There are car collectors for whom money is no object. They will search the globe for their obsessions with the single-minded determination of a cyborg. But sadly, no amount of money, time or true grit will make certain cars accessible.

These are "concept cars," vehicles designed by imaginative souls, accepted at pitch meetings and displayed at auto shows, without ever achieving production-model status. Collectors have occasionally acquired these automotive holy grails, but the success stories are extremely rare.

Here is a list of 10 noteworthy cars that never made it to the showroom, as provided by Karl Brauer, CEO and editor-in-chief of TotalCarScore.com, an online review aggregator for cars on the current market. While some are pretty impractical, Brauer believes that others could make great additions to any manufacturer's inventory, if only car companies would have a little faith.

Read ahead to see a list of the 10 cars you'll never drive, absent a major miracle.

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By Daniel Bukszpan
Posted 22 Feb. 2013

The original Quattro made its debut in 1980, and a new model commemorating its 30th anniversary appeared in 2010. Brauer said it featured a 2.5-liter, 5-cylinder engine with over 400 horsepower, a shortened wheelbase, flared fenders and a striking grille that provided "a sort of 'ultimate Audi' look."

The car was shelved indefinitely in 2012 when the company focused its efforts on a revamped R8 instead. "We wish Audi didn't have to pull the plug on this car," Road and Track magazine said mournfully.

Car aficionados fondly recall the Cadillac V-16, which was a giant of the luxury automobile market in the 1930s. It was discontinued in 1940, but it provided the inspiration for the 2003 Cadillac Sixteen, which Brauer called a "compelling homage to America's great luxury brands."

A production version of the 1,000-horsepower luxury car was never approved, much to his chagrin. "The 2003 Cadillac Sixteen concept was powered by a 16-cylinder engine with fuel management technology to reduce the active cylinders under light loads," he said. "A production version could truly be the standard of the world."

The ME Four-Twelve was produced by Chrysler in 2004. According to Brauer, it had an 850 horsepower V-12 engine and a carbon fiber chassis, and it could go from zero to 60 mph in under three seconds.

"The 2004 ME Four-Twelve concept could have challenged the Bugatti Veyron," he said. "It was capable of hitting 250 miles per hour. A functional prototype was built, and full production was considered, before the project was canceled."

To the naked eye, the Dodge Tomahawk looks more like a motorcycle than a car, and Brauer conceded that calling it a car is a stretch. But with four wheels and the same V-10 engine used in the Dodge Viper sports car, calling it a motorcycle isn't accurate either. A press release from the Chrysler Group referred to it as a "rolling sculpture," a description that will have to do.

Dodge announced in the press release that an extremely limited edition replica would be offered through the Neiman Marcus Christmas book for $555,000. Like the original vehicle, it was illegal to operate on public roads, so whether you want to call it a car, a motorcycle or a "rolling sculpture," you'll still never drive it.

The 2005 Ford GR-1 had a 605 horsepower, 6.4-liter V-10 engine with over 500 pound-feet of torque. The sleek exterior had a paint finish of shimmering chrome, and the car had scissor doors as a final, distinctive touch.

According to Brauer, the GR-1 was inspired by the original Cobra Daytona racecar, and had the potential to appear in showrooms. "A production version was possible using the Ford GT's chassis as a starting point," he said. "But it never happened."

The Emerg-e has two electric motors that produce more than 400 horsepower. "The 2012 Emerge-e concept can hit 60 mph in four seconds and drive 30 miles on pure electricity before a 47-horsepower gasoline engine kicks in to extend that range," Brauer said.

If you want one, too bad. "The Emerg-e is not planned for future production at all," Infiniti CEO Johan de Nysschen said at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

The C-X75 was introduced at the Paris Auto Show in 2010, the year that marked Jaguar's 75th anniversary. Brauer called it "the sleekest Jaguar design since the original E-Type," but in December 2012, Autocar reported that the production version had been canceled.

Collectors should not be disheartened. The five prototypes Jaguar was working on will still be finished in May, and three will be put up for auction. So collectors should rejoice at the fact that the C-X75 has been upgraded from a car you'll never drive to a car you have almost no chance of driving.

During its heyday, the Lincoln Continental was one of Ford's flagship models. That was a long time ago, but Brauer said the concept car introduced in 2002 could have been an outstanding comeback vehicle.

"The Continental concept shown back in 2002 was an exceptional celebration of Lincoln's glory days," he said. "It utilized a V-12 engine and boasted imposing dimensions, along with an array of high-tech luxury features. This is what Lincoln needs today."

"Furai" is the Japanese word for "the sound of the wind," and this car deserved the name. With styling that recalled the Batmobile, the 2012 car was difficult to see as a daily driver, and it never became the subject of a production version.

"The extreme styling of the 2012 Mazda Furai makes it hard to imagine as anything other than a concept car," Brauer said. "But the Furai is a fully functional automobile with a 3-rotor Wankel engine that runs on ethanol and makes 450 horsepower."

Few vehicles are as associated with hippie culture as the Volkswagen Type 2, or "Bus." Inspired by the success of a newly redesigned Beetle in the late 1990s, the company decided to give the Type 2 similar treatment, and it debuted at the 2001 New York Auto Show under the name "Microbus."

According to Brauer, the modern take on the old van "offered high-tech, family-friendly features," and was scheduled to begin production in 2005. But before that could happen, the company canceled the project and rebadged a Chrysler minivan instead, calling it the Routan.

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