7 ms·

50+ years of Japanese concept cars (2010)

bluSCALE4 4y ago
Pinktentacle is still around?!
- Teknoman117 4y ago
  the website is still up but it looks like it hasn't been updated in 11 years. Last post I could find was April, 2011.
RajT88 4y ago
Reminds me very much of the early days of Japanese import cars, where you'd hear the talking point both from Japanese spokespeople and reporters, "Japan is great at copying western products". Nobody says that today, do they? But these concept cares are really interesting! I see a lot of cars where at first glance I clock the car as a BMW M1, or a De Tomaso Pantera. Stick a huge wing on the Daihatsu TA-X80, and you could pass it off as a cheap Zonda.
readingnews 4y ago
What seems always striking when looking at old concept cars is how many of them still have that "wow, I would totally drive that today, AND it would still look futuristic" quality. Geez car companies, show some guts. Build some of those and put them on the road. No new car today gets anyone I know excited, but some of those old photos do.
- MrBuddyCasino 4y ago
  One big reason why cars look similar and alike are regulations. This is also a reason why SUVs get bigger and bigger - 2nd order effects of coupling permitted mileage to vehicle area. I'm wondering whether we'll get rid of obsolete regulations once cars are majority electric and have working accident-avoidance algorithms. I suspect not.
  - micromacrofoot 4y ago
    Also just the reality of assembly lines. They prefer parts that can work on multiple models, fit existing machinery/process/chassis, etc... concept cars are one-off hand-built showpieces.
- segmondy 4y ago
  You would only drive that because they were not mass produced and it would be unique. None of those look futuristic relative to today. Car companies are showing guts that's how we got to where we are. Compare cars of 50yrs ago and today, very different. More than design is safety, the body/frame has to be designed to be more tolerant of car crashes. Modern cars weigh much more, have more features and yet are much safer. It's hard to see increment innovation when it's happening right in your face. Think about it, modern economy cars could trash super cars of 50yrs ago.
  - stardenburden 4y ago
    Much safer? Only for the person inside the metal box. Pedestrian deatgs have been rising for years now, thanks to bigger and heavier cars. There has to be some middle ground for safety inside and on the outside.
    - thethethethe 4y ago
      Yeah well maybe those pesky pedestrians should stop being poor and buy a car. Problem solved
      - _carbyau_ 4y ago
        Joe Hockey, is that you?
    - fomine3 4y ago
      US car market is a problem.
    - nappy 4y ago
      I was interested in this and took a look. Pedestrian deaths in the USA are up a bit, up 10% since 2010, from 33k to 36k in 2019. [1] USA population over the same period has increased from about 6%, from ~309M to 329M. So it's definitely a real increase, but 4% adjusted is pretty moderate. More interesting to me is that over longer time periods, the pedestrian fatality rate was much higher, and the recent increase is far below historic averages. Also interesting is the relatively high rate of pedestrian fatalities (27%) are impaired by alcohol. [2] Generally, it's a very safe time to be a pedestrian, but has gotten slightly worse over the last ten years. [1] https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813079 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/... [2] https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/historical-fatality-trends/deaths-and-rates/ https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/historical-fatalit...
- jasonwatkinspdx 4y ago
  Occasionally something close to a concept car gets to production. I had a Subaru SVX that looked like this one: https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2003_subaru_svx_1561481716013d42003_subaru_svx_1559687406f66e7dff9f98764da1-Subaru-Cover.jpg?fit=940%2C626 https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2003_su... That car was designed by ItalDesign in Italy, a firm famous for many iconic sports and concept car designs. In the OP you see quite a few examples of their work. The inset windows are something of a signature of theirs, as it allows the upper roof area to be more sloped. Anyhow, it was a pretty striking car to drive around. Unfortunately the US version was only ever sold with a mushy and failure prone transmission. So despite having a rather nice 230 HP flat six engine, a wide stance, and a suspension that would be quite sporting when stiffened up, it never really ate into the low end BMW or Porsche market it was targeted at.
  - Grazester 4y ago
    I dream of a turbo SVX with a manual from a wrx swap. Then again I dream of a lot of Japanese cars from this era, like a Mazda Euno Comos with the 20b rotary and a manual swap also
- Sebb767 4y ago
  I think the Lexus LC deserves a honorable mention here: https://newsroom.lexus.eu/lexus-moves-a-mountain-to-film-the-new-lc-500/ https://newsroom.lexus.eu/lexus-moves-a-mountain-to-film-the... It definitely looks like a concept car. but you can buy it right now and at ~100k$ it's not priced like an exotic (although I wouldn't really go as far as to call it affordable).
  - SemanticStrengh 4y ago
    looks like gigachad's face
  - Grazester 4y ago
    The depreciation on that car is ridiculous. I don't think the car is worth 100k plus but maybe the low 80's high 70's they can be had for. I think for one it needs a twin turbo V8 to keep up with the competition in its segment.
- asdff 4y ago
  I don't think the concept cars would pass crash testing
MrBuddyCasino 4y ago
The Nissan Figaro has a lot of personality. Very FIAT like! I could see it being popular as an urban lifestyle car, similar to the BMW Mini.
- DrPhish 4y ago
  Yes, it has quite a cult following. The production vehicle is almost identical to the concept car! Much closer than anything else on the list that I recognized
  - kingcharles 4y ago
    Isn't that a photo of the production car? I'm not a hardcore Figaro junkie, but I always got a smile seeing these on the roads in Britain. Where I lived every second person had one. https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/nissan-figaro-30-plotting-retro-roadsters-history https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/nissan-figaro-30...
  - MrBuddyCasino 4y ago
    Wait they actually produced this one? Nice!
- tomcam 4y ago
  I’m trying to get myself not to buy one. It’s $17,000, which means it’s pretty much the same price after inflation as it was during production.
schleck8 4y ago
> Isuzu Super Heavy Dumptruck Epic
linsomniac 4y ago
One very cool Japanese concept car that isn't in that list is the Isuzu VehiCROSS. It was built as a concept car (Isuzu VX), and then was pushed fairly quickly to production. One of the choices they made to speed it to production was to uses ceramic body panel molds; quicker and easier to create than steel molds, but they wear out quicker. The life of the production and replacement parts was limited by the life of these molds. The VehiCROSS, IMHO, was a pretty cool looking production car. And the concept they had for the topless version, VX-O2, was also super cool looking (aside: unlike the Nissan Murano which I loved the look of but the topless version I thought was one of the ugliest cars ever). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isuzu_VehiCROSS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isuzu_VehiCROSS
- baybal2 4y ago
canniballectern 4y ago
The late 2000s Mazda concepts are some of the most beautiful cars ever designed. Unfortunately the list left out my favorite, the Ryuga. https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1028135_mazda-ryuga-concept-breaks-cover https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1028135_mazda-ryuga-conc...
georgelyon 4y ago
My personal favorite concept is the Toyota Setsuna: https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/concepts-time-forgot-toyota-setsuna https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/concepts-time-forgo...
- Loughla 4y ago
  So now that laser cutters and cnc routers are sort of everywhere, I wonder if I can get the plans for that.
faruq 4y ago
Somehow reminds me of old Nokia phone before iPhone's era.
grammers 4y ago
These look like taken from an old James Bond movie.
tremon 4y ago
Is it just me, or do the concepts from the 90s onwards start looking more like toys and less like useful vehicles? I mean, there are exceptions like the Nissan AP-X or the Infinity Essence, but the rest doesn't look like something I'd even want to drive. Maybe that's more to do with the change from hand-drawing/photos to 3d rendering, I don't know. But 1990 is roughly where I changed from mainly "that'd be fun/interesting to drive" to mainly "I'd never want to drive that".
dugditches 4y ago
Hmm guess author hadn't seen this https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/6J3Ae/s1/1989-toyota-rav-four-concept.jpg https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/6J3Ae/s1/1989-toyota-rav-f... https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/zoG40/s1/1989-toyota-rav-four-concept.jpg https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/zoG40/s1/1989-toyota-rav-f... https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/vAvJ6/s1/1989-toyota-rav-four-concept.jpg https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/vAvJ6/s1/1989-toyota-rav-f...
- auto 4y ago
  Reminds me of the Suzuki Jimny we don't get stateside.
beefman 4y ago
This predates my personal fav, the Toyota Kikai (2016) https://newsroom.toyota.eu/toyota-kikai/ https://newsroom.toyota.eu/toyota-kikai/
- LAC-Tech 4y ago
  That's awesome. Like a road version of a side by side/UTV.
asiachick 4y ago
Well, while we're on it, more concept cars https://oldconceptcars.com/the-most-stunning-concept-cars-of-the-1960s/ https://oldconceptcars.com/the-most-stunning-concept-cars-of... https://monochrome-watches.com/a-radical-quartet-of-wedge-shaped-concept-cars-from-the-1960s-1970s/ https://monochrome-watches.com/a-radical-quartet-of-wedge-sh... https://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/17/nuclear-powered-atomic-age-classic-cars/ https://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/17/nuclear-powered-atomic-a... https://www.hotcars.com/crazy-70s-concept-cars/ https://www.hotcars.com/crazy-70s-concept-cars/
auto 4y ago
Not going to lie I'd buy that Nissan Trailrunner right now. A little Rally Fighter style coupe, from a major Japanese manufacturer not particularly known for their rally prowess.
vba616 4y ago
I'm not clicking on the link, but here is a very strange Japanese concept car that I ran across recently when I was reading about 8-wheeled vehicles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliica https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliica
Markoff 4y ago
I'd not really call some of them concept cars since they are just stolen copies of Mercedes or Ferrari and other brands, does that qualify as concept?
wwilim 4y ago
Did anyone notice the 1983 Nissan concept with falcon wing doors?

Pinktentacle is still around?!

Teknoman117 4y ago
the website is still up but it looks like it hasn't been updated in 11 years. Last post I could find was April, 2011.

Reminds me very much of the early days of Japanese import cars, where you'd hear the talking point both from Japanese spokespeople and reporters, "Japan is great at copying western products". Nobody says that today, do they? But these concept cares are really interesting! I see a lot of cars where at first glance I clock the car as a BMW M1, or a De Tomaso Pantera. Stick a huge wing on the Daihatsu TA-X80, and you could pass it off as a cheap Zonda.

readingnews 4y ago

What seems always striking when looking at old concept cars is how many of them still have that "wow, I would totally drive that today, AND it would still look futuristic" quality. Geez car companies, show some guts. Build some of those and put them on the road. No new car today gets anyone I know excited, but some of those old photos do.

MrBuddyCasino 4y ago
One big reason why cars look similar and alike are regulations. This is also a reason why SUVs get bigger and bigger - 2nd order effects of coupling permitted mileage to vehicle area. I'm wondering whether we'll get rid of obsolete regulations once cars are majority electric and have working accident-avoidance algorithms. I suspect not.
- micromacrofoot 4y ago
  Also just the reality of assembly lines. They prefer parts that can work on multiple models, fit existing machinery/process/chassis, etc... concept cars are one-off hand-built showpieces.
segmondy 4y ago
You would only drive that because they were not mass produced and it would be unique. None of those look futuristic relative to today. Car companies are showing guts that's how we got to where we are. Compare cars of 50yrs ago and today, very different. More than design is safety, the body/frame has to be designed to be more tolerant of car crashes. Modern cars weigh much more, have more features and yet are much safer. It's hard to see increment innovation when it's happening right in your face. Think about it, modern economy cars could trash super cars of 50yrs ago.
- stardenburden 4y ago
  Much safer? Only for the person inside the metal box. Pedestrian deatgs have been rising for years now, thanks to bigger and heavier cars. There has to be some middle ground for safety inside and on the outside.
  - thethethethe 4y ago
    Yeah well maybe those pesky pedestrians should stop being poor and buy a car. Problem solved
    - _carbyau_ 4y ago
      Joe Hockey, is that you?
  - fomine3 4y ago
    US car market is a problem.
  - nappy 4y ago
    I was interested in this and took a look. Pedestrian deaths in the USA are up a bit, up 10% since 2010, from 33k to 36k in 2019. [1] USA population over the same period has increased from about 6%, from ~309M to 329M. So it's definitely a real increase, but 4% adjusted is pretty moderate. More interesting to me is that over longer time periods, the pedestrian fatality rate was much higher, and the recent increase is far below historic averages. Also interesting is the relatively high rate of pedestrian fatalities (27%) are impaired by alcohol. [2] Generally, it's a very safe time to be a pedestrian, but has gotten slightly worse over the last ten years. [1] https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813079 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/... [2] https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/historical-fatality-trends/deaths-and-rates/ https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/historical-fatalit...
jasonwatkinspdx 4y ago
Occasionally something close to a concept car gets to production. I had a Subaru SVX that looked like this one: https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2003_subaru_svx_1561481716013d42003_subaru_svx_1559687406f66e7dff9f98764da1-Subaru-Cover.jpg?fit=940%2C626 https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2003_su... That car was designed by ItalDesign in Italy, a firm famous for many iconic sports and concept car designs. In the OP you see quite a few examples of their work. The inset windows are something of a signature of theirs, as it allows the upper roof area to be more sloped. Anyhow, it was a pretty striking car to drive around. Unfortunately the US version was only ever sold with a mushy and failure prone transmission. So despite having a rather nice 230 HP flat six engine, a wide stance, and a suspension that would be quite sporting when stiffened up, it never really ate into the low end BMW or Porsche market it was targeted at.
- Grazester 4y ago
  I dream of a turbo SVX with a manual from a wrx swap. Then again I dream of a lot of Japanese cars from this era, like a Mazda Euno Comos with the 20b rotary and a manual swap also
Sebb767 4y ago
I think the Lexus LC deserves a honorable mention here: https://newsroom.lexus.eu/lexus-moves-a-mountain-to-film-the-new-lc-500/ https://newsroom.lexus.eu/lexus-moves-a-mountain-to-film-the... It definitely looks like a concept car. but you can buy it right now and at ~100k$ it's not priced like an exotic (although I wouldn't really go as far as to call it affordable).
- SemanticStrengh 4y ago
  looks like gigachad's face
- Grazester 4y ago
  The depreciation on that car is ridiculous. I don't think the car is worth 100k plus but maybe the low 80's high 70's they can be had for. I think for one it needs a twin turbo V8 to keep up with the competition in its segment.
asdff 4y ago
I don't think the concept cars would pass crash testing

MrBuddyCasino 4y ago

The Nissan Figaro has a lot of personality. Very FIAT like! I could see it being popular as an urban lifestyle car, similar to the BMW Mini.

DrPhish 4y ago
Yes, it has quite a cult following. The production vehicle is almost identical to the concept car! Much closer than anything else on the list that I recognized
- kingcharles 4y ago
  Isn't that a photo of the production car? I'm not a hardcore Figaro junkie, but I always got a smile seeing these on the roads in Britain. Where I lived every second person had one. https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/nissan-figaro-30-plotting-retro-roadsters-history https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/nissan-figaro-30...
- MrBuddyCasino 4y ago
  Wait they actually produced this one? Nice!
tomcam 4y ago
I’m trying to get myself not to buy one. It’s $17,000, which means it’s pretty much the same price after inflation as it was during production.

schleck8 4y ago

> Isuzu Super Heavy Dumptruck Epic

linsomniac 4y ago

One very cool Japanese concept car that isn't in that list is the Isuzu VehiCROSS. It was built as a concept car (Isuzu VX), and then was pushed fairly quickly to production. One of the choices they made to speed it to production was to uses ceramic body panel molds; quicker and easier to create than steel molds, but they wear out quicker. The life of the production and replacement parts was limited by the life of these molds. The VehiCROSS, IMHO, was a pretty cool looking production car. And the concept they had for the topless version, VX-O2, was also super cool looking (aside: unlike the Nissan Murano which I loved the look of but the topless version I thought was one of the ugliest cars ever). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isuzu_VehiCROSS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isuzu_VehiCROSS

baybal2 4y ago

canniballectern 4y ago

The late 2000s Mazda concepts are some of the most beautiful cars ever designed. Unfortunately the list left out my favorite, the Ryuga. https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1028135_mazda-ryuga-concept-breaks-cover https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1028135_mazda-ryuga-conc...

georgelyon 4y ago

My personal favorite concept is the Toyota Setsuna: https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/concepts-time-forgot-toyota-setsuna https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/concepts-time-forgo...

Loughla 4y ago
So now that laser cutters and cnc routers are sort of everywhere, I wonder if I can get the plans for that.

faruq 4y ago

Somehow reminds me of old Nokia phone before iPhone's era.

grammers 4y ago

These look like taken from an old James Bond movie.

tremon 4y ago

Is it just me, or do the concepts from the 90s onwards start looking more like toys and less like useful vehicles? I mean, there are exceptions like the Nissan AP-X or the Infinity Essence, but the rest doesn't look like something I'd even want to drive. Maybe that's more to do with the change from hand-drawing/photos to 3d rendering, I don't know. But 1990 is roughly where I changed from mainly "that'd be fun/interesting to drive" to mainly "I'd never want to drive that".

dugditches 4y ago

Hmm guess author hadn't seen this https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/6J3Ae/s1/1989-toyota-rav-four-concept.jpg https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/6J3Ae/s1/1989-toyota-rav-f... https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/zoG40/s1/1989-toyota-rav-four-concept.jpg https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/zoG40/s1/1989-toyota-rav-f... https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/vAvJ6/s1/1989-toyota-rav-four-concept.jpg https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/vAvJ6/s1/1989-toyota-rav-f...

auto 4y ago
Reminds me of the Suzuki Jimny we don't get stateside.

beefman 4y ago

This predates my personal fav, the Toyota Kikai (2016) https://newsroom.toyota.eu/toyota-kikai/ https://newsroom.toyota.eu/toyota-kikai/

LAC-Tech 4y ago
That's awesome. Like a road version of a side by side/UTV.

asiachick 4y ago

Well, while we're on it, more concept cars https://oldconceptcars.com/the-most-stunning-concept-cars-of-the-1960s/ https://oldconceptcars.com/the-most-stunning-concept-cars-of... https://monochrome-watches.com/a-radical-quartet-of-wedge-shaped-concept-cars-from-the-1960s-1970s/ https://monochrome-watches.com/a-radical-quartet-of-wedge-sh... https://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/17/nuclear-powered-atomic-age-classic-cars/ https://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/17/nuclear-powered-atomic-a... https://www.hotcars.com/crazy-70s-concept-cars/ https://www.hotcars.com/crazy-70s-concept-cars/

auto 4y ago

Not going to lie I'd buy that Nissan Trailrunner right now. A little Rally Fighter style coupe, from a major Japanese manufacturer not particularly known for their rally prowess.

vba616 4y ago

I'm not clicking on the link, but here is a very strange Japanese concept car that I ran across recently when I was reading about 8-wheeled vehicles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliica https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliica

Markoff 4y ago

I'd not really call some of them concept cars since they are just stolen copies of Mercedes or Ferrari and other brands, does that qualify as concept?

wwilim 4y ago

Did anyone notice the 1983 Nissan concept with falcon wing doors?