1953 Concept Cars
Alfa Romeo B.A.T. 5
The first BAT (5) was built in 1953, when most other carmakers had never even imagined tailfins and long before there was a Batmobile on television, said Mounger. The BAT 7, built in 1954, was even more radical in design with huge curved tailfins.......
Buick Wildcat I Concept
This car was built for the 1953 General Motors Motorama and is one of Buicks first fiberglass cars. Innovations for the time include concave grill, buffer bombs integrated with a massive wrap around front bumper. Also featuring Roto Static front......
Cadillac Le Mans Concept
Created in 1953, the Cadillac Le Mans received its name for the grueling and prestigious 24 Hours of LeMans race in France. The concept never went into production, but the design was an exercise in the use of fiberglass and two-seater design. Cadillacs......
Dodge Storm Z-250
In the early 1950s, Fred Zeder Jr. had an engineering degree and was working in New York doing advertising work as vice president of McCann-Erickson. He was the son of Frederick Zeder of The Three Musketeers (the three famous Studebaker engineers who......
Fiat Stanguellini
This vehicle was designed by Scaglione and built by Bertone. It is a one-off prototype built atop a Fiat chassis and powered by a Stanguellini 1100cc engine. The goal was to produce a limited run of these Fiat Stanguellinis. This is one of nine built,......
Fletcher Flair Jeep Prototype
Wendell Fletcher was an American inventor, industrialist, and aviation pioneer. He admired the Porsche firm for its innovation and, over the course of time, established a close relationship with Ferry Porsche.Fletcher Aviation was founded in 1941......
Lancia Aurelia B52 PF200
Lancia was founded in 1906 by Fiat race drivers Vincenzo Lancia and pal Claudio Fogolin. Known for innovation, Lancia pioneered independent suspension at a time when live axles were typically used and offered the first production V-6 in 1950. The Lancia......
Packard Balboa Concept
Packard was one of the leading luxury marques and one of the oldest car companies in America, with the first Packard built in 1899. The company began life as the Ohio Automobile Company based in Warren, Ohio. It became the Packard Motor Car Company in......
Packard Monte Carlo
The second Packard show car to appear in 1953 also featured a special roof, or rather, part of one. The Monte Carlo was based, not on the limited-production Caribbean, but on Packards popular 2-door hardtop, the Mayfair. Two examples were built by the......
Paxton Phoenix
The Phoenix was a complete and running one-off prototype of a Brooks Stevens-designed car. It was used to demonstrate to investors and to engineering staff all aspects of the working automobile. It featured production casting for the unique suspension,......
Pontiac Parisienne Concept
This Pontiac dream car came from Harley Earl and his spirited team of stylists at the GM styling department.This car was first shown at the General Motors Motorama at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1953, along with many of the other General Motors......
Siata Berlina Prototype
Unique in its own right, the SIATA Berlina Prototype epitomizes luxury touring as done by the best Italian style makers of the early 1950s. This Bertone-bodied Prototype was completed in October 1952 and shown that fall at the Paris Auto Show. SIATA......