Nine ‘cars of the future’ which NEVER hit the road – from F1-inspired Yamaha to Mazda that was lost in a FIRE

FOR galore petrolheads, immoderate of history’s top supercars are, successful fact, the ones that ne'er made it to production.

For 1 crushed oregon another, galore unthinkable designs simply don’t marque the cut—whether that’s owed to a deficiency of investment, issues with styling oregon engineering, oregon simply being the close car astatine the incorrect time.

With this successful mind, car experts astatine Autocar precocious compiled a database of immoderate of the supercars of the future that ne'er came to fruition.

Here are our favourites:

Vauxhall XVR

For most, Vauxhall is simply a good-quality, low-cost British carmaker that’s brought america the Nova, Astra, Corsa and, to the hipsters, the VX220.

But successful the mid-1960s, they toyed with the thought of a four-cylinder supercar that was dissimilar thing other the institution had ever made astatine the time—or would ever marque since.

The XVR, a two-seat coupe with a clamshell bonnet, featured a rear-hinged process and 2 upward-opening doors, powered by Vauxhall’s slant-four engine.

Only 1 of the 3 built really ran and was unveiled astatine the 1966 Geneva Motor Show.

Bizarrely, it was attacked with an axe portion connected show successful Canada, which led to it being breached up.

Two fibreglass-bodied non-runners followed, with 1 dismantled and the different present portion of the Vauxhall Heritage Collection.

Ford GT90

Unlike the Ford GT40 and the legendary racer’s seldom-heard-of successor, the GT70, the GT90 was simply a conception that took plentifulness of inspiration from the Jaguar XJ220.

The precise sleek-looking accelerated Ford—which was unveiled successful 1995—never made it to production, simply due to the fact that the Blue Oval felt it would rival models built by the past Ford-owned marque Aston Martin.

Powered by a unsocial 5.9-litre V12 engine, the exhaust of the GT90 would get truthful blistery that it could origin harm to the assemblage panels, which meant ceramic tiles akin to those utilized connected a Space Shuttle had to beryllium utilized to support it from melting.

On an occurrence of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson erstwhile revealed helium was fixed the accidental to trial the GT90, describing it arsenic “horrid” with a “top velocity of 40 mph” that “handled similar it was successful a cartoon”.

Peugeot Quasar

Autocar claims the Quasar mightiness person been an era-defining supercar of the 1980s had it gone into production.

But alas, the low, sleek motor, which shared galore of its interior components with the souped-up 205 Turbo 16, ne'er went into production, with the prototype present simply displayed astatine the Peugeot Adventure Museum.

Remarkably, it would’ve matched the Ferrari F40 - released successful 1987 - for pace, with its 1.8-litre four-cylinder motor propped up by 2 turbos, meaning it was reputed to nutrient 600bhp.

Peugeot Oxia

Autocar claims the Quasar mightiness person been an era-defining supercar of the 1980s had it gone into production.

But alas, the low, sleek motor—which shared galore of its interior components with the souped-up 205 Turbo 16—never went into production, with the prototype present simply displayed astatine the Peugeot Adventure Museum.

Remarkably, it would’ve matched the Ferrari F40—released successful 1987—for pace, with its 1.8-litre four-cylinder motor propped up by 2 turbos, reputed to nutrient 600bhp.

Yamaha OX99-11

Few volition fondly retrieve the clip erstwhile Yamaha were the whipping boys of Formula 1, supplying the likes of Jordan and Arrows with engines betwixt the 1989 and 1997 seasons.

Their engines were often considered unreliable and lacking successful power, though they famously astir helped Damon Hill to an improbable triumph astatine the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Using their F1 expertise, the Japanese brand—mostly known for their scope of motorcycles and, um, keyboards—produced the Yamaha OX99-11 supercar, with a beastly 3.5-litre V12 centrifugal that delivered 400bhp.

Built from c fibre with a McLaren F1-esque cardinal driving position, the unimaginatively named OX99-11 ne'er rather made it, mostly acknowledgment to a fallout betwixt Yamaha and engineering steadfast IAD.

The fiscal situation successful Japan efficaciously killed it off, with lone 3 prototypes ever built.

Volkswagen W12

Volkswagen’s W12 really represents respective conception designs, opening successful 1997 with the W12 Syncro, past the W12 Roadster successful 1998 and yet the W12 Nardo successful 2001.

All had the mighty 5.6-litre W12 motor successful communal that was yet utilized successful VW-owned Bentley’s Continental GT and Phaeton saloon.

The Nardo was people the fastest of the concepts, susceptible of 591bhp that could deed 60mph successful 3.5 seconds and deed a apical velocity of 221mph.

Cadillac Sixteen

The Batmobile-esque Cadillac Sixteen, powered by a bonkers 13.6-litre V16 engine, was reportedly susceptible of 1,000bhp.

Even so, the US elephantine claimed the car offered 16.7 mpg substance economy—all acknowledgment to its highly developed Active Fuel Management that was susceptible of shutting down 12 cylinders erstwhile the car was cruising.

Although ne'er enactment into production, plan elements of the Sixteen were aboriginal utilized for consequent Cadillac models.

In a 2003 occurrence of Top Gear, James May heaped praise connected the Sixteen, describing it arsenic "exactly what a Cadillac should be".

Lamborghini Miura Concept

The archetypal Lamborghini Miura, archetypal unleashed successful 1966, is present regarded by petrolheads arsenic 1 of the finest cars ever created.

Its blend of class, benignant and velocity encapsulates everything that makes Lambo truthful special, and contiguous the Miura is regarded arsenic the world’s precise archetypal supercar.

To commemorate its 40th anniversary, the Italian marque unveiled a retro-futuristic styled Miura conception successful 2006 with the aforesaid 6.2-litre V12 level utilized for the Murciélago underneath.

Sadly, conception signifier was arsenic acold arsenic Lambo went with this new-look Miura, contempt respective customers keen to spot orders.

The company’s boss, Stephan Winkelmann, was adamant the exemplary would not instrumentality to production, saying, “Lamborghini is astir the future. Retro plan is not what we are present for. So we won’t bash the Miura.”

Mazda Furai

Much-championed decorator Franz von Holzhausen, present astatine Tesla, antecedently worked astatine Mazda erstwhile the Japanese steadfast developed the Furai, saying it “purposely blurs boundaries that person traditionally distinguished thoroughfare cars from racing cars”.

That’s echoed by the information that the car was considered for accumulation arsenic good arsenic a Le Mans racer—with the azygous conception iteration adjacent emblazoned with the fig 55, the aforesaid arsenic their 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning 787B.

Sadly, it ne'er got that far, with the sole illustration destroyed by a occurrence during a Top Gear photography league successful 2008.