Typically, auto manufacturers are known for their best and most popular vehicles. Ford, for instance, will be forever associated with the F-Series, Toyota for the enormously successful Corolla, and so on. Cars and other vehicles like these have a way of becoming the ‘face’ of the marque, the image that immediately comes to mind when the brand is mentioned. The thing is, though, that face could have been very different if slightly more outlandish models had taken off instead.
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All enthusiasts have those concept models that they wish had made it to production, that they could have bought for themselves. The Lincoln Futura remaining an entirely unique concept model, for instance, was a sad loss to the world for all those who remember it. It did at least rise to fame as Adam West’s Batmobile in the 1960s TV series, though. An even more unfortunate fate awaited those concept models that simply faded away, majestic and full of potential as they were.
Chrysler, in particular, has produced some fantastic concepts like the Chrysler Atlantic, a celebrated design from 1995 that ultimately proved too ambitious and flamboyantly fender-ific to be mass produced. At least it’s widely remembered, though, which is more than can be said for some of Chrysler’s other fascinating experimental concepts from yesteryear. While all of these concepts have their fans and generated (and continue to generate) some buzz, they deserve much more respect than they often get decades after their unveiling.
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Chrysler Norseman
The Chrysler Norseman, built in 1956, could have gone on to be a trade show sensation of its era. It may have even gone into production, but it was robbed of the chance of doing so.
Why? It was aboard the SS Andrea Doria, a luxurious Italian liner almost 700 feet long, which sank after colliding with the MS Stockholm in July 1956. “Neither was following the established “rules of the road” for ocean travel,” History reports, and heavy fog and radar confusion on both vessels’ parts ultimately resulted in the Stockholm’s bow crashing into the side of Andrea Doria. A huge rescue effort from nearby vessels ensued, but a total of 51 people sadly perished.
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As Pierette Domenica Simpson’s “Alive on the Andrea Doria!: The Greatest Sea Rescue in History” explains, the Norseman concept model was a “special prototype, with an unusual cantilevered roof and no side pillars … designed by Chrysler and built by the Italian company Ghia.” Its engine was a 235 HP V-8, and it had been placed in a cargo hold for the journey to New York. According to The Crittenden Automotive Library, Chrysler’s press release, issued in the wake of the disaster, stated that the company had been “advised by its New York shipping agent that since the ship went down in some 200 feet of water the car must be considered a complete loss.” That it certainly was.
Chrysler Patriot
Sometimes, a concept car can be an absolute flight of fancy, built on the principles of “just because we could” rather than for any practical, sensible purpose. Then again, there are concept vehicles that are created with an express purpose in mind. Chrysler’s Patriot was one such machine, designed to dominate the action at the grueling 24 Hours at Le Mans endurance race.
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Developed in 1993, Hagerty quotes Francois Castaing, then vice president of vehicle engineering at the brand, as stating that “we wanted to be able to reconcile our research on environmental issues with racing … we wanted to use racing once again for the purpose of developing all-new technology.” The notion of a super-fast, high-tech, environmentally friendly racing machine was certainly one that turned heads when it debuted at the North American International Auto Show back in 1994, and the Patriot was a fascinating concept indeed. Armed as it was with a mounted flywheel, a turbine alternator that could hit 100,000 rpm, and an AC motor, the Patriot was a truly revolutionary creation for its time.
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But the gulf between the theory and the real-world results proved rather too much to bridge, and the Patriot was unable to perform as hoped. The driver who had been pictured thundering around the Le Mans track in it, Andy Wallace, later admitted to AutoWeek’s Larry Edsall that this performance was faked. “What we were not shown was Wallace grasping a tow rope as he and the Patriot were being pulled around the track behind a truck,” Edsall wrote in The Classic Cars Journal. The flywheel, all 1150 lbs of it, made the machine dangerous and unwieldy.
Chrysler Composite Concept Vehicle
In among the futuristic elements, such as the ill-advised turbines, Chrysler also took the time to develop something a bit more practical with their concept vehicles. The CCV, or Composite Concept Vehicle, was an attempt at something less ludicrous, the sort of model that some drivers may realistically see themselves driving every day. It was introduced in 1996, and was essentially Chrysler’s take on Citroen’s 2CV.
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The 2CV, while perhaps the furthest thing from flashy, was a dependable, inexpensive little workhorse, debuting in 1948 and produced in various forms until 1990, over forty years and precisely 5,114,969 manufactured vehicles in the family later. The 2CV formula undoubtedly had staying power, and several years after its discontinuation, Chrysler stepped up with its concept CCV in a potential attempt to capitalize on that itself.
The plan for the vehicle was to keep it simple. Very simple. The Museum of Modern Art quotes François Castaing, Executive Vice President at Chrysler, as explaining that “our initial direction was to develop a car that was as easy to assemble as a toy.” This, it seemed, was no exaggeration: Its body was bolted together in just four places, and formed using injection molding. The humble little model, which weighed in at 1,200 lbs, offered a maximum speed of about 70 mph and a 0-60 of 25 seconds, powered by an 800CC two-cylinder engine. We’ll never know how it might have performed if it had entered production around the world.
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Chrysler Falcon
Ford’s Falcon played a crucial role in the Mustang’s success, and was one model that took the concepts of budget-friendliness and reliability and made it to market with them. It’s a well-known and satisfyingly alliterative nameplate that will be familiar to many, but it’s often forgotten that Chrysler created a rather different Falcon as a concept car.
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The Chrysler Falcon was one model Virgil Exner charged Carrozzeria Ghia with building, completed in August 1955. It had considerable specs for its era, offering 195 horsepower and capable of speeds up to 115 mph by virtue of the 5.4-liter Hemi that was packed inside its body. It bears a strong resemblance to some other models in Plymouth/Chrysler’s lineup, particularly the Fury (the model family made infamous by Stephen King’s “Christine”), a sportier and more muscly direction that Chrysler thought the time was ripe to take. The Falcon was slated to enter production and could have done so, but it seems it was ultimately deemed not to have a place in the brand’s lineup at the time.
Chrysler’s Falcon wasn’t quite one of a kind. Exner himself owned the first example of this unique vehicle, and would proudly pilot it at racing events. It is unclear, however, exactly how many Falcons were completed. Hemmings Classic Car magazine noted in August 2014 that, “at least two are known to have been built, and there’s some debate that a third may have been built as well.”
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Chrysler Thunderbolt
One of Chrysler’s earliest concept cars had to be a model that demanded attention, and “Thunderbolt” was a fitting moniker to do just that. This was a ’41 model, built by LeBaron and primarily designed by Ralph Roberts. It really put the “Show” in show car, too, with unique features including its all-around fenders, bench seat, backlit gauges, and, perhaps even more eye-catching, the mechanical folding roof. No U.S. auto manufacturer had been bold enough to implement such a feature before the Thunderbolt’s arrival, nor had they featured a windshield with those oh-so-distinctive curving edges. Powering this remarkable model was an eight-cylinder Spitfire offering 143 hp.
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The Thunderbolt wasn’t a one-of-a-kind model. Ultimately, a quintet of them was completed, and they originally had a price tag of a princely $8,250 (approximately $178,284 in 2025). Just over fifty years later, Chrysler would introduce another Thunderbolt concept car, which featured its own innovative systems. Recency bias may dictate that this is the vehicle we think of when the Thunderbolt is name-dropped, but the original model from the early 1940s deserves an awful lot of respect too.
