Top 10 Concept Cars of 2013

Concept cars are things that dreams are made of. These vehicles represent a manufacturer’s future, seen through LSD-laced rose colored glasses.

They are utopian automobiles for a world free of conservatism and convention. For better or worse, most will never see the light of day as a production model, but usually a few elements (and hopefully many) will find their way into future cars.

2013 has been another busy year for concept cars with manufacturers worldwide showcasing the best (and worst) new ideas within the automotive world. Sometimes these designs fail to resonate with the public; remember the Volkswagen CrossBlue Concept? Not to worry, no one else does either.

But for every lackluster concept, there seems to be at least two that capture our attention, like the Audi Quattro Concept shown above. Here are the ten best concepts of 2013.

What happens when the DeltaWing race car and the Nissan LEAF have a baby? The answer to a question no one asked for appears to be the BladeGlider. With a significantly smaller front track than found in the rear, the resemblance to the DeltaWing can’t go unnoticed. The LEAF lends its DNA via the hatchback’s electric powertrain.

However, the most unusual aspect of this car may be the seating configuration. The driver sits front and center while two passengers sit side-by-side behind the driver.

Is it a wagon? Is it a crossover? Is it a shooting brake? Do you care? If it truly is a BRZ-based wagon and Subaru is willing to ditch the CVT currently equipped to the concept, we only have two questions: where do we send the money and when will our new car arrive?

P.S. – Subaru, with the raised ground clearance there should now be plenty of room for the turbocharged FA20 engine.

Based on the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Sergio Concept is a complete redesign of the car inside and out. Looking like a race car straight out of a 1990s futuristic video game, the Sergio Concept borrows another element from the house of Ferrari: unoriginal nomenclature. Sergio is the name of Pininfarina founder Battista’s son.

The Sergio concept is said to be lighter than the 458 Italia and retain all of it’s driving characteristics.

Toyota and Honda seem to be locked in a battle to see which brand can tease more concepts of an upcoming sports car based on an iconic nameplate. Honda is currently in the lead with semi-annual NSX previews, but Toyota is catching up with the Supra.

What we have here is a supercharged and turbocharged Toyota GT 86 wearing Supra inspired body work by Toyota partner Gazoo Racing. Stringing along the hopes of enthusiasts everywhere, Toyota displayed this car at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Look for more Supra concepts in 2014 including one for the Gran Turismo 6 video game.

At the New York Auto Show, Subaru dropped a bomb on the automotive world. The WRX Concept was a gorgeous, modern, sleek looking car that was a great departure from current Subaru designs. It appeared the era of boring, conservative designs at Subaru was over and a new stylish regime the likes of which should have Mazda worried was about to begin.

SEE ALSO: 2015 Subaru WRX First Drive

And then the 2015 WRX was unveiled in L.A. looking like an Impreza with a hood scoop and lacking all of the concept’s styling panache. Oh well, at least the new WRX is great to drive.

To celebrate Aston Martin’s 100th anniversary, the company rolled out this radical looking two seat racecar sports car. Based on a V12 Vantage chassis, the CC100 Concept is said to combine styling elements of classic race cars like the 1959 Le Mans winging DBR1 as well as hinting at the company’s future design language.

We hope windshields remain on future Aston Martin products.

Someone in Italy may have had a bit too much vino when the idea was created for a Lamborghini that could enter the Dakar Rally. Looking like Mad Max’s stylish weekend car, the Parcour is everything a concept should be; exotic, unexpected, awesome and ludicrous in the best possible way.

This car was so bad ass that Audi made their own version, the Nanuk Quattro, with R8 styling. No word if the Parcour is able to backflip from balcony to balcony or climb a wall in three spin-jumps or less.

Rumored to be a potential Scion FR-S competitor, Nissan showed off a pair of IDx concepts in Tokyo this year; one hot and one not so hot. The more exciting of the two is the NISMO edition that features a 1.6 liter turbocharged four cylinder engine sadly paired to a continuously variable transmission.

Not much else is known about these two cars other than the obvious styling cues borrowed from the 1970s Nissan Skyline and Datsun 510.

A full-size rear-wheel drive Cadillac coupe powered by a modern 4.5 liter turbocharged V8 engine making over 500 hp is just what the doctor ordered. More than just impressive mechanics, the Elmiraj is a gorgeous looking vehicle combining some classic Cadillac styling elements with moderns ones.

Even if this car never sees the light of day Cadillac does claim it is the styling direction of future products. Not good enough, Cadillac. Make the damn car already!

Few people will actually drive a concept car. That is, unless you happen to be someone like former Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni. That job = winning at life.

Truth be told, few concept cars are more than rolling shells without a real drivetrain. But ever-egalitarian Mercedes-Benz has done something that will allow anyone with a Playstation3 and a copy of the Gran Turismo 6 video game a chance to “drive” the company’s latest concept car, the AMG Vision Gran Turismo. Just start the game and get behind the wheel of this beauty.

Although concept cars have been featured in video games before, this is the first time one has appeared in the game the same time the car is shown to the world. It is the first in a series of Gran Turismo concepts to appear from several manufacturers. Many future concept cars may never even become real, tangible models and only live in the virtual world.