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Forgotten Concept: Volvo VESC

Volvo VESC Concept

This is an installment in a series of posts looking back on show cars that we feel deserved a little more attention than they got. If you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Concept topic, please shoot us a line or leave a comment below.

Volvo VESC Concept

First Shown: 1972 Geneva Motor Show

Description: Advanced safety-feature test mule

Sales Pitch: “Demonstrating Volvo’s leadership in this important area (safety).”

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Volvo VESC Concept

Details:

First shown at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show, the Volvo Experimental Safety Car (VESC) was a rolling testbed for a number of cutting-edge occupant-protection features. Among them:

Front and rear impact-absorbing bumpers
Front and rear energy-absorbing crush zones
Front-impact energy absorbing system which directed the engine under the cabin in the event of a collision
Side-impact beams
Four-wheel antilock disc brakes
Backup warning system
Front and rear airbags
Padded front seat backs
Door-anchored three-point front seatbelts
Rear-view camera

In the name of reduced engine emissions, the VESC was equipped with a fuel-injected engine and a catalytic converter, the latter to reduce NOx emissions.

Designed for surviving a frontal impact at speeds up to 80 kph (50 mph), the VESC was considerably larger than the production Volvo models of the day, but it was predictive of the 200 Series coupes, sedans, and wagons that would be introduced in Europe for the 1974 model year.

Forgotten Concept: Porsche C88

Volvo VESC Concept

CG Says:

Most impressive, perhaps, is that virtually every safety feature incorporated into the VESC way back in 1972 is now standard on every mainstream new car and truck. One of the features, side-impact-protection, wasn’t required by law in the U.S. until the 1994 model year–talk about your long-range planning.

I sort of miss the days of when Volvo took a style-be-damned attitude toward design, focusing instead on safety and space utilization. Seems the only feature from the VESC that never saw service in a production vehicle is the huge front-seatback cushions, and that’s probably a good thing.

Halifax: Volvo’s Forgotten North American Factory

Volvo VESC Concept

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Volvo VESC

Forgotten Concept: Karmann SUC

Volvo VESC

Written by: Tom Appel on August 5, 2021.

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Forgotten Concept: Chevrolet Blazer XT-1

Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Concept

First Seen: 1987 Chicago Auto Show

Description: Van-bodied SUV

Sales Pitch: “Technological tour de force”

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Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Concept

Details:

First seen at the 1987 Chicago Auto Show, the Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Concept combined innovative packaging with high-tech, off-road-oriented drivetrain technology. The XT-1 was powered by a fuel-injected 4.3-liter V6 that made 202 horsepower and was mated to an electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission. The 4WD systems included three electronically controlled differentials capable of transferring as much as 80 percent of the available torque to the axle with the most traction. The XT-1 also featuring 4-wheel steering, which gave it a claimed turning radius of just 14 feet.

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The concept featured a glass roof and rear hatch, and digital “Future Vision” instrument panel with an airplane-style steering yoke. The rear cargo area featured removable integrated storage modules, the contents of which could also be accessed while secured in the cargo hold. A product of General Motors’ Advanced Vehicle Engineering Team, the XT-1 was never seriously considered for production.

Forgotten Concept: Plymouth XP-VIP

Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Concept

CG Says:

It’s easy to see how the XT-1 concept came by its functional shape. By the late Eighties, American car buyers were beginning to embrace SUVs as personal-use vehicles—the Chevrolet S10 Blazer and Jeep Cherokee were both quite popular—and the minivan segment was red hot. Designers could certainly do worse than attempting to combine the best attributes of both vehicle segments—in this case, space utilization and off-road capability.

The XT-1 is arguably predictive of the new-for-1995 Chevrolet Blazer, but it also reminds me of another vehicle, although a fictional one. If you’ve suffered through the Sylvester Stallone/Kurt Russell action-adventure buddy romp Tango and Cash, you may be reminded of that film’s single saving grace, a vehicle called the RV From Hell.

Cool Trucks From Bad Movies

Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Concept

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Forgotten Concept: Ford SYNus

Written by: Tom Appel on January 28, 2021.

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Forgotten Concept: Mazda MX-03

Mazda MX-03 Concept

Mazda MX-03

First Seen: 1985 Tokyo Auto Show

Description: Sports car

Sales Pitch: “Defies the sports-car convention”

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Mazda MX-03

Details:

First seen at the 1985 Tokyo Auto Show, the MX-03 Concept was a technological tour de force. Power came from a 2.0-liter turbocharged 3-rotor engine good for a claimed 315 horsepower. A 4-speed automatic transmission coupled with AWD got the power to the ground. The MX-03 also boasted 4-wheel steering. Per Mazda, the concept car was capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds. Excellent aerodynamics helped the MX-03 reach a claimed top speed of 180 mph–Mazda said the MX-03 achieved a drag coefficient of just .25, comfortably below that of any production vehicle then on the market. To the best of our knowledge, this right-hand-drive concept did not make an appearance on the U.S. auto-show circuit.

Forgotten Concept: Honda T880

Mazda MX-03

CG Says:

Mazda probably should have produced this thing. Aside from the rotary engine, the MX-03 is similar in concept to the Mitsubishi 3000GT sports car, which was sold in the U.S. between 1991 and 1999. In VR-4 form, the 3000GT included a 300-horsepower turbocharged V6, AWD, and 4-wheel steering. Though the 3000GT did not sell in large numbers, it did wonders for Mitsubishi’s image, and is now quite sought after by enthusiasts and car collectors. Interestingly, Mazda had offered the 626 coupe with a turbocharged engine and 4-wheel steering between 1988 and 1990, though the take rate on that pricey 2-door was reportedly very low.

Review Flashback! 1988 Mazda 626 Turbo 4WS

Mazda MX-03

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Mazda CX-03 Gallery

Written by: Tom Appel on November 16, 2020.