10 Vauxhall Concepts We Never Got

Story Cars

2 minutes ago

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Vauxhall built its reputation on sensible saloons, practical hatchbacks, and affordable family transportation. Apparently, nobody told the design department.

Behind the company's everyday image was a remarkably adventurous design operation responsible for gullwing sports cars, impossibly low wedges, experimental electric vehicles, and even a diesel-powered supercar. Some were functioning prototypes with serious engineering behind them. Others were little more than expensive exercises in wishful thinking.

Much of this creativity came from Vauxhall's Design and Engineering Centre in Luton, which opened in 1964 and became one of Britain's most advanced automotive design facilities. Under designers including David Jones and Wayne Cherry, the company explored ideas far removed from its production lineup. Later, the brand continued that tradition through shared projects with its German counterpart, Opel.

Here are 10 of the wildest Vauxhall and Opel concept cars that never made it to production as envisioned.

1

1964 Vauxhall GT Concept

Before the Opel GT became a production sports car, Vauxhall was experimenting with a remarkably similar idea. Built in 1964 to showcase the newly opened Luton Design and Engineering Centre, the Vauxhall GT was a full-size fiberglass styling model featuring a long, sculpted bonnet, low roofline, swept-back cabin, and flowing rear bodywork.

Its strangest feature was hardly noticeable from photographs: the left and right sides were intentionally different. The doors, rear fenders, wheel arches, and portions of the rear bumper featured alternative styling treatments, allowing designers to evaluate two proposals on a single model. There was no running chassis, engine, or production powertrain. This was strictly an exercise in automotive design.

The GT demonstrated how far Vauxhall's designers were willing to push the brand beyond conventional British family cars. Its proportions also anticipated the direction explored by Opel's 1965 Experimental GT and Vauxhall's own XVR in 1966.

The original GT remained largely forgotten until Vauxhall revisited its concept history while preparing the 2016 GT Concept. Apparently, the company had been drawing attractive sports cars long before remembering to tell anyone.

2

1966 Vauxhall XVR Concept

If the 1964 GT was a promising sketch brought to life, the 1966 XVR was Vauxhall getting carried away with the details.

The XVR, short for Xperimental Vauxhall Research, debuted at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show. Developed under design director David Jones, with Wayne Cherry managing the project, it featured a dramatic pointed nose, retractable headlights, a clamshell bonnet, and gullwing doors incorporating sections of the split windscreen. Its styling drew inspiration from General Motors' Chevrolet Mako Shark II.

Unlike its predecessor, the XVR went beyond the styling studio. Three examples were constructed, including a fully functional, metal-bodied prototype powered by a 1,595cc four-cylinder engine producing approximately 74 bhp. Power reached the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip differential. The running car was reportedly capable of approximately 100 mph, while independent suspension was fitted at both ends.

Despite its ambitious engineering, the XVR never reached production. Opel was simultaneously developing its own GT sports car, and the business case for a separate Vauxhall model was difficult to justify. Nevertheless, several XVR design elements, including its slim rear lighting treatment, influenced later Vauxhall models.

Vauxhall had built a gullwing sports car with genuine mechanicals. Unfortunately, it also built a reason not to sell one.

3

1970 Vauxhall SRV Concept

The 1970 Vauxhall SRV looked like a Le Mans prototype that had somehow acquired responsibility for the school run.

Designed by Wayne Cherry and Chris Field, the Styling Research Vehicle debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show in London. Its impossibly low, elongated wedge body stood just 41 inches (1,041 mm) tall, yet concealed seating for four passengers. Two conventional front doors were accompanied by smaller, rear-hinged doors cleverly integrated into the bodywork.

The SRV was presented as a mid-engined sports sedan, with a proposed fuel-injected, 2.3-liter Vauxhall Slant Four mounted transversely behind the passengers. Its experimental equipment included adjustable front aerodynamics, electronically controlled rear suspension leveling, and a proposed system for transferring fuel between tanks to alter weight distribution. Even the driving position was unconventional, with fixed seats and adjustable controls.

There was one minor problem: the engine was a mock-up. The transmission required for the transverse installation was never developed, leaving the SRV incapable of driving under its own power.

The purpose was to explore styling, aerodynamics, and packaging rather than demonstrate a production-ready drivetrain. It succeeded spectacularly at the first objective.

More than half a century later, the SRV remains one of Vauxhall's most striking designs. It managed to combine four-door practicality with supercar proportions, provided nobody asked it to start.

4

1978 Vauxhall Equus Concept

The Equus looked like a British roadster that had spent too much time studying Italian supercars.

Developed in secrecy beginning in 1977, the project was led by Wayne Cherry, with John Taylor and Geoff Lawson contributing to its design. The brief was to create a modern two-seat British sports car using as many existing Vauxhall components as possible. Small sports-car manufacturer Panther was brought in to help transform the design into a physical vehicle.

Underneath its sharply creased bodywork was a chassis derived from the Panther Lima, itself closely related to Vauxhall Magnum mechanicals. The Equus used a front-mounted 2.3-liter overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels. Its long bonnet, short rear deck, concealed lighting, and dramatically angular front end carried the wedge-design language into traditional roadster territory.

The prototype was unveiled at the 1978 British Motor Show in Birmingham. It had no provision for a roof, making British weather an apparently secondary concern.

Despite positive reception, Vauxhall never approved the Equus for production. Panther reportedly expressed interest in manufacturing it, but the proposal went nowhere. Cherry later took the car into his personal collection, regarding it as one of his favorite designs.

For a company associated with modest family saloons, building a roofless Italian-looking sports car was a fairly convincing identity crisis.

5

2002 Vauxhall/Opel Eco-Speedster Concept

In 2002, Opel decided the best way to promote an economical diesel engine was to put it inside something resembling a Le Mans racer.

Introduced at the Paris Motor Show, the Eco-Speedster was based on the mid-engined Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 platform but featured a radically redesigned carbon-fiber body, enclosed cockpit, gullwing doors, and exceptionally low aerodynamic drag. It weighed approximately 600 kg (1,323 pounds) and achieved a drag coefficient of just 0.20.

Behind the seats sat a 1.3-liter CDTI common-rail turbodiesel four-cylinder producing 112 hp (82 kW). Those figures sound more appropriate for an economical hatchback than a supercar, but the Eco-Speedster's exceptionally low weight and drag allowed it to exceed 250 km/h (155 mph).

Opel subsequently proved the engineering wasn't just theoretical. In July 2003, the Eco-Speedster established 17 international diesel speed records at the company's Dudenhofen proving ground. It reached 256.739 km/h (159.5 mph) over a flying kilometer, while Opel reported fuel consumption figures around 2.5 liters per 100 km (approximately 94 mpg US) under its efficiency testing.

Despite its remarkable performance, the Eco-Speedster remained an experimental demonstrator rather than a production proposal.

It was economical, lightweight, aerodynamically sophisticated, and surprisingly fast. All qualities normally appreciated in a sensible diesel, except this one came with gullwing doors.

6

2003 Vauxhall VX Lightning Concept

For its 100th anniversary in 2003, Vauxhall briefly abandoned the family-car routine and unveiled the VX Lightning, a muscular two-seat roadster developed at General Motors' Advanced Design Studio in Britain.

Built around the same technical foundation explored by the Pontiac Solstice concept, the Lightning combined a front-mounted engine with rear-wheel drive, near-equal weight distribution, and fully independent suspension. Its long bonnet, short rear overhang, pronounced rear haunches, and sculpted rollover hoops gave it traditional sports-car proportions without relying on retro styling.

Underneath sat an aluminum 2.2-liter Ecotec four-cylinder fitted with a supercharger, producing 240 bhp and 305 Nm (225 lb-ft) of torque. Power was delivered through a six-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels. The approximately 1,318 kg (2,906-pound) roadster rode on 19-inch front wheels and 20-inch rears, with an aggressively low body measuring just 1,140 mm (44.9 inches) tall.

The cabin featured deeply sculpted seats, black-and-red leather, and a driver-focused dashboard. It was a serious attempt to demonstrate that Vauxhall could develop an appealing modern sports car.

The Lightning never entered production, although GM's broader rear-wheel-drive roadster program eventually produced the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. Vauxhall's interpretation stayed behind.

A rather elaborate birthday present, especially considering the guest of honor never got to drive it home.

7

2011 Vauxhall/Opel RAK e Concept

Not every futuristic concept needs 500 horsepower. Sometimes 49 will do, provided the rest of the car barely weighs anything.

Unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Opel RAK e was a lightweight electric vehicle intended to make urban transportation cheaper, more efficient, and accessible to younger drivers. Its narrow, aircraft-inspired body featured tandem seating, a sweeping canopy, two widely spaced front wheels, and two closely positioned rear wheels.

The entire vehicle weighed just 380 kg (838 pounds). An electric motor produced up to 36.5 kW (49 hp) of peak power, while a 5 kWh usable battery provided a projected range of approximately 100 km (62 miles). Opel claimed a maximum speed of 120 km/h (75 mph), making the little commuter theoretically capable of highway travel.

A restricted version was also proposed with a 45 km/h (28 mph) speed limit, potentially allowing drivers as young as 16 to operate it where local regulations permitted. Opel suggested that traveling 100 kilometers could cost roughly one euro in electricity.

The RAK e never entered production, although its philosophy anticipated later ultra-compact electric transportation.

It was part motorcycle, part automobile, and part elaborate solution to the problem of paying for gasoline.

8

2016 Vauxhall/Opel GT Concept

Fifty-two years after Vauxhall's original GT styling study, the company revisited the idea with a sports car that looked ready to replace the entire roadster industry.

Unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the GT Concept was developed under GM Europe design chief Mark Adams. Its minimalist exterior eliminated conventional door handles and mirrors, replacing them with roof-mounted touch controls and cameras positioned behind the front wheel arches.

Its enormous electrically operated doors incorporated the side windows and opened using a special mechanism that moved into the front wheel arches. The panoramic windscreen flowed into the roof, while bright-red front tires paid tribute to Opel's 1928 Motoclub motorcycle.

Beneath the long bonnet, the mechanical proposal was surprisingly modest: a front-mid-mounted, turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine producing 145 hp and 205 Nm (151 lb-ft). Power was sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox. With a projected curb weight below 1,000 kg (2,205 pounds), Opel claimed acceleration from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in under eight seconds and a maximum speed of 215 km/h (134 mph).

Despite its performance-focused proportions and relatively realistic powertrain proposal, the GT never reached production.

It was the kind of affordable, lightweight sports car enthusiasts constantly demand. Apparently, demanding one and buying one remain two entirely different activities.

9

2013 Vauxhall/Opel Monza Concept

Most four-seat grand tourers make some attempt at practicality. The 2013 Monza Concept made that attempt while wearing doors large enough to embarrass a Mercedes-Benz 300SL.

Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Monza revived the name of Opel's original grand touring coupe from the late 1970s and 1980s. Its low, sculpted body featured an extended roofline, dramatically flared rear shoulders, and enormous upward-opening doors that exposed the entire passenger compartment without conventional central pillars.

Despite standing just 1.31 meters (51.6 inches) tall, the Monza was designed to seat four passengers and provide approximately 500 liters (17.7 cubic feet) of luggage capacity. Its interior featured a sophisticated LED-projection display system, replacing the conventional instrument cluster with a configurable digital interface spread across the dashboard.

Mechanically, the Monza explored an electric-drive architecture supported by a range-extending internal-combustion engine. The proposed system used a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder SIDI turbocharged engine operating on compressed natural gas rather than conventional gasoline. The modular vehicle architecture was intended to accommodate alternative electrified powertrains.

The Monza's actual legacy was primarily stylistic. Elements of its design philosophy subsequently influenced the second-generation Insignia Grand Sport, while its lighting technology previewed later production developments.

The gullwing doors, unfortunately, were not among the features Vauxhall considered necessary for the average office commute.

10

2014 Vauxhall Astra VXR Extreme Concept

The standard Astra VXR was already a fairly aggressive hot hatch. Vauxhall apparently decided that removing the rear seats, adding a roll cage, and fitting enough carbon fiber to embarrass a racing team would make it more reasonable.

Unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, the Astra VXR Extreme was derived from the Astra Cup racing car developed for Nürburgring endurance competition. Unlike many concept cars, it was conceived as a road-legal, track-focused vehicle with the possibility of a limited production run.

Its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder produced approximately 300 PS (296 bhp), delivered exclusively to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox and mechanical limited-slip differential. A comprehensive weight-reduction program removed approximately 100 kg (220 pounds) compared with the production VXR.

Carbon fiber was used extensively throughout the body, including the roof, bonnet, aerodynamic components, and wheels. The roof alone weighed just 2.6 kg,

compared with 9.3 kg for its steel counterpart. Aluminum front fenders, adjustable suspension, specialized 19-inch tires, and six-piston Brembo front brakes with 370 mm discs completed the mechanical upgrades.

Inside, the rear bench was replaced by a roll cage, while Recaro racing seats and six-point harnesses provided the appropriate level of inconvenience for everyday use.

Vauxhall initially considered building a small number of examples, but the Extreme never established itself as a regular production model.

It was probably the most practical vehicle on this list, provided your definition of practicality includes carrying helmets instead of passengers.

What Happened to Vauxhall's Wild Side?

These 10 concepts reveal an unusual side of Vauxhall's history. Long before advanced aerodynamics, electric propulsion, and digital interiors became everyday automotive talking points, its designers were experimenting with unconventional body structures, lightweight materials, alternative powertrains, and radically different approaches to packaging.

Some of the ideas eventually appeared in production vehicles, often in less dramatic forms. Others remained isolated experiments with little commercial justification. The XVR proved Vauxhall could engineer a genuine sports car, the SRV challenged conventional four-seat design, and the Eco-Speedster demonstrated how far lightweight construction and aerodynamic efficiency could stretch a modest diesel engine.

Together, they represent something frequently missing from modern automotive development: the willingness to build something ridiculous simply to discover what might work.

Which of these forgotten Vauxhall concepts deserved a production run?