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The no-show cars: a reader rant on mad concepts

Instigated by Harley Earl at General Motors in the late 30s with the quaintly named Buick Y-Job, show cars, or concept cars, were presented to an excited public eager for new things. As the world recovered from a depression and then a war, these vehicles pointed to a better future that many people believed in, including the people who produced them. And, although many of the concept cars of the 50s, with their Jetsons plexiglass roofs and notional nuclear powered engines seem ludicrous now, in their time they weren’t that cynical.

Lancia Ypsilon rolls out in Europe

Take a look at the new Lancia Ypsilon city car, which went on sale in Europe on Tuesday. This third-generation Ypsilon rides on a stretched version of Fiat's Mini platform. The Mini platform is the base for the Fiat 500 that is now rolling into U.S.

BMW Gran Lusso Coupe Pininfarina teased

Does that mean the Gran Lusso previews a new 8 Series from BMW? Probably not, any more than last year’s BMW Zagato Coupe from Villa d’este spawned a new BMW, but it’s an interesting idea to revive a big V12 coupe when the rest of the car world is downsizing. BMW aren’t giving much away about the Gran Lusso beyond these few photos, but it’s clear from those tease photos that it has a makeup similar to the 8 Series, with a long nose, two doors and swooping coupe roofline.