1960s Classic Concept Cars Archives

Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 Superflow

The Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 Superflow was a dream car. Actually, four dream cars! ‘Dream cars’ are offbeat design prototypes. Typically, they are displayed at motor shows. In the same way couturiers go out on a limb to impress fashionistas, so coachbuilders create a ‘buzz’ for potential car buyers. So, a catwalk dress is not designed to be worn, just as a concept car is not designed to be driven. In other words, the whole point of a dream car is to make an exhibition of itself!

When it came to creativity, Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina was a past master. His career started in Turin, Italy, in 1930. Pininfarina – his automotive design studio – would become world-famous. In ’46, Alfa presented Pinin and his team with a template. A 3,000cc 246bhp template. Alfa – based in Milan – had built half a dozen cars for experimental purposes. Pininfarina was briefed to put fancier flesh on the Alfa bones. ‘Superflow’ would be the way to go. As in advanced aerodynamics.

The inspiration for the Superflow was the US. Alfa had its sales sights set on America. Stateside motorists had gone gaga over Sixties sci-fi – as they had in the Fifties, too. Basically, they were suckers for anything that smacked of Space. The Ford Mystere had a lot to do with it. Its roof consisted of a transparent plastic bubble. Back in the day, it conjured up images of lunar landing craft and the like. Alfa were minded to cash in on the fad. In all, Pininfarina would have four conceptual shots at the Superflow – namely, the I, II, III and IV. For starters, fins were added to the rear wings. Technically, they were there to assist with high-speed stability. However, it did no harm at all that they also looked Saturn 5 cool. The Superflow’s roof emulated that of the Mystere – since it, too, was made from see-through plexiglass. Likewise, the headlights were covered by the same streamlined material. As things turned out, the Superflow’s space-age charms did not cut it with gizmo-addicted Americans. As a result, Alfa U-turned – and readdressed the European market. Styling briefs would be altered accordingly. Nonetheless, the Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 Superflow had given futuristic wings to Pininfarina’s distinguished design skills.

GM Firebird XP-21

GM’s mythical Motorama show spawned many an unusual exhibit. An orgy of automotive exoticism, visitors expected the radical and bizarre. Though whether any of them were prepared for what was served up to them in ’54 is debatable. GM’s Firebird XP-21 took prototypical outlandishness to a stratospheric level. First off, was it a car or a plane? It appeared to have elements of both. Since it did not fly, presumably that made it a car. But, it did not look like a car – at least, not in any conventional sense. The answer, of course, was that it was a concept car – one which pushed the believability limits, both visually and technically.

The Firebird’s space-age looks were drawn by Harley Earl. He was GM’s legendary head of design, at the time. From its projectile-style nose – to rear-mounted fin – the Firebird came with dynamism built-in. Its gas-turbine-engine made 370bhp. Sadly, its top speed stat was never established. Perhaps that was for the best. It was a ‘dream car’, after all. Could it have kept pace with the Douglas Skyray – the aircraft on which it was modelled? Probably not … though its aviation-style cockpit suggested otherwise! Mauri Rose was the Firebird’s fearless test-driver. He gave the XP-21 the thumbs up – impressed, as he was, by its straight-line stability.

GM’s Firebird was America’s first gas-turbine ‘car’. Over time, a few other marques followed suit. The XP-21’s ‘Whirlfire Turbo-Power’ turbine revved to 13,300rpm. The ‘gasifier’ that turned it spun at nearly twice that speed. Heat from the exhaust reached 677°C. When the time came, drum brakes and wing-flaps slowed the plot down. The XP-21 was the first of a trio of Firebirds. ’55 saw the Firebird II – a 4-seater affair. In ’58 came the Firebird III – this time a 2-seater. By that stage, the car was in road mode – a test-bed for cutting edge components. If there was any doubt about GM’s commitment to the automotive future, the Firebird XP-21 blew it well and truly into the weeds!

Chrysler Turboflite

The Turboflite had radical written all over it. Chrysler’s goal was to put a gas-turbine-powered car in the showrooms of America. Certainly, the system had been seen before – in land speed record cars! Chrysler wanted to make it widely available. Albeit, detuned a tad! The R&D work was already done. In ’54, Chrysler installed a gas-turbine engine in a Plymouth. The car was driven from NY to LA – by Head of Research George Huebner. 50 or so variations on the Plymouth theme had been built. Not to mention, numerous new motors. In ’61, the test schedule was complete. Chrysler unveiled its latest gas-turbine creation. It was dubbed the Turboflite.

Maury Baldwin designed the new dream car. He did not pull any stylistic punches. Most notably – and that was saying something – it was fitted with an aerofoil. Not just any old aerofoil, though. This one pivoted – to help with braking. At the front, open wheels and a pointy nose smacked of street-rods. Baldwin had not held back on the chrome. The Turboflite’s interior was similarly striking. Space-age seats looked suitably enticing. Electro-luminescent lighting added a relaxed ambience. Even climbing into the cabin was fun. Opening the doors automatically raised the cockpit canopy, for ease of access.

The Turboflite’s gas-turbine motor was code-named CR2A. Chrysler claimed it weighed half as much as their standard V8. After all, it was made up of just 60 – rather than 300 – moving parts. Chrysler knew it worked. A Dodge truck put it through its paces, prior to the Turboflite’s launch. Ghia were recruited to coachbuild the car. The Italian masters were given the most exacting of briefs. Chrysler were serious about this one – so, every last detail mattered. In due course, Ghia built bodies for the Chrysler Turbine – the production version of the Turboflite prototype. But while it was ultimately, then, a means to an end, the Chrysler Turboflite’s exuberance made it more than a mere staging-post!

Ford Mustang 1

Lee Iacocca is an automotive legend! As soon as he set eyes on the Ford Mustang 1 prototype, he knew it could become an American icon. That was at Watkins Glen racetrack – in October ’62. Dan Gurney and Stirling Moss were driving the Mustang 1 that day. It wowed the crowd as a whole – not just Iacocca! The young Ford product planner saw potential written all over it. His only concern was that it may be too extreme for the mainstream motorist. He resolved to tone down the car’s shape a tad. But – that he had seen the future of Ford – he was in no doubt.

The Mustang 1 Iacocca witnessed at Watkins Glen, then, was never going to be the one which rolled onto the roads of America. The roadster’s bodywork – by Troutman and Barnes – was a low, flat slab of aluminium. Good aerodynamics were a given. Cutting edge retractable headlights smoothed the flow of the car’s nose. A stylish rollover bar was perfectly in tune with its hair-raising heritage. Two huge air intakes were a clear pointer to the race-bred beast within!

The Mustang 1’s motor was German in origin. The V4 was sourced from the Ford Taunus 12M. It was moved back in the chassis – the better to power the rear wheels. 109bhp was on tap – giving a top speed of 115mph. So, while it may not have been in the same league as the P-51 fighter plane – after which it was named – the Mustang 1 still shifted at a fair old clip. A 4-speed gearbox kept things civilised. Capacity was 1,498cc – or 91ci, in old money. Suspension was by wishbone and coil spring. Front disc brakes were a more than welcome feature. Steering-wheel and pedals were fully-adjustable. It would be hard to overstate the impact the Mustang 1 made. Iacocca was Italian-American. In styling terms, the lines of his car saluted the land of his forebears. Two ‘dream cars’ were duly constructed. In time, Ford Mustang muscle cars did full justice to the Mustang 1 concept. They would, of course, become some of the most coveted machines in the history of motoring. Lee Iacocca had made his mark all right!

Alfa Romeo Carabo

The Alfa Romeo Carabo is one of the most influential concept cars ever created. Think Lamborghini Countach, for example. The Carabo was the ultimate in wedge-shaped styling. As diagonal lines go, the one from the tip of its nose – to the top of its roof – was about as dynamic as it gets. That was in sharp contrast to its cute stub of a tail. Not only did that combination look cool – aerodynamically, it was bang on the money. Show car though it was, the Carabo had a top speed of 160mph. It was, after all, kitted out with a 230bhp V8 engine.

To be fair, the Carabo did not stint on real-world parts. Many of them were honed at the racetrack. Its chassis was spawned by Alfa Romeo’s Tipo 33 competition car. There was double-wishbone suspension all round – as well as disc brakes. For a car that was not built to be driven – at least, not in anger – the Carabo came pretty high-spec.

Marcello Gandini – of design house Bertone – was chief stylist. Certainly, the scissor-doors set-up he drew would become a supercar trademark. When fully flung up, they were not just visually stunning – they were an engineering tour de force, too. The car’s finish was fittingly flamboyant. Metallic green paint was set off by orange highlights. The lightweight glass used – by Belgian firm VHR-Glaverbel – was copper-tinted. It was a gimme that the Carabo wowed the Paris Motor Show, in ’68. Nuccio Bertone – and his Turin-based studio – had delivered. Lamborghini lovers, especially, will be forever indebted to the Alfa Romeo Carabo!