Concept cars: an exercise in 'what if...?'

Concept cars attract attention at car shows

Detroit with a California touch

January 12, 1998
Web posted at: 6:37 p.m. EST (2337 GMT)

NEWPORT BEACH, California (CNN) -- While most of the vehicles at auto shows can be found on car lots around the country, the ones that cannot -- the flashy, futuristic concept cars -- often steal the show.

Concept cars are exercises in "what if...?" They begin with an idea, a daydream perhaps, and catch the fancy of automotive executives who know that today's concept car can turn up on the road in the not-too-distant future.

One of the more celebrated concept cars that became a production model is the Dodge Viper, a low, muscular sports car that went public in 1992 after dazzling the automotive media at a car show a few years before.

CNN's Ed Garsten reports 2 min. 6 sec. VXtreme video

Examples of more recent vintage include the Plymouth Prowler and the revived Volkswagen Beetle, both concept cars a few years ago that have gone into production in the past year.

Chrysler, the parent company of Dodge and Plymouth, introduced three new concept cars at the 1998 North American Auto Show in Detroit last week: the Chronos, the Pronto Spyder and the Jeepster.

Detroit with a California touch

Although Chrysler's headquarters are in Detroit, its concept cars are designed and manufactured at Metalcrafters, a studio in Newport Beach.

"The design starts with a package, which is configured around the human shape based on the dimension's we're given," says Darren Schurig, an engineer at Metalcrafters.

"We start with exterior shape and from there we move to the interior components," says Metalcrafters owner George Gaffologio. "We do the indoor panels, instrument panels, inner console, seats. ... And from there we go to headlamps, taillamps and wheels."

The distinctive grille of the Chronos took two or three days to design on a computer.

Workers shape the concept into reality

Once the components are designed, they are first rendered as clay models about two-thirds the size of the actual vehicle.

Then the sheet metal is stamped and shaped and given a finish, and the dream begins to take shape. Every dimension, every detail, is verified against the blueprints.

It takes nearly nine months to build a concept car.

"During that 36 weeks," says Jon Rundels of Chrysler, "we invite the interior and exterior designers out one time to take a look at the progress and make sure we're meeting their design intent."

Then it's off to the car shows.

Detroit Bureau Chief Ed Garsten contributed to this report.

Related stories:

• New Beetle, '98 Corvette stars of auto show - January 5, 1998
• Auto shows: The sleek and unique with a futuristic peek - December 28, 1997

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• Welcome to Plymouth
• New Beetle / Home

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