10 Cars That Changed Dramatically from Concept to Production - Jalopnik

“The Chrysler Crossfire — first shown at the Detroit auto show in 2001 — is as faithful a translation from concept to production as any in recent memory.” So reads a Car and Driver article about Chrysler’s then-new, Mercedes SLK-based roadster, that emerged on the scene for the 2004 model year.

It’s fair enough that we’re back asking these questions, because it took us so long to get the Stinger to begin with.

In this case, the production model was previewed with not one, but two concepts.

Three years later, though, Kia turned up with something unexpected: another smaller, simpler concept called the GT4 Stinger.

That was in early 2015 — two years before the four-door production Stinger finally hit the market.

(Also containing an engine pretty much worse by every measure, but that’s besides the point.) The original RX-8 concept unveiled in 2001 was decidedly cleaner and colder, but refreshing in that way.

The original FT-86 concept from 2009 determined the basic proportions, but went for a blockier, more chiseled appearance, lacking the eventual production car’s athletic haunches and use of negative space.

Toyota refined that design with the FT-86 II in 2011.

Still, the lighting on the FT-86 II is perfect, and as I was a huge fan of the original concept, I remember feeling that Toyota massively dropped the ball in adapting the FT-86 to the real world.

Only four years had passed between the initial 2001 Nissan GT-R concept and the GT-R Proto in 2005, which strongly previewed the R35 we know today.

Like the original RX-8 design, the earliest R35 pitch is very much a snapshot of Japanese car design in 2001, and I love it for that.

I vividly recall attending the 2013 New York Auto show, seeing the WRX concept and thinking to myself how exciting it was that Subaru was getting serious about design again after the dowdy-looking outgoing Impreza.

I have no idea what transpired on the way to production, but I can only surmise Subaru had zero intention of carrying over any of the concept’s innovative cues the showroom model?

But have you seen the original Kizashi concept that debuted in 2007.

People tend to forget the Kizashi sedan happened, so I’ll completely forgive any lack of recollection of the three (3!) Kizashi show cars that immediately preceded the production one — a shooting brake, crossover and four-door.

Nobody except Toyota can speak to when, precisely, the automaker minted the concept’s design, but it would be many more years before a BMW Z4-based Mk V Supra would emerge.

Of course, the production model lost a lot of those quirks, likely in the name of cost cutting and reducing that all-important drag coefficient

But damn, they looked so good on the concept, and the excessive piano black cladding on the production car was never going to fool anyone