What's the car with the longest concept to production span?

"Kar Wai Wong" (kingawesome467) 09/30/2020 at 11:56 • Filed to: concept, concept car, Concept Cars, concepts, Citroën, Citroen DS 5, DS5

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From introduction of the concept, to the start of production of the production model, what is the car with the longest span between them? I’m specifically referring to concepts which had a major direct design influence on the production model. There may be minor influences, but the 2021 Ford Bronco is clearly not a production version of the 2004 Ford Bronco Concept.

My best guess is the 2005 !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which was revealed on September 2005...

Unfortunately yellow was never offered.

...and entered production as the 2011 Citroën DS5 on November 2011. That’s 74 months! That’s more than the 71 months from the Bugatti EB 18.4 concept to the Bugatti Veyron, and the 60 months from the Lexus LF-A concept to the Lexus LFA, both cars known for being stuck in  development hell. They may have longer overall development times (or not, we may never know with the DS5), but from concept to production, the Citroën beats them. But there’s got to be a longer one out there. Help me out Oppo.

HammerheadFistpunch > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 11:59

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The 2020 frontier?

bob and john > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 11:59

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Lexus LFA, easy.
first prototype in June 2003

production late 2011

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_LFA

CB > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 12:00

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Supra probably.

EL_ULY > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 12:03

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Wasn’t the Porsche Boxster or 996 a concept in like the early 90's

phenotyp > EL_ULY 09/30/2020 at 12:07

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Yeah, ‘92 or 3, debuted as a ‘98.

kanadanmajava1 > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 12:08

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The mid engined C orvette?

phenotyp > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 12:11

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NSX.

2003 concept (sure, sure, they called it HSC):

2008:

2012:

2013 Concept update:

2016 Production:

facw > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 12:12

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I know Volvo took six years 1992-1998 to go from the ECC to the S80

(The ECC had a bunch of concept stuff that didn’t make it to the S80, including a turbine-powered gas-electric hybrid drivetrain)

And five years (2001-2006) to go from the SCC to C30:

Neither of those is going to take any records though.

Nibby > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 12:23

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the honda blasteron

Taylor Martin > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 12:37

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Technically the Buick Y-Job, introduced in 1939, and never actually produced on a large scale? Called a dream car back then, now a concept car today.

Technically we’re still waiting for it to come into production... right?

Wacko > phenotyp 09/30/2020 at 12:39

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Exactly what I was thinking 

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > kanadanmajava1 09/30/2020 at 12:41

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60  years is a long time

foghat1981 > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 12:57

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I maintain the iDX could still happen. So the clock is still running on longest!

[delusion is grand]

UserNotFound > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 13:00

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The $35k Tesla.

dogisbadob > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 13:08

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The Chevy Volt

bob and john > phenotyp 09/30/2020 at 13:09

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shit you have me beat

WilliamsSW > HammerheadFistpunch 09/30/2020 at 13:10

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Just because they should have done it 10 years ago doesn't mean they worked on it that long

WilliamsSW > UserNotFound 09/30/2020 at 13:10

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That's not a real thing 

Kar Wai Wong > phenotyp 09/30/2020 at 13:23

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Those first two concepts did not enter production though, and don’t really share any similarities to the 2016 NSX. The NSX that was due to come from those concepts were cancelled and morphed into the HSV-010 GT racecar. The current NSX is   from a different project, unrelated to the first. The 2012 concept is the proper concept version of the current NSX, and that span was 64 months, which is still pretty  long.

Kar Wai Wong > bob and john 09/30/2020 at 13:24

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Yeah but they didn’t show off a concept car to the public till 2005.

phenotyp > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 13:25

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No disagreement. Just that they were farting around with it for a long-ass time.

wafflesnfalafel > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 13:42

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maybe new Bronco?  Didn’t the concept come out in 2004?

Kar Wai Wong > wafflesnfalafel 09/30/2020 at 13:50

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First paragraph.

wafflesnfalafel > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 13:52

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oopsie...  me no read good...

Kar Wai Wong > EL_ULY 09/30/2020 at 13:55

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Concept was revealed in January 1993, Boxter production started August 1996, that’s 43 months.

nerd_racing > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 13:57

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Mid rear engine corvette. 

Kar Wai Wong > CB 09/30/2020 at 14:02

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62 months from the FT-1 concept to the GR Supra. Pretty long, but doesn’t suprass the Citroën.

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 14:07

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I see what you did there. 

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 14:09

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Depends on when Jaguar finally gives us the C-X75

Kar Wai Wong > facw 09/30/2020 at 14:26

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Cos I was curious, ECC was revealed October 1992, S80 started production June 1998, that’s 68 months.

The SCC was revealed January 2001, C30 started production November 2006, a span of 70 months, that’s a month off the Citroën DS5! So close!

Kar Wai Wong > dogisbadob 09/30/2020 at 14:36

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Concept in January 2007, production in December 2010:   47 months. Not quite there .

EL_ULY > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 15:03

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Epic concept for 1993. This was a Chevy in 1993:

Kar Wai Wong > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 15:05

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Shit, no that’s a month of the Veyron’s concept-production span, it’s 5 months off from the DS5.

Wait are those extra doors on the SCC? A concept car with more doors than the production car, whodathunkit.

Shoop > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 15:06

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The nsx? 

Kar Wai Wong > Shoop 09/30/2020 at 15:10

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https://oppositelock.kinja.com/1845229671

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Shoop 09/30/2020 at 15:13

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I was gonna say

Kar Wai Wong > EL_ULY 09/30/2020 at 15:15

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Epic concept for 2020. This was a Chevy in 2020.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 15:46

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This one’s a slight stretch, but the Lamborghini Cheetah debuted in 1977 and the LM002 went into production in 1986. That’s a minimum of what, 96 months?

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 16:27

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I really thought it would be the GT-R but it only took 61 months.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Wacko 09/30/2020 at 16:34

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Me too!

Kar Wai Wong > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 09/30/2020 at 16:38

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Hmmm, the Cheetah was a military prototype , and obviously this question doesn’t really work with prototypes, cos every car has unrevealed prototypes. And the entire point of concept cars are to generate interest by being shown to the public. But yeah, it was at the Geneva Motor Show, in March 1977. Production version was unveiled at the 1986 Brussels Motor Show, which takes place in January, which means the span must be between 106 to 117 months, either way it beats the Citroën by miles.

I guess it depends on whether you believe the Cheetah it’s a concept car or not. Personally I think it is. But if you look at it the other way...

This was shown at a uto shows as an upcoming production model before it was cancelled, does that make it a concept car?

Anyway, c onjectural win to you so far! Congratulations!

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 16:59

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Aside from the already-mentioned Bronco and NSX, there are the Jeep Rescue and Jeep Dakar concepts that were 4 door Wranglers .

Here is the 1997 Dakar concept:

And here is the 2004 Jeep Rescue concept

The 4 door Wrangler finally went on sale in 2007.

Similar story with the Jeep Gladiator... here is the 2005 concept:

And we finally got our production Gladiator in 2020.

Kar Wai Wong > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 17:00

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Well the original GT-R concept was unveiled in October 2001, production started on December 2007, that’s 74 months which matches the DS5!

I guess it comes down to whether you think it’s close enough to the production model or not. The f ront end is quite different, but the profile is very similar. I think it just about counts, but it’s a very blurry line.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 17:02

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Math is not my strong point. 

Kar Wai Wong > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 17:08

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Nor is mine, that’s why I use an online date calculator .

Kar Wai Wong > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 09/30/2020 at 17:40

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I don’t think the Dakar counts as the production version of the Wrangler Unlimited. They’re both 4 door Wranglers, and that’s really all that the two share. Same with the Gladiators. They both share a name and are both Wrangler-based pickups but that’s it. They don’t really share any styling, separate from the Wrangler genes they inherit.

It’s kind of like saying this:

Is the production version of this:

Sure they’re both mid-engine Aston supercars with gullwing doors, but that’s not enough of a connection.

I wouldn’t necessarily disagree saying the Rescue is a concept version of the JKU, the concept is way bigger, but the styling is very similar, and definitely inspired the final product. The span between them would be 31 months than.

ranwhenparked > Kar Wai Wong 09/30/2020 at 18:38

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Not sure if there was ever a publicly unveiled concept car, but the XJ40 Jaguar XJ started development in 1973 and didn't go into production until 1988. The final design was "frozen" sometime in the 1977-1979 time frame.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Kar Wai Wong 10/01/2020 at 06:17

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2nd gen NSX?

Kar Wai Wong > pip bip - choose Corrour 10/01/2020 at 06:23

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https://oppositelock.kinja.com/1845229671

pip bip - choose Corrour > Kar Wai Wong 10/01/2020 at 06:28

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clearly not that then

:D

Nauraushaun > Kar Wai Wong 10/01/2020 at 16:17

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But that’s just a rebadged LHD production car which complicates matters

Nauraushaun > Kar Wai Wong 10/01/2020 at 16:19

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When you get an answer I hope you’ll make a new post to tell us all :) Sounds like it might be a fight between the GT-R and the C-Cross