Volkswagen Concept One (1994)

Volkswagen Concept One concept car, the precursor to the New Beetle

VW Audi Group designers J Mays’ and Freeman Thomas’ crisp, clean interpretation of the iconic Beetle shape featured a transverse-mounted front engine and front drive. Most people assumed this star of the 1994 Detroit show was based on Golf hardware. But it wasn’t. It took four years for the Golf-based production version, New Beetle, to appear. It singlehandedly inspired a swarm of retro cars, including the New Mini, the 2005 Mustang, the Fiat 500, and the Dodge Challenger.