Automotive manufacturers love to push the boundaries of what is possible. They sometimes come up with some genuinely outrageous ideas that sometimes work out, while other times, they are consigned to the scrap heap as quickly as they appear. 

This list contains ten outrageous cars that were ahead of their time. Many of them are forgotten about, perhaps because they were too radical, while a few did slip through the net and make it into production against the odds. 

Ford Nucleon

Ford’s radical Nucleon is possibly one of the wildest concepts ever created. The concept was born in 1957 and designed as a nuclear-powered car with enough power to last for days on end. 

Ford’s design saw the car powered by a small nuclear reactor in the rear, assuming that they would become small enough to fit into cars. However, it was never a serious production idea, as the problems posed by nuclear reactors outweighed the potential benefits. 

Chrysler Turbine Car

The 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car is a radical concept that had limited public use. As the name suggests, the regular ICE was replaced by a gas turbine, the Chrysler A-831. Gas turbines offered some advantages over regular engines: They could run on a variety of fuels, require less maintenance, and last longer. 

However, they were much more expensive to manufacture. Chrysler built 55 turbine cars, some of which were used in a limited public testing program to evaluate their usefulness. Chrysler canned the project in 1966 and kept nine cars: six went to museums, the company retained two, and one now belongs to Jay Leno. 

First-Generation Honda Insight

The original Honda Insight is arguably the best of the lot. Introduced in the late 1990s, it had an incredibly aerodynamic body and a drag coefficient of just 0.25, making it the most aerodynamic production car of the time. 

Power came from a 1.0-liter ECA1 inline-thre engine, backed up by a 13 horsepower electric motor. The Insight was remarkably efficient, achieving up to 53 MPG combined and an incredible 64 MPG on US highways. It also beat the Toyota Prius to the market in the United States by a handful of months. 

General Motors EV1

The radical-looking General Motors (GM) EV1 was built to comply with the Californian mandate of 1990. This mandate required the seven leading automotive manufacturers in the US to produce and sell zero-emission vehicles to remain in the California market. 

The EV1 was a sleek, streamlined coupe, its power coming from a three-phase alternating current induction motor. Sadly, the manufacturers pushed back against the mandate, with GM taking many of the 137 horsepower EV1s back and destroying them. Thankfully, a few have survived in the hands of collectors and museums. 

Citroen Traction Avant

Citroen unveiled the Traction Avant in 1934. The name translates into French for front-wheel drive. While it was not the world’s first front-wheel-drive car, it was the first to use a monocoque body. It also had independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering. 

Its monocoque design made it incredibly safe and gorgeous-looking. Citroen sold over 750,000 of them across its production run, and it is one of the most influential cars of the 20th century. Plus, thanks to its low center of gravity, it handled far better than many of its rivals. 

Lamborghini Countach

Of all the supercars ever made, the Lamborghini Countach remains one of the most outlandish. The Countach had a radical wedge-shape design, and the first version in 1974 boasted a dual-overhead cam 4.0-liter V12 making 375 horsepower. That power figure will increase exponentially over the coming years. 

Over time, the Countach would also look much more incredible, with busier bodywork and extra features such as the cool but impractical rear wing. The Countach laid the foundations for the Diablo, the last Lamborghini produced before Audi took over the company. 

Ford Mustang SVO

The Ford Mustang SVO first appeared in 1984, as the Malaise era of the muscle car was slowly coming to an end. Designed by Ford’s Special Vehicle Operations team, the SVO took a Pinto-derived 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, added a turbocharged, and produced 175 horsepower. 

Incredibly, this was the same as the contemporary 5.0-liter V8 of the time, and with less than half of its displacement. Upgraded suspension, new wheels, and extra aerodynamic bodywork would also add to the allure of the Mustang SVO. 

Jensen Interceptor FF

Aside from having one of the coolest names of any production car, the Jensen Interceptor was a brilliant combination of British sports car and American muscle. The FF was arguably the zenith, with 6.3-liter and 7.2-liter Chrysler V8 engines and up to 400 horsepower. 

The Interceptor also pioneered the use of all-wheel drive for performance cars, showcasing just how ahead of its time it was in the late 1960s. Audi made the four-wheel drive more accessible to the masses, but the Interceptor got there first. 

Electrobat

Introduced in 1894, the Elcrobat is one of the world’s first electric cars. It was designed as an alternative to the horse-drawn carriage. At over 4,400 lbs, 1,600 of which were thanks to the batteries, it showcased the infancy of electric powertrains. 

The 1896 Electrobat II trimmed the weight down to 1,800 lbs, and the batteries had enough range for 25 miles. They would lead to New York’s first motorized taxi service, with up to 600 of them on the road by the early 1900s. Sadly, by 1907, the operation and the Electrobat were gone. 

Lamborghini Miura

Many see the Lamborghini Miura as the world’s first supercar. It was fast and powerful but also more comfortable to drive than its main rival, the Ferrari. Plus, at the time of its launch, it became the world’s fastest production car. 

Its power came from a 3.9-liter L406 Lamborghini V12 engine, with the earlier P400 version making 345 horsepower. Later versions saw power rise to over 400 horsepower, with the P400 Jota version the ultimate, with up to 440 horsepower on offer.