10 Fantasy Cars Making Our Dreams Come True

August 27, 2021

Creative and innovative designers are always developing concept cars, taking in new technology and solutions to the ever increasing traffic issues. Some ideas suggest solutions for extreme weather, off-road driving, city rush hours or just plain fun, but regardless of use, the goal of most designers is to have their creativity come to fruition. Some are poised to be manufactured while others only see their fame in the form of awards in design contests, but they all merit a closer inspection for their ingenuity.

Lamborghini Urus

An SUV with the Lamborghini brand attached to it will hit the market in 2018. As with Lamborghini’s reputation, the Urus SUV is designed for speed, excitement and excellent handling. Equipped with a 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 engine, Lamborghini’s CEO Stephan Winkelmann described the concept car as a crossover.

“For the first time we will have a turbo engine inside – we will have a V8,” he explained. “But the Urus will still be a super sports car among the SUVs. It will be the most powerful, the fastest, but also one that is easy to drive and handle.”

eXtremes By Marianna Merenmies

Described as lightweight and aerodynamic, the eXtreme by Marianna Merenmies looks just as it sounds. Designed in Russia as a crossover, the futuristic vehicle is a concept sports car that looks like it would come out of a science fiction movie. The main features are the two doors that pivot upwards.

Innovative in structure, the three-passenger car is expected to make use of Aerogel, the same material used for lightweight space crafts. It is 99.8 per cent gas, so insulating the vehicle with Aerogel makes sense for the frigid temperatures of Russian winters.

Taihoo 2046

China has come out with a unique, futuristic concept car. Designed by Huang Hao, he was inspired by the Taihu Stone because of its rich history and culture. The car appears strikingly similar, with rounded windows to mirror the rock’s porous makeup and a body resembling the stone’s shape. The front has a spherical wheel that can change directions, while it is the two rear wheels that pummel the car forward. It is powered by a battery that lasts 500 kilometers.

The back seats transform into a mesh bed with the idea of small-space camping in mind. Lightweight and sturdy, Hao hopes to be backed by drivers in the eighteen to thirty-five age range.

Ferrari Millenio

This super lightweight carbon fiber concept car is unlikely to be produced this century, but with developments underway in the past few years, one can hope for its launch sooner than later. Designed to be eco-friendly, the vehicle would be made of the newly developed 'buckypaper', a thin material made from a concentration of carbon nanotubes.

This two-seater’s weightlessness would come from its lack of doors, roof, and windscreen and would be powered by an electric motor, rechargeable by its solar panels or by being plugged in.

McLaren JetSet

Designed for the minimalist, this one-seater was designed by a Royal College of Art student around 2009 for a contest and came out the winner. This lightweight concept is made of carbon fiber, including the wheels, and is expected to weigh in at under 1,000 kg. The weight is kept down by its size, measuring in at a mere 3.7 meters in length and 1.03 meters in height.

The all-electric car has aerodynamics in mind with the shape of the body and an “attractive design that would appeal to a high-end customer typical to the McLaren brand,” according to Merenmies.

Audi Quattroflex

Designed by Alexey Bykov, the Audi Quattroflex is a concept unlike no other. Despite its name, it is not a part of the Audi family, but was the winner of the Best Use of Technology Award at the Interior Motives Design Awards in 2006. Bykov was a student at Ural State Academy of Arts and Architecture in Russia when he won and was inspired by the horse and carriages of the past.

There are no doors, roof nor side shielding so it has the ability to change shape. Controlled by a joystick, rather than a steering wheel, it is powered by only two cylinders. The seating, flexible enough to lay flat, can be expanded for additional passengers by adjusting the size of the wheelbase.

Audi Makaon Speed Sailor

The Audi Makaon Speed Sailor takes energy-efficiency to the next level since it is powered by wind. Designed by Bjorn Wehrli for a theoretical, but apparently realistic launch date, of 2040, the graduate studied at the University of Art Braunschwieg. The concept behind the two-seater is to be a race car with a high ranking on the environmentally-friendly scale. It has adjustable seats for positioning against high winds and the seats can be moved outward from side to side to maintain balance. Complete with a sail that moves with the wind, its shape is similar to those seen on record sailboats. While racing, drivers can record their performance with a drone camera.

Think Frost

As the name suggests, Think Frost is designed to take drivers into the snowy conditions. It was designed by Anders Gloslie of Norway while studying at IED Torino in Italy. He came up with the concept in 2009 for Norway’s electric car manufacturer, TH!NK.

The hybrid vehicle is a cross between an off-road SUV and a sports car. It has distinctive wheels that are equipped with large snow tracks and hydraulic wheel extenders. The body design keeps with the theme, resembling and inspired by nature’s ice formations. With extreme winter conditions in mind, the electric-powered car has all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering and full suspension, perfect for the outdoor explorer.

Peugeot Globule

The four seats, lined up one behind the other, are pod-like designs that hold one occupant each, forming the globule concept. The driver’s pod is grounded on the road, while the other three move together with it. The pods share a central battery, but each has its own electric motor.

It has been described as snake-like, and similar to a mutant insect or reptile, the vehicle can change shape while moving. It can go from four pods lined up in a row to two sitting side by side, with front and rear passengers. When stacked, the vehicle measures only 130 centimeters by 130 centimeters square. It’s exterior is made of a flexible, translucent polymer body. It is an odd concept by designer Ahmad Filiz and one that may not be seen on the road in the near future.

2015 Rinspeed Budii

The main feature of the self-driving Rinspeed Budii is its ability to memorize and adjust to its user’s habits. The Swiss manufacturer had heavy traffic and time constraints in mind when developing a car that has been described as a “friend on wheels”. The electric vehicle is one for city driving, with the intent of being “the perfect chauffeur that quickly adapts to the habits and preferences of its ‘boss’.”

Unsure yet of how the Budii will exactly memorize and learn its routes, Rinspeed has designed it to be able to “take data from its environment and the ‘experiences’ of other vehicles along its route into account.”

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