Frank Stephenson has created a new mini-series in his YouTube channel detailing the concept vehicles that changed the automotive industry. In the pilot episode, the world-famous car designer discussed three major concept cars from the past: the Alfa Romeo BAT, the Ford Probe 3, and the BMW 02 Reminiscence.

The first concept car Stephenson talks about is the Alfa Romeo BAT (Berlina Aerodinamica Technica). Developed by Italian design house and coachbuilder Bertone for Alfa Romeo, the BAT was a series of three concept cars: The BAT 5, BAT 7, and BAT 9. All three concepts came with forwarding pontoon fenders, a flat roof that sweeps down into a central fin in the rear section, and a pair of curved fins that extend all the way to the rear fenders and curve inwards.

Stephenson also talks about the Ford Probe 3 that was introduced in 1981. Aerodynamic principles that are still modern today were used in the Probe 3. Ford made the front bumper part of the car’s overall design instead of it being just an attached part of the car. The Probe 3 also featured flushed mounted headlamps and window glass that were pushed out into the body, making it look like the windows were one with the concept’s body.

The third and last vehicle Stephenson talks about is the BMW 02 Reminiscence, a concept car based on the BMW 1602 Elektro-Antrieb that was used as a VIP car in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. It was also BMW’s first electric car. The 02 Reminiscence was only released in 2020, and a big part of its draw to Stephenson was how the car’s design managed to combine past styling cues from the 1602 with current designs and technologies.