By Jonathan Mellberg
I still remember the January 1998 cover of Motor Trend magazine which featured the very impressive, very loud (looking), and aptly named Pontiac Rageous concept car. No, I’m not Rain man; my memory isn’t that good. I remember the magazine cover, but Google helped me with the month and year; I still have the issue, buried somewhere in my basement, with scores of old car magazines. I remember this car, not only because of its out-Rageous styling (get it?), but because of its unique ensemble of worthwhile attributes. The Rageous was a four-door wagon with a hatchback and a tailgate. It sported a radical design with the muscle to match, in the form of a 315hp V8, paired with a 6 speed manual transmission. It had a Corvette rear suspension, suicide doors, four bucket seats, and a fully folding rear row; you know, it case you wanna drag-race a BMW M5 on the way home from Home Depot with your trunk literally stacked with sheetrock. The car was never made it past the concept stage (other than in Hot Wheels form, of which I own an example). It was never meant to. I love this car because they dreamt it; I hate it because they never built it.
1997 Pontiac Rageous Concept
Why was the Pontiac Rageous so cool? To me, it was the blend of functionality, power, and style. Sure, there were plenty of Trans Am Firebirds out there; and yes, technically they had a back seat. But the Rageous was every bit as cool as the Firebird, surely just as fast, clearly more radical, wholly more functional, and dare I speculate, family friendly? To me (at age 14), it was obvious. They should have built that bitchin’ car.
1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
The Rageous was not alone. So many great concepts have marched their way straight from the auto show floors to the abyss of the forgotten. As a younger person, this frequently frustrated me. "Why aren’t they building this?!” I’d ask myself. I didn’t realize (and sometimes I still don’t) that rarely is a concept car really made for production. Most of the time, these unique autos are crafted to test the waters, to see how the people will take to a new design influence. If a concept is successful and the feedback positive, design cues often trickle down into future cars; cars that typically are nowhere near as visionary as the original. That’s the trick; you wow them with high art in the concept, and the end result (the production model) is usually around 60% as special, if you’re lucky. That’s how it goes.
(from my Hot Wheels collection)
Until recently I hadn’t given much thought to the ol’ Rageous. That is, until I saw another super-cool, super-sexy, better-than-the-coupe-on-which-it's-based supercar in concept guise: the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge concept. While I detest any name I can’t easily pronounce, the rest of the beastly Eau Rouge gets two enthusiastic thumbs up. And what’s not to love? The Eau Rouge packs the unstoppable might of the Nissan GT-R’s twin-turbo V6 (now making 560hp in the Eau Rouge) and is paired with an Infiniti 7 speed automated gearbox and all-wheel drive. That means the Eau Rouge can stomp around town flexing all that muscle and thoroughly whip 95% of all other autos on the road (including many sports cars and probably a few supercars, too) without breaking a sweat. The Eau Rouge has a mean looking snout, features hood scoops not unlike the GT-R, displays full carbon fiber aero treatments ‘round the whole bottom of the car (plus a carbon fiber roof panel), and even sports a F1-style third brake light.
2014 Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept
But the best part about the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge is that, unlike the Rageous, Infiniti brass is actually considering this concept for production. The concept itself is fully functional, and a few prototypes are actually roaming the streets today. If built, word is that Infiniti will charge around $100K for each, and production will be limited to increase exclusivity. The truth? As amazing as the car is, it would never take a big enough bite out of BMW M cars or Mercedes AMG cars that would make the Eau Rouge viable enough for a non-limited production. But so what? Build it! Build 1000 examples, build 300; build 10 for all I care. If at least one Q50 Eau Rouge would be produced, that means there’s a chance (a sliver of a chance) I’d get to see it one day. Which is more than I could ever say of the Pontiac Rageous.
2014 Nissan GT-R
-Thank you for reading The Wheelspin Journal-
photo by the author
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