While they appeared in concept form at one point in time, these drop-tops never made it to production. There are plenty of convertibles that should never have been allowed to make it onto the road, chief amongst them being the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. But what about the cabriolets that were nixed before seeing the light of day? As you�ll discover from the list, carmakers on both sides of the pond have toyed with convertibles, introducing them in concept guise before wimping out of putting them in production, or in some cases keeping them hidden away for years. Here are five of our favorites. more at CarBuzz: CLS550 Rides on K3 Projekt WheelsDefender Wide Track by KahnChevy Starts Work on New Captiva In 1989, BMW engineers developed an E34 M5 convertible with two lengthened front doors that seated four. The drop-top M5 was very close to production right down to its price tag, but just a week before its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, BMW killed it off. The top brass at the Bavarian carmaker were scared the car would have led to demand for 5 Series convertibles, which, in turn, would have adversely affected sales of the drop-top 3er. In 2010, BMW revealed the prototype as part of the M5�s 25th anniversary celebrations, having kept it under lock and key for the best part of 20 years.
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�under debate, with both Ford and Toyota claiming the crown with their mass-market compact cars. The other day Ford announced that its Focus was the top-selling car in the world. That's quite a claim, but didn't come from nowhere: it was ostensibly backed up by the analysts at Polk, which reported that the 1.02 million Focus models sold last year make it more prolific than anything else on the road. Toyota, however, begs to differ. The Japanese giant says it sold 1.16 million Corollas last year, which would make it more popular among customers than the Ford Focus. 
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The tuner�s latest set of alloys are looking sharp on this CLS that also features an AMG body kit. Tuning specialist K3 Projekt has revealed its latest creation based on a 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS550. Before adding a set of its alloys, the aftermarket firm set about lowering the four-door coupe with a Renntech lowered suspension before improving the styling with an AMG aero package. The wheels are a set of 20-inch K3 Projekt F2 wheels finished in matte black and gunmetal grey, which add a new dimension of style and aggression to the CLS550. 
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A. Kahn Design�s Chelsea Truck Company has released a new aftermarket program for the Land Rover Defender. Under its new expedition vehicles umbrella, the �Chelsea Truck Company,� A. Kahn Design has revealed its latest aftermarket program dubbed the Military Grey Land Rover Defender XS90 Chelsea Wide Track.The Kahn Military Defender comes with a range of exterior enhancements, including a wide track arch kit made up of front and rear wide wings with integrated vents and bolt apertures, a new front grille, hood vents with mesh, side vents with mesh, a satin black roof and extended wheel arches, liquid red brake calipers, and undercar Kahn logo projection floor light. 
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Spy shots of a chopped up Orlando reveals Chevy is working on the next-generation Captiva/Opel Antara. While these spy shots seem to show nothing more than a chopped up Chevy Orlando, looks can be deceiving. What we have here, in fact, is the new platform of the next-gen Captiva, better known in Europe as the Opel Antara, being tested within the minivan. Said to be based on a new platform called D2XX, the new compact crossover is being readied for a 2015 release. The same D2XX platform will also underpin the new Chevrolet Cruze, which is due out in 2014. 
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Rumors from parent company BMW's home country suggest a handful of new Rolls-Royces are on the drawing board. Rumors abound of a Rolls-Royce product expansion. The auto marque whose lineup previously centered exclusively around the Phantom has since expanded to include the Ghost and the Wraith coupe based upon it, but rumors persist that the Goodwood marque is planning a few more. Two months ago we brought you a report that Rolls was planning a new V16 roadster to serve as a halo model and stick it to rivals Bentley and Bugatti, but now there are further reports of new Rolls-Royces under consideration. 
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Competition winners in Budapest were treated to time in the passenger seat next to the drift king. The original Hoonigan Ken Block was recently seen in Hungry working his magic with a beaten-up 1991 Ford Sierra wagon. Having done the business with that, the drift champion was then invited to the capital Budapest, which was holding its annual AMTS tuning show, in order to take some contest winners for a spin in a Fiesta ST. After getting first-hand experience with the Gymkhana legend, the fans were able to test their skills on a special track fashioned on Europe�s largest ice skating rink (but without the ice). 
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An understated aftermarket program transforms the luxury EV into a more attractive proposition. Fisker has been in the news for all the wrong reasons of late. Funding disputes with the government, recalls for the Karma, hundreds of models lost in Hurricane Sandy and the cancelation of its second model, the Atlantic. On top of that the company�s founder, Henrik Fisker, quit last month after disagreeing with management about how the business was being run. So it makes for a pleasant change to see the Karma in better light, with a rare makeover for the electric car coming from Orlando-based tuner Ultimate Auto. 
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The Lotus Eclat was a rare model and had unusual styling even when it debuted back in 1974. The situation at Lotus�s Hethel, UK, headquarters is hopefully a lot healthier than it was a year ago, and every night we say a little prayer that something can be worked out to save what is perhaps one of greatest sports car makers ever. Names such as Esprit, Elan and Elite are perhaps the marque's most famous but there were other lesser known models like the Eclat that were just as impressive. Made from 1974 until 1982, the Eclat was a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive coupe with a fastback body style. 
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Latest spy shots of the facelifted BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo reveal more skin. BMW plans to roll out facelifted 5 Series models in the summer, with this, the 5er GT amongst them. These latest spy shots show the Gran Turismo wearing practically no camo, save for a splash of black-and-white at the front, which is where most of the upgrades are being made. BMW is apparently giving the GT a new front fasica and headlights, while only make minor changes to the rear. Engine changes to the 5 Series will include the 535i's N55 unit replaced by a new turbo inline-six. 
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Lamborghini design study revives the wedge-shaped supercar for the 21st century. While studying at the prestigious Milan-based Scuola Politecnica di Design (SPD), Mohammad Hossein Amini Yekta worked on a project in collaboration with Lamborghini that aimed to combine the brand�s values with essential lines. The result is the Ganador, whose primary design feature is the division between the upper and lower sections. Using a straight, sloped line that encircles the supercar, the wedge-shaped silhouette is highlighted, while the side windows appear to reflect in the lower air intake. 
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The Monte Carlo reached its peak in the mid-Eighties with the V8-powered Super Sports model. It was all downhill from there. The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is one of the more recognizable nameplates the brand has made. True, it�s not quite up there with greats such as the Corvette, Camaro, Impala and even the Malibu, but the Monte Carlo has a nice history all of its own, including its days participating in NASCAR. The Monte Carlo first debuted in 1970 and was powered by a series of V8s, as was common for that era. And almost from the get-go, the car was a sales success. 
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The war-torn Afghan capital has held in its first-ever "exotic" car meet. We�ve seen a flurry of car meets in the Middle East including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Iran. And it�s the latter�s South Asian neighbor that has gotten in on the act with Afghanistan hosting its first ever Cars & Coffee event in the capital city, Kabul. The Islamic country has been at war since 2001, so it was nice to see the locals enjoy a distraction from the ongoing conflict by checking out a smattering of exotic metal. With Osama out of the equation and an exit strategy from the war-torn nation in place, the next time the car club meets up we can only hope for some finer metal to display. 
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Could the success of the revived Three-Wheeler prompt Morgan to take things even further with a motorized monowheel? We take it as a given that a car has four wheels. But some automakers are out to challenge that assumption. Morgan is one of them, having recently revived its classic Three-Wheeler to the critical acclaim of Anglophiles and enthusiasts the world over. But while the Three-Wheeler joins Morgan�s range of conventional four-wheeled coupes and convertibles, rumors circulating the British motoring press indicate that Morgan could be looking at dropping another wheel or two to recreate the classic One-Wheeler. 
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In order to save the company, Fisker is reportedly set to develop a new V12 to power the Karma with the help of Chinese investors. Henrik Fisker left many industry insiders scratching their heads when he recently left the company he founded. He claimed to have had differences of opinion with the board of directors in regards to the future of the company, but now some new details have come to light. Fisker�s financial and production problems over the past year are widely known, including the bankruptcy of its battery supplier A123 Systems and the destruction Hurricane Sandy inflicted upon 300 Karmas in Port Newark, New Jersey, estimated at around $30 million. 
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Following the success of the revived Mini and Fiat 500, Ford is reportedly digging even deeper into its history for a new low-cost retro model. One hundred and five years after Henry Ford first introduced the Model T, the model to put America on wheels, Tin Lizzy is set to make a dramatic comeback. The history books have recognized the Model T�s influence on human history, by electing it as the Car of the Century. However the car�s impact on society was more a result of its mass-production technique than its design and style. Let�s face it; the Model T was an ugly hunk of junk with its beaten-down body panels and unsophisticated instruments. 
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The Japanese carmaker is plotting a dramatic return to the US with a high-powered muscle car. At the end of last year American Suzuki Motor Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, announcing that it was set to end all sales of its cars and trucks once the current dealership lots were cleared. However news is emerging from the Far East that the Japanese carmaker, which still enjoys solid sales in Asia and other markets, is preparing a fresh US offensive with a high-performing muscle car. It will boast a low and wide stance and styling similar to the Kizashi sedan but pushed to the limits for a more aggressive design. 
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In order attract more US buyers to the next-gen Smart ForTwo, AMG is stepping up to the plate with some major performance upgrades. The next-generation Smart car is just around the corner but in markets outside of Europe, sales of the outgoing model haven�t met expectations. From the spy shots we've seen and some concepts revealed by the automaker, it�s clear the new model will have a much more stylized design in an attempt to win over previously uninterested buyers. Smart isn�t willing to take any chances this time around with design alone so it�s reportedly bringing in some additional help from parent company Mercedes-Benz�s AMG performance division. 
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Reports indicate that BMW could be shutting down its famous M division in order to focus its attention on the i brand of electric vehicles and hybrids. BMW has its core range of luxury automobiles, and it has two satellite subsidiaries, Rolls-Royce and Mini. But in between those two levels, the Bavarian industrial giant�s corporate structure also has two sub-brands: M and i. The M division, as we know, turns �ordinary� Bimmers into exciting performance-oriented models like the M3, M5 and X6 M. The i brand, however, is a newer development, focusing on BMW�s new range of electric vehicles to include the i3 hatchback and i8 sportscar. 
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