Supercars and Concept cars from the late 1960s & early 1970s

	Lotus Esprit M70 The History of the M70 Lotus Esprit concept car.		Lamborghini Bravo The Bertone designed Lamborghini Bravo, concept car.
	Alfa Romeo Carabo The 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo, designed by Gandini.		Bizzarrini Manta The Ital designed 1968 Bizzarrini Manta.
	Maserati Boomerang The 1972 Maserati Boomerang supercar.		Ferrari Modulo The 1970 Ferrari Modulo concept car.
	Lancia Stratos The 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero concept car.		Lamborghini Countach The Lamborghini Countach prototype and LP400.
	Alfa Romeo Iguana The 1969 Alfa Romeo Iguana prototype.		De Tomaso Mangusta The 1966 DeTomaso Mangusta production car.
	Lamborghini Miura SV The 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV Supercar car.		Mercedes C111 The 1970 Mercedes C111 supercar and research vehicle.
	Holden Hurricane The 1969 Holden Hurricane research vehicle.		Lombardi FL1 The 1972 FL1 designed by Francise Lombardi.
	Lamborghini Marzal The 1967 Lamborghini Marzal saloon car.		Abarth 2000 Pininfarina The 1969 Abarth 2000 Pininfarina
	Vauxhall SRV The 1970 Vauxhall SRV development car.		BMW Turbo The 1972 E25 BMW Turbo.
	Opel CD The 1969 Opel CD Prototype.		Opel Geneve The Opel Geneve styling exercise.
	Lotus Etna The 1984 Lotus Etna concept car, design by Giugiaro.		De Tomaso Pantera The mid-engined production Supercar
	Ford Maya The 1984 Ford Maya Supercar		Ford GT70 The Ford GT70 Sports Prototype, designed by Ghia.
	MG EX-E The 1985 MG EX-E concept car.		Mazda RX 500 The Mazda RX500 supercar, from Toyo Kogyo.
			Porsche Tapiro The Porsche Tapiro, from Ital Design.

Supercars

The late 1960's was an exciting time for car design, with the introduction of the supercar. The mid-engine car layout had been developed in the late 1950's and early 1960's, through design developments in Formula 1, through the racing teams Cooper and Lotus. Many car manufacturers were aware of the handling advantages the new layout had over front engine sports cars and consequently wanted to utilise this new technology.

There were further developments in car aerodynamics too. By the mid 1960's, smoother, flatter profiles in car design, were found to reduce drag, allowing cars to cut through the air more efficiently and travel faster. The mid-engine layout did away with the need for cars to have long bonnets. By integrating the angle of a shorter bonnet with the windscreen (forming a wedge shape), aerodynamic improvements were made. Designers such as Giorgetto Giugiaro and Marcello Gandini were instrumental in this, designing such legendary supercars as the 1960's Bizzarinni Manta, Alfa Romeo Carabo and the 1970's Maserati Boomerang and Lotus Esprit.

Alfa Romeo Carabo 1968 - Click to enlarge

With both the new mid engine layout and the aerodynamic improvements, sports cars took on a new futuristic form and the "Supercar" was born. Car such as the Lancia Stratos Concept car exemplified this forward thinking, showing the public "what the future would be like." The oil crisis and economic down turn of the mid 1970s, put a halt to the development of supercars. Only in the mid 1980's would we see a resurgence of interest, with cars like the Ford Maya and Lotus Etna. By the late 1980s, supercars were again being developed and produced, such as the Ferrari F40, Jaguar XJ220 and Mclaren F1.

Lancia Stratos Zero 1970

These early 1970s supercars really did paved the way for the future. Todays supercars feature the same mid engine layout and wedge shaped designs, evident in cars such as the Lamborghini Gallardo and Murcielago. Above are some examples of supercars from the late 1960s and early 1970s.

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