How a failed concept car birthed a revolutionary automotive design

Design · Published 4 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1986, a designer created a concept sedan that never made it to production. Instead, its radical proportions were sold to a struggling Italian sports car brand, sparking a design revolution that would eventually redefine the American sedan and create the Dodge Intrepid.

The lineage of the Dodge Intrepid traces back to a 1986 exterior design for a concept sedan named Navajo. While the Navajo never moved past the clay model stage, its revolutionary proportions were reworked to create the Lamborghini Portofino, a concept debuted at the 1987 Frankfurt Auto Show. This design was hailed as a triumph, leading Chrysler to adopt a production strategy centered on the 'cab forward' philosophy.

The 'cab forward' architecture was defined by a long, low-slung windshield and relatively short overhangs. By pushing the wheels to the corners of the vehicle, engineers were able to create a significantly larger passenger cabin than its contemporaries. This design language eventually underpinned the LH platform, which debuted in 1993 with the Dodge Intrepid, the Chrysler Concorde, and the Eagle Vision. The Intrepid replaced the Dodge Monaco as the brand's largest passenger car.

The development of the Intrepid was also a product of corporate restructuring. Following Chrysler's 1987 acquisition of American Motors Corporation (AMC), François Castaing implemented 'simultaneous engineering' and cross-functional teams to foster an atmosphere of constant change. This new methodology, combined with the LH platform's flexible architecture, allowed the Intrepid to support both front and rear-wheel drive configurations while sharing components with models like the Chrysler 300M and the Eagle Vision.

While the design was a success, the Intrepid's lifecycle was marked by shifts in manufacturing and branding. It was built at the Brampton Assembly facility in Ontario, Canada, and in Newark, Delaware. Despite its critical acclaim—appearing on Car and Driver's Ten Best list in 1993 and 1994—the model eventually saw a decline in popularity as its once-revolutionary cab-forward design became a ubiquitous industry standard by 2004.

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