and it is currently missing running gear. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a Berlingo power unit and pop it back under hood. This should bring between $10,500-$13,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $12,593.

Citroen Tubyk Concept

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2010 Citroen Tubyk Concept

Offered by Leclere | Aulnay sous Bois, France | December 10, 2017

Photo – Leclere

No, this is not a panda with wheels. Instead, it is a modern take on Citroen’s TUB light van of 1939-1941. The TUB was the first van ever to feature a sliding side door. This concept van debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. It’s full-on French weird in that they-just-might-build-it kind of way.

This one isn’t powered but it should bring between $23,500-$35,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the Citroen’s on offer.

Update: Sold $43,747.

Update: Sold, Aguttes July 2017, $7,156.

Citroen Xenia Concept

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1980 Citroen Xenia Concept

Offered by Leclere | Aulnay sous Bois, France | December 10, 2017

Photo – Leclere

Leclere has been tasked with unloading some extras from Citroen’s private collection. Among the many cars are more than a few concepts, including this 1980 Xenia. First shown at the 1981 Frankfurt Motor Show, this wagonoid design study was what wagons were supposed to look like in the year 2000. Apparently Citroen didn’t see the SUV craze coming.

Presumably unpowered (but hey, it has solar panels to run the air conditioning!), this would make an interesting piece in any collection. It should bring between $17,500-$29,500. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $8,616.

Ghia Streamline X

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1955 Ghia Streamline X Coupe

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 21, 2017

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

We generally don’t feature cars on Saturdays, but I’m making an exception here for two reasons: 1. the ownership history of this car tells me it is unlikely to come up for sale again anytime soon (if it sells) and 2. I just turned on Barrett-Jackson on Velocity for coverage of Friday’s sale (as I watch RM Sotheby’s on my laptop) and I happened to look at their catalog (which I was doing almost daily for about a month) and I found this car. It wasn’t in their catalog when I finalized the cars we were going to feature from Arizona’s sales but appeared as a late-add by Barrett-Jackson (or, at least, not a timely addition).

Anyway, we’re here, so let’s talk about what this is. Built at the the request of Chrysler chief Virgil Exner, this Ghia-bodied streamliner is the perfect Jet Age concept car. Why? Well it’s powered by a turbine for starters. It only puts out 70 horsepower (and idles at a bat shit crazy 54,000 rpm), but in the world of turbines and sleek aerodynamics, it was theoretically enough power to push this thing to 140-160 mph. The only cars doing that kind of speed in 1955 were doing it on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans.

It debuted at the 1955 Turin Auto Show and was dubbed “Gilda.” The interior (and the engine compartment) are wild and hearken back to an era when people dreamed of the “car of tomorrow.” Ghia eventually put it on display at the Henry Ford Museum where it stayed until 1969 when it was acquired by Bill Harrah. The Blackhwak Museum got it when that collection was dispersed and the current owner bought it in 2005. It’s been to Pebble Beach, Ville d’Este, and was even a no-sale at a Gooding auction years back.

Now Barrett-Jackson is featuring it as the wildest car in their lineup this year (well that, and this). Anyway, I’m writing this late on a Friday night for a Saturday morning post because it was starting to make me sick to my stomach that I was potentially missing out on featuring a car I’d never see offered for public sale again – it has, after all, spent most of its life in museums. Click here for more info. Price? Well the Blackhawk was offering it for $125,000 in 2001 and it no-sold at Gooding with an estimate of $1.0-1.3 million. Expect the owner to want more than that at Barrett-Jackson later today.

Update: Not sold.

Trans Am Kammback

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1985 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Kammback Concept

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 14-22, 2017

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The third generation of the Pontiac Firebird went on sale in 1982 and stayed in production through 1992. The Trans Am model was sort of the Firebird-equivalent of the IROC-Z Camaro.

The Trans Am was the hot version of the Firebird, and in 1985 it used a 5.0-liter V-8 making 190 horsepower. This is no ordinary Trans Am, however, as it features a “Kammback” – a huge station wagon like hatch on the rear end that looks more like a pickup truck cap. This genuine General Motors factory concept car began as a well-equipped Trans Am (and possibly a factory test mule) before getting the prototype treatment.

It was also used as a pace car during the 1985 racing season for series including IMSA. GM kept it for 13 years until it was sold to Detroit-area car collector John McMullen. It was purchased from that collection in 2007 by John O’Quinn for $66,000. It’s not road legal because it has an experimental VIN number but it still has 36,000 miles and has been restored. You can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $44,000.

Update: Sold, Mecum Kissimmee 2019, $40,700.