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10 Cars That Were Lost to History

Throughout the years, there have been a number of cars that were lost to history. Here are some of the ones we're going to miss the most.

By Ossiana TepfenhartPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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If there's one thing that the car world is good at, it's preserving historic cars for future generations to enjoy. That's why you can still see examples of some of the best vintage cars in existence, and why you can still regularly spot some of the best classic cars of the 40s at almost every car show out there.

Though historians and car collectors have tried their damndest to keep cars intact, there have been many cars that have slipped through the cracks. Don't believe it? Take a look at some of the greatest cars that were lost to history.

While most cars that were lost to history ended up making it to production, this one didn't. Despite that, the Suzuki Constellation was a trailblazer that remained incredibly unappreciated during its run as one of the most futuristic concept cars of its time.

The 1989 Suzuki Constellation made history as the first crossover model ever made. Sadly, it was the 80s and people didn't realize what they had made until it was too late. It never made it to production, but it did make it to history.

James Dean was the hottie of the 1950s, and when he wasn't being a "rebel without a cause," he was a very avid racecar driver. His favorite car was his 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder and it remains one of the most famous cars in history today.

The Spyder, known as the "Little Bastard," ended up being the death of him. The Porsche was a beautiful car that wrecked with Dean inside of it, and ever since then, it was rumored to be cursed and haunted by the Hollywood hunk himself.

After the accident, the Little Bastard ended up being taken on a national tour advising teens to avoid racing. During one of the tour's stops, the car vanished, never to be seen again.

Currently, the James Dean's killer car remains one of the most iconic cars lost to history. There's a couple of suspected leads one where it could be, but let's be real, it's probably going to stay lost.

The 1956 Chrysler Norseman wasn't a mass-produced car either, but it remains one of the few concept cars we wish Chrysler would have produced.

This beautiful car was made in the heyday of the 1950s, where crazy concept cars were the norm. The car had an Italian-made roof, a beautiful V8 Hemi engine, and was going to be brought to America after its showing in Europe.

Unfortunately, the boat the Norseman was loaded into sank, with the only Norseman prototype taken along with it. Chrysler cancelled the car's production afterward, making it a concept car that will forever remain a concept.

Perhaps one of the most tragic cars that were lost to history is the 1912 Renault Coupe de Ville, also known as "The Titanic Renault." As everyone knows, the Titanic was considered to be the world's greatest ship and was outfitted with all the amenities known to man at the time.

All the greatest people in the upper class wanted to have a tour on the Titanic. Part of the elegance that the Titanic offered was the fact that you could load up as much luggage as you wanted. One family who went onboard decided to bring a 1912 Renault Coupe de Ville along for the journey.

The car sank when the ship sank, and it now remains at the bottom of the ocean, in a watery grave of its own. Oddly symbolic, isn't it?

Every supercar owner knows that the Ferrari 375 MM is one of the finest supercars ever made. Back in 1953, this car's release dropped jaws with an insanely fast 340 horsepower and a beautiful V12 engine that tore up the racetrack.

When the Ferrari 375 MM was released, the makers only released 26 models in the first round. 25 of those models are accounted for. The 26th had the number 0378AM printed on the chassis and was bought by an Italian businessman and was never heard from again.

If it were to be found, the Ferrari 375 MM Chassis Number 0378AM would be one of the best-preserved Ferrari race cars in history. That would make it a priceless artifact.

Most people remember the absolutely breathtaking Aston Martin DB5 in the smash hit movie Goldfinger. What most people don't realize is that very car remains one of the many movie cars that were lost to history.

The James Bond movie used a number of DB5 Aston Martins in order to make the movie. Most of those remain intact, and one was recently sold for around $4.5 million dollars.

One particular Aston Martin used on set was bought up after Goldfinger's production in 1964. The car was housed in a garage until some thieves stole the car in 1997. The iconic James Bond car was never recovered.

During the 1950s and 1960s, GM would perform exercises in car design during its "Motorama" event. During Motorama, designers would show heavily stylized "dream" cars that basically acted as concept cars or inspiration for newer car ideas.

The GM L'Universelle was one of these concept "dream cars," and if you ask us, it's one of the ugliest concept cars of its kind. Truth be told, though, it was pretty prescient when it came to figuring out what cars would look like in the 1970s.

After the 1955 Motorama, the GM L'Universelle vanished—making it one of the many concept cars that were lost to history, but not erased from common memory.

During the 1910s and 1920s, not many women had as strong a reputation among the artist elite as Isadora Duncan. The famous dancer and choreographer had set new milestones for feminism and made a huge change in the way that modern dance was perceived.

Like James Dean, Isadora Duncan died in a car accident while she was still young. According to the legend, she was wearing a very long scarf around her neck when the wheel of her car caught on it. As the legend goes, her neck instantly snapped, right as she sat next to her lover.

Here's where things get dicey. No one knows what car she was in when she died. So, no one knows where that historic car would be. She was a fan of prestigious cars, so it could have been any of a number of cars.

Considering her reputation in the world of dance, it's safe to say it's a historically signficant car. The two most common cars cited as her own are a Bugatti, and an Amilcar. Even so, both are cars that were lost to history long, long ago.

Duesenberg is one of the many car brands we wish would come back into existence, and it was known for making some of the most beautiful cars ever made. The 1934 Duesenberg SJ-506 was very likely the crown jewel of the Duesenberg family.

This was one of 36 SJ cars made that year, and was considered to be one of the holy grails of car collections. The owner kept the Duesenberg until he fled his home country of France in 1961. No one knows where the car ended up.

It's rumored that the Duesenberg SJ-506 might be buried in dirt or taken apart. However, if it's intact, it's one of the most theoretically expensive cars in the world.

The Bettencourt-Zupan 1949 Mercury is considered to be the first heavily modified car in history, and when it first debuted, it was a smash hit. The car's beautiful sloped body was nicknamed "the Lead Sled" by car enthusiasts.

In the 1950s, this heavily modified Mercury made the covers of multiple magazines. When the original owner died, the car was sold to Jim Jeffries. By 1960, the car was deemed to be outdated and disappeared from sight.

Rumor has it that this car is still around. However, until the current owner speaks up, it'll remain one of the many trailblazing cars that were lost to history and automotive magazines.

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About the Creator

Ossiana Tepfenhart

Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer based out of New Jersey. This is her work account. She loves gifts and tips, so if you like something, tip her!

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