While modern car interiors focus on style and usability, concept cars follow a different path. Designed for auto shows and exhibitions, these vehicles often feature bold, unconventional interiors that prioritize creativity over practicality.
The 1980s, in particular, saw a surge of experimental designs as computers made their way into cars, sometimes leading to chaotic and impractical layouts.
Unlike production models, concept cars allowed manufacturers to explore radical ideas without limitations. In this countdown, we revisit 10 of the weirdest concept car interiors ever created—some futuristic, some bizarre, but all undeniably unique. Sit back and enjoy the ride!
10. Volkswagen Orbit (1986)
The 1986 Volkswagen Orbit Concept stands out for its incredibly complex digital gauge cluster, making it one of the most unique German cars on this list. Unlike traditional dashboards, the Orbit’s cluster is mounted separately above the main dashboard, which only houses air vents.
Its futuristic design features an array of digital displays and indicators, setting it apart from anything seen at the time.
On the left side, the digital gauges display essential information such as time, trip time, temperature, and fuel levels—common today but revolutionary in the 1980s. Above these, a car diagram alerts the driver to open doors and technical issues.
The highlight, however, is behind the steering wheel: neon yellow digital beams track speed (in both MPH and km/h), RPMs, cooling water temperature, and fuel levels. The steering wheel itself features three buttons labeled “temp,” “trip,” and “reset” for the “Compotrip” system, adding another layer of complexity to the design.
Beyond the gauge cluster, the dashboard features a range of digital and touch-sensitive controls. The climate system operates via touch buttons, while another car diagram manages the “Electronic Modulated Hydropneumatic Suspension.”
The “Infovision Processor” handles the satellite navigation and TV functions, and on the far right, a massive CD player sits above a radio unit with 20 touch-sensitive buttons. Compared to today’s minimalist Volkswagen interiors, the Orbit Concept’s dashboard was an overwhelming display of 1980s technology and innovation.
9. Pontiac Pursuit (1987)
The Pontiac Pursuit, a GM concept car released a year before the Banshee IV, featured an even wilder interior. It looked like it was sculpted from a solid block of GM plastic and was packed with an overwhelming number of buttons—29 on the steering wheel alone.
The steering wheel itself resembled something out of a fighter jet, complete with additional buttons for the wipers and lights, color-coded in orange on the left and blue on the right. Sitting above it was a digital gauge cluster, showcasing the flashy computer graphics typical of 1980s concept cars.
Beyond the high-tech steering wheel, the rest of the interior felt strangely empty. The oversized center console lacked buttons, except for a small, oddly protruding control panel behind the gear stick.
The seats, with their bold and unconventional design, looked as if they had been borrowed from the same fighter jet as the steering wheel. The Pursuit’s interior was a bizarre mix of high-tech overload in some areas and unexplained minimalism in others, making it one of the most unusual concept car interiors of its time.
8. Lancia Orca (1982)
The 1982 Lancia Orca Concept was an aerodynamic sedan that looked ahead of its time on the outside but featured a chaotic and overwhelming interior. The steering wheel alone was packed with buttons controlling the lights, turn signals, air conditioning, and wipers—each in different shapes and colors.
The digital gauge cluster was even more confusing, with glowing bars for speed and RPMs, accompanied by traditional digital readouts displaying the same information. Surrounding these were various warning lights and a diagram indicating which doors were open, adding to the cluttered design.
The dashboard continued this complexity with a gear indicator diagram on the left and four more mysterious diagrams on the right, whose functions remain unclear. A Sony radio unit sat beside the gauge cluster, hinting that some of these displays might be related to audio functions.
On the opposite side, another control unit featured a built-in display, though its purpose is uncertain. With its overwhelming array of buttons, diagrams, and flashing lights, the Orca’s interior stands out as one of the most impractical and visually chaotic designs in automotive history.
7. Renault Ondelios (2008)
The 2008 Renault Ondelios, a French SUV concept, featured an extremely unconventional design both inside and out. Its futuristic gauge cluster extended behind the oddly shaped steering wheel and was made of transparent material—seemingly just for the sake of being different.
The dashboard, wrapped in leather, had a gap on the right side from which a glass panel emerged to display additional information. Adding to the futuristic feel, a projector in the headliner beamed navigation instructions onto the oversized dashboard, while a curved screen at the far end provided even more data.
However, the most bizarre feature of the Ondelios was its built-in keyboard. Integrated directly into the leather dashboard, this keyboard was used to control essential vehicle functions.
While it certainly added to the car’s futuristic aesthetic, it would have been highly impractical for everyday use. With its strange mix of high-tech displays, unconventional materials, and an impractical control system, the Ondelios remains one of the most eccentric concept car interiors ever created.
6. Lancia Medusa (1980)
The older Lancia concept sedan featured an even more chaotic interior than its successor. Its steering wheel was cluttered with 25 buttons of varying sizes and heights, creating an uneven and visually overwhelming design.
Adding to the oddity, all the buttons were wrapped in carbon fiber, a material that felt out of place in this vehicle. These controls managed functions such as the wipers, lights, hazard signals, air conditioning, and even a digital clock positioned at the top of the wheel.
Behind it sat a gauge cluster that, while simpler than the Orca’s, still relied on an excessive number of LED indicators instead of a traditional computer screen.
One quirky detail about this car was its keyhole, which, like in a Porsche, was positioned on the left side. This small touch contrasted with the futuristic interior and added to the vehicle’s strange mix of innovation and outdated elements.
Despite its attempt to push the boundaries of automotive design, the interior ended up being an impractical and visually chaotic experiment.
5. Lancia Sibilo (1978)
The Lancia Sibilo Concept, created by Bertone and based on the production Stratos, featured an exterior that was visually striking, but its interior left much to be desired.
The design was comprised of brown plastic, purple leather, and light brown carpet, giving it a toy-like appearance with minimal detailing. Unlike other concept cars that flaunted complex and futuristic interiors, the Sibilo’s cabin lacked sophistication and innovation.
The steering wheel was especially odd, having no spokes or cutouts, just a simple round shape with three buttons for the warning lights and a speaker. The instruments were placed high up on the dashboard to minimize driver distraction, but this practical approach did little to improve the overall aesthetic.
Despite its technical reasoning, the interior’s lack of refinement and bizarre choices led to it being considered one of the least impressive interiors of its time, earning it a spot on this list.
4. Lancia Stratos Zero (1970)
The final Lancia on this list, and the oldest car featured, is a true standout in design, created nearly 50 years ago by Marcello Gandini, head designer at Bertone.
Even today, the vehicle looks remarkably futuristic, showcasing just how ahead of its time it was in 1970. Not only was the exterior revolutionary, but its interior was equally innovative, setting the stage for future automotive trends.
One of the standout features of this concept was its huge vertical instrument panel, which predates Tesla’s similar designs by decades.
The steering wheel featured a large circular middle part for crash protection, while the seats were almost horizontal, and entry was gained by lifting the windscreen due to the car’s incredibly low height of just 33 inches—there was no room for doors.
Despite its groundbreaking design, the prototype was powered by a modest 115-hp Lancia V4 engine. After being restored in 2000, the concept was sold in 2011 for a remarkable $915,000.
3. Mercedes-Benz F200 “Imagination” (1996)
The Mercedes F200 Imagination is one of the most innovative concept cars from the Mercedes F-Series, with an interior that challenges traditional car design.
Notably, it has no steering wheel or pedals, which might make you wonder if it’s an autonomous vehicle. However, the car is controlled using joysticks mounted on the center console and doors, offering a completely new driving experience.
Without a steering wheel, the dashboard could accommodate large displays, including standard gauges for speed and RPMs. It also featured rear-view cameras, a satnav, and traffic sign recognition.
Despite its advanced features, the car had a curious flaw: the display showed a top speed of 80 km/h, but the car’s speed was listed as 120 km/h—an ironic error, especially given that the car was stationary on a stage.
Below the display, the chrome control panel for various functions was shaped like a sphere, making it one of the most impractical center consoles ever designed.
2. Oldsmobile Incas (1986)
The 1986 Olds Incas, an aerodynamic sedan with gullwing doors, is the final American car on this list and features an interior that strongly resembles the futuristic technology seen in Knight Rider’s K.I.T.T.
The steering wheel, more fighter-jet inspired than the one in the Pontiac Pursuit, is covered in around 40 buttons, each serving multiple functions like controlling the gearbox, radio, cruise control, lights, and wipers—essentially handling every aspect of the car’s operation.
Remarkably, there are no other buttons in the interior, making the steering wheel the central control hub.
The dashboard of the Olds Incas is dominated by large, spaceship-like screens that display a multitude of information.
Rather than traditional dials and controls, these screens present an overwhelming array of data, and it’s nearly impossible to decipher all of them without closer inspection. With its bizarre and tech-heavy interior, the Olds Incas rightfully earns a spot on this list of the most unconventional car interiors.
1. Maserati Boomerang (1972)
The Maserati Boomerang, a 1970s Italian supercar designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, takes the top spot on this list due to its incredibly futuristic yet chaotic interior. While the exterior of the car still looks ahead of its time, the interior is a whole different story.
The steering wheel and gauge cluster are part of a single console that emerges from the dashboard, with the steering wheel rotating around the stationary gauges. This design houses six gauges, three switches, and two levers, making it a highly unconventional and cluttered setup.
The Boomerang’s gauge cluster doesn’t feature a speedometer, instead only displaying the RPMs, fuel, oil pressure, water temperature, and battery levels.
The center console is filled with unlabeled buttons and dials, along with the keyhole and transmission lever, though these are secondary to the chaotic setup of the gauges and steering wheel.
This highly experimental and impractical design rightfully claims the top spot for the craziest concept car interior, earning it a well-deserved first place on the list.
The post concludes with a nod to the effort put into researching and compiling the images and information about these concept cars, acknowledging the time spent to create the content.
While the post could have expanded to include more strange concept car interiors, the writer reflects on the difficulty of covering every example, noting the post’s already extensive length.
The final call is made to the readers, asking for their opinions on which car they thought had the craziest interior and whether any notable examples were overlooked.
As we conclude our exploration of some of the most bizarre and unconventional concept car interiors, it’s evident that automotive design has always embraced creativity without boundaries.
These vehicles, though many never reaching production, stand as bold experiments that pushed the limits of what car interiors could look like. From the Volkswagen Orbit’s complex digital displays to the Maserati Boomerang’s chaotic steering console, each car offers a vision of a future that was ahead of its time.
These interiors, while impractical, highlight the inventive minds of designers who were unafraid to challenge traditional norms and explore new, sometimes outlandish ideas.
Looking back at these concept cars, it’s intriguing to see how much the automotive world has evolved in terms of interior design. Today, the focus is on functionality, simplicity, and user-friendly technology, but these outlandish designs show the importance of bold thinking in shaping the future of car interiors.
Whether it’s the button-heavy Lancia Medusa or the groundbreaking Mercedes F200 Imagination, these vehicles remind us of the balance that must exist between creative innovation and everyday usability.
So, which one stood out to you the most? Were there any other concept car interiors that you think should have made the list? Let us know your thoughts, and thanks for joining us on this look back at automotive history!
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