THE 1970 PORSCHE TAPIRO ' A CONCEPT CAR WITH A VIOLENT DEATH!

You've probably never heard of the mid-engine 1970 Porsche Tapiro concept – and it's probably because the concept car quickly met a violent death!

The concept car was a one-off Volkswagen/Porsche exercise design by Giorgetto Giugiaro that was built on a 914-6 chassis for the Turin Motor Show in 1970.

The concept design was clearly a departure from what typical Porsches looked like at the time. It resembled a lot of wedge-shaped, sharp-edged sports cars that came after it. Behind the driver was a modified 2.4-liter H6 engine that claimed to make 220 hp at 7,800 rpm. 

Obviously, this "supercar" had rear-wheel drive. However, what happened after it was revealed in Turin and the Los Angelas Imported Automobile and Sports Car Show in 1971 is where things get a bit uneasy...

A Spanish industrialist bought the car shortly after the LA show and used it as his daily drive for a while. However, after that, the accounts begin to diverge. 

One rumour described the car as being the victim of a terrorist attack. Protesters against the owner's labour policies blew the car up with a bomb! Another source said the car was in a terrible accident and burned to a crisp after that. 

We won't be sure how it actually happened, but there's no doubt that the Tapiro faced a pretty cruel and violent end. It still hasn't been restored. In fact, it sits in its burned state inside the Italdesign Museum to this day.