50 years of futuristic concept cars (Image-heavy)

Japanese automotive designers, much like their American counterparts, have been offering glimpses into the future for more than half a century—too bad it's a future we'll never get to live in.

Looking at these images — and a whole bunch more over here — conjures visions of a jetpack/floating sidewalk/personal hovercraft future that never actually came to pass. Sure, most of these are completely impractical, which is why they were never more than prototypes, but looking at the unbridled creativity brought to bear on cars that would never hit the road… it's just proof that some of the world's most impressive futurism is happening in places you'd never think to look.

And they are all ugly as shit.

LOL they all look... interesting. Don't like the edge-y aesthetics, though.

The first image seems to be the most realistic of the designs, or at least according to my knowledge.

Would you drive the first one? It looks like an electric razor with a cabin on top. Besides being extremely top heavy and about as aerodynamic as a brick, actually that will do.

Well, they say boxfish design is actually quite aerodynamic.

I am not the expert.

Then you now must accept the concept of the box-shaped cars.

No.

Then you can drive your trendy cars whilst I ride a golf cart on the highway.

Sounds good with me.

Just wait until you catch me in the fast lane.

Er tot.

dw there will be a truck in the other lane, and there will mysteriously be only two lanes on a highway.