12 mid-engined concept cars that should have made production | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

1989 Isuzu 4200R

 A rare four-door mid-engined concept, I recall being struck by the svelte and following racy lines of the Isuzu 4200R when I first clapped eyes on it at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show. An unlikely show star, the graceful and memorable Isuzu was designed by Brit stylist Julian Thompson, who went on to author the later Series 1 Lotus Elise. The 4200R demonstrated the close links at the times between Isuzu and Lotus, with the later using an Isuzu Gemini engine in its then-new front-wheel-drive Elan M100.

The four-seater long and low 4200R prototype was powered by a mid-mounted 4.2-litre DOHC 32-valve V8, shared with an Isuzu truck. Criminally, 4200R never made production, as Isuzu abandoned the manufacture of all passenger cars a few years later to concentrate purely on building light commercial vehicles and heavy trucks.

1984 Peugeot Quasar

 Having used Pininfarina to style all of its production cars since the mid-1950s, the 1984 Quasar concept was Peugeot’s first ever post-war self-styled sporting prototype. Designed within its own design studio by its chief stylist, Gerard Welter, and the interior the work of ex-Mercedes and BMW designer, Paul Bracq, the extravagant Quasar created quite a shock to the public which was more used to Peugeot’s conservative, traditional and sober style. With a wild red and blue interior to match the exciting exterior design, the Quasar used mechanicals derived from the Peugeot 205 T16, twice winner of the World Rally Championship in 1985 and ’86. 

Welter was tasked with the delicate job of telling a shocked Pininfarina that it was going to present a concept car its own creation, with the mid-engined Quaser followed up with the outlandish mid-engined Peugeot Proxima and Oxia concept cars in 1986 and ’88 respectively, all of these prototypes anticipating Peugeot’s later victorious success at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1992 with its 905.

1997 Volkswagen W12

 Volkswagen managed to steal the limelight at the 1997 Tokyo Show with its exotic W12 supercar coupé. Introduced as a one-off, VW claimed that it would gauge the public reaction to the car and might consider building a few examples if the demand was there. It wasn’t. The power of the VW badge simply couldn’t justify the high price the model would have had to command and even a follow-up W12 soft-top prototype failed to generate any demand, despite the car being highly praised in the press. Conceived in unison with ItalDesign, VW mated a pair of its V6 engines together to create a W12 motor, it going on to break a handful of speed records at the Italian Nardo track with a W12.

1998 Fioravanti Ferrari F100

 Having styled a number of outstanding Ferrari modes in his time as Head of Design at Pininfarina (including the acclaimed Dino 206/246 and legendary 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’), once he’d left Pininfarina, Leonardo Fioravanti presented a number of stylish concepts of his own, with his F100 of 1998 conceived to celebrate the 100^th anniversary since the birth of Enzo Ferrari. The beautifully sculptured one-off F100 GT was built for Fioravanti by specialist Turin coachbuilders Cecomp. Planned power was from a mid-mounted V10.

1981 Ghia AC 3000ME

Following its sale to the mighty Ford empire in 1974, the Turin design house and former coachbuilder – Ghia – subsequently based all of its (frequent) concepts on Ford running gear, with Dearborn and Dagenham using Ghia as its own in-house studio for alternative vehicle designs. In 1981, this included Ghia’s appealing rework of the Ford Granada V6-powered AC 3000ME. The roots of the mid-engined AC dated back to 1972, when ex-Lola designers Peter Bohanna and Robin Stables first presented a pretty little coupé, powered by a mid-mounted Austin Maxi 1500 engine.

AC spotted this prototype and immediately acquired the production rights to the car, changing the mechanicals to a 3-litre Ford V6 unit. Shown at the 1973 Earls Court Motor Show as the 3000ME, AC struggled to get the GRP-bodied two-seater homologated, with actual production and the first customer deliveries painfully delayed until 1979!

By this time, many would-be AC buyers had got tired of waiting so long, choosing to buy a Lotus Esprit instead. Although attractive, the 3000ME was beginning to look a little dated by the early 1980s, so Ghia stepped in to update the car’s design with an appealingly more rounded and graceful update. Limited production of the Ghia version was discussed, but was never forthcoming, the Ghia sadly remaining a one-off concept only. 

2010 Renault DeZir

 This stunning mid-mounted electric concept styled by ex-Saab designer Antony Lo, under the direction of Laurens van den Acker was unveiled at the 2010 Paris Salon. Featuring unusual symmetrical doors (the drivers’ door opening scissor style with the passenger one being of a rear-opening suicide variety), the DeZir bore a close resemblance to Lo’s previously acclaimed Saab Aero X prototype of 2006 and acted as a soft teaser introduction to the revival of Renault sporting Alpine brand. Power was said to be a useful 152PS (112kW) in the featherweight prototype, but predictably the concept remained just that, with no intention for a production derivative.

1985 MG EX-E

 The very unexpected star of the 1985 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show, the mid-engined MG EX-E, wowed the German crowds to convincingly act as a reinvigorated face of confidence for Austin Rover, with MG as an important sub-brand after years in the doldrums under the previous British Leyland/BL/Leyland Cars Group.  Pre-dating the popular mid-engined MG F/MG TF, the handsome aluminium and plastic EX-E was styled by new Design Director, Roy Axe, using the Group B MG Metro 6R4 as its mechanical base. The concept featured a removable targa top roof and modern fighter jet-inspired leather interior.

1972 BMW Turbo

 Presented by BMW as part of its direct local involvement with the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, the dramatic Turbo prototype was the Bavarian vehicle makers’ very first mid-engined project, conceived by its then head of design, Frenchman Paul Bracq, to showcase the technological progress BMW was making. The Turbo prototype’s blown four-cylinder engine anticipated the introduction of the production 2-litre 2002 Turbo in 1973.

The Bracq prototype pioneered a number of safety features for BMW, such as front and rear deformable structures and roll-over protection, with gullwing doors and special paintwork that faded from fluorescent orange to solid red helping to grab attention. A few other elements of the 1972 Turbo prototype finally found their way into production with the mid-engined BMW M1 in 1978.

2002 Cadillac Cien

Continuing a tradition of outstanding concept cars dating back to the 1950s, for the Cadillac brand’s centenary in 2002, General Motors showcased the mid-engined V12-powered Cien coupé (‘cien’ being Spanish for one hundred). The F-22 Raptor aircraft-inspired Cien utilised Cadillac’s familiar razor-edged styling, as found on regular production models penned by British ex-Lotus designer Simon Cox, with Banbury-based Prodrive contributing to the engineering of the aggressive-looking low slung coupé. The concept’s bodywork was made of an advanced aerogel composite material and equipped with active are aides.

1999 Bentley Hunaudieres

The first (and to date only) mid-engined Bentley prototype, the low and lithe Hunaudieres concept celebrated Bentley’s return to Le Mans and its victory in 2003. Styled by owner Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg design studio under the direction of Hartmut Warkuss, and named after a famous part of the legendary Sarthe 24 Hours circuit, the Hunaudieres ‘borrowed’ the 8-litre V16 632PS (465kW) engine from its Bugatti Veyron sibling. Production was mooted, but never transpired.  

1972 Michelotti Matra M530 Laser

The gawky-looking M530 was introduced as an affordable mid-engined 2+2 for younger motorists in 1967 by Matra, the mid-engined production car pioneers and subsequent Formula 1 world champion and hat-trick Le Mans winners. Powered by a midship German Ford Taunus V4 engine, the M530 benefitted from fine handling and an exceptionally compliant ride, but its unusual Gallic styling repelled many a would-be buyer. In 1972, gifted Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti tried to resolve the M530’s visual shortcomings by reclothing the car with a more acceptable design for his Laser gullwing prototype.

Matra passed on the opportunity to rework the ugly M530 with Michelotti’s more appealing redesign though, as, unbeknown to the Italian designer at the time, the more handsome new Bagheera replacement model was waiting in the wings, just ahead of its successful 1973 launch.  

1997 Rover Mini ACV30

In its endless attempts to replace the faithful original Issigonis Mini, in 1997 Rover presented an unusual concept, the ACV30 (the ACV initials standing for Anniversary Concept Vehicle). The novel Mini ACV30 was created by Rover to celebrated the 30^th anniversary of the third (and final) victory of the original Mini Cooper in the Monte Carlo Rallye.

The ACV30 was a mid-engined concept based on the 1.8-litre mechanicals of the new MG F, and painted in a nostalgic red with white roof panel to reflect the 1967 original. Unfortunately for Mini fans, production of the ACV30 was never seriously considered, with priority understandably given to the front-engined, front-drive new MINI hatch of 2000 instead.

Like each of the other mid-engined concepts mentioned above though, failure to make the transition from dream car into a production reality was a sad loss for all of us keen motoring enthusiasts.