I saw this on autoblog yesterday and I still can’t believe they are trashing it like that. I know that you can’t sell it because of the legalities of it not being street legal, but surely there are better options.
Mules, prototypes, and pre-production vehicles are considered “non-salable” an so are customarily destructive tested, or scrapped. Yes, it’s a shame sometimes.
The PT prototypes had better fit-up than the production machine. Production constraints don’t allow for a lot fine work, so no disrespect to the plant.
Sometimes scrapping is the right thing to do, like 1st gen Sebring convertible prototype I drove. It was beautiful to look at, but it handled like a rubber raft – no exaggeration.
If that driver is smart he will divert that car to somewhere secret and ‘reveal’ it in a few years. The regular Challenger, not sure how much it will appreciate…but a one of one convertible?
“That’s just disrespectful. Ford has whole museum of their concepts and one-offs. I can’t imagine how bad the engineers and assembly line guys feel.”
Concept cars aren’t built on the assembly line. They are usually put together by the Styling Studio, or else subbed out to a prototyping shop. Either way the parent companies engineers rarely feel much connection to concept cars, they are pretty things to amuse the journalists and teenagers, and have little bearing on the real product (cough, Volt, cough).
Funny how times change. I remember a few years back readig a Mopar mag about a guy restoring a ’70 (I think) Roadrunner serial 000001. It was the car used in the ads and press shoots (using lens filters to change the colour from white to yellow in some instances). When all was said and done, it was sold to the general public. Imagine the dumb-ass lawsuits now?
Is that the concept car?
I saw this on autoblog yesterday and I still can’t believe they are trashing it like that. I know that you can’t sell it because of the legalities of it not being street legal, but surely there are better options.
Oh my goodness.
They could have sold it at Barrett-Jackson, just like GM did with their preproduction junk vehicles.
That’s just disrespectful.
Ford has whole museum of their concepts and one-offs. I can’t imagine how bad the engineers and assembly line guys feel.
Could Chryco get even more dead-to-me?
A couple of blogs are reporting that Mopar Performance has stepped in to rescue the car and give it the serious tuner treatment.
At least give that bad boy to Obama after you get your bailout billions, Chrysler.
Allegorical.
Is it at all worthwhile to point out that Chrysler is disposing of this vehicle by having it towed away by a Ford?
@Samuel L. Bronkowitz
Tuner treatment is very bloody serious indeed…
I vote for 50HP NAAAAAAWWWWWWZZZ stickers to start.
Look again, it’s a Ram. Anyway, Autoblog said it wasn’t scrapped. It can never be street legal.
Is it at all worthwhile to point out that Chrysler is disposing of this vehicle by having it towed away by a Ford?
That’s a Ram. The wheel style and long badge behind the front tire give it away.
Mules, prototypes, and pre-production vehicles are considered “non-salable” an so are customarily destructive tested, or scrapped. Yes, it’s a shame sometimes.
The PT prototypes had better fit-up than the production machine. Production constraints don’t allow for a lot fine work, so no disrespect to the plant.
Sometimes scrapping is the right thing to do, like 1st gen Sebring convertible prototype I drove. It was beautiful to look at, but it handled like a rubber raft – no exaggeration.
STOP THAT TRUCK !!!!
(Chrysler finally solved the LX line’s rear visibility problems)
That is a depressing site to see.
Interestingly, if you Google 8A150014 you get nothing but a few Chinese hits; no image hits.
Yeah, what about putting it in some kind of museum? Maybe Cerberus doesn’t want to ante the $$$ it would take to maintain it.
This picture was first at Jalopnik and people over there were raving..
Heck I was foaming at the mouth…
But autoblog isnt as good as jalopnik, and TTAC trumps then both.. with an actual explanation.
I think..
This might just make it. And Im sure there are a coupla hundred tho mules running around with these bodies.
But our leader FARAGO could probably tell us what the story is on this beauty.
If that driver is smart he will divert that car to somewhere secret and ‘reveal’ it in a few years. The regular Challenger, not sure how much it will appreciate…but a one of one convertible?
BTW, that’s not Sublime.
“That’s just disrespectful. Ford has whole museum of their concepts and one-offs. I can’t imagine how bad the engineers and assembly line guys feel.”
Concept cars aren’t built on the assembly line. They are usually put together by the Styling Studio, or else subbed out to a prototyping shop. Either way the parent companies engineers rarely feel much connection to concept cars, they are pretty things to amuse the journalists and teenagers, and have little bearing on the real product (cough, Volt, cough).
Some of you may have seen this on Autoblog, but you didn’t read the comments. It’s not being scrapped.
Funny how times change. I remember a few years back readig a Mopar mag about a guy restoring a ’70 (I think) Roadrunner serial 000001. It was the car used in the ads and press shoots (using lens filters to change the colour from white to yellow in some instances). When all was said and done, it was sold to the general public. Imagine the dumb-ass lawsuits now?