Showa OK!: Toyota Concept Cars (1957-89)

Though Toyota Motor Corporation (トヨタ自動車株式会社, Toyota Jidōsha Kabushiki Gaisha) has usually remained at the top of car sales in both Japan and the U.S., sales have slumped for the auto manufacturing giant. In early 2009, after Wall Street closed out its worst year since the Great Depression, Toyota announced its first annual loss since the company's founding in 1937. To make matters worse, as of late Toyota has been embroiled in a scandal involving the recent recall of over ten different models, tarnishing its polished consumer image. But enough of the world's financial woes for now (I have plenty of time to gripe elsewhere).

After stumbling across a treasure trove of images hosted by the good people at Carstyling.ru, we'd like to showcase some of the more interesting designs of Toyota concept cars over the decades. While most were never slated for mass production, a handful of designs eventually made their way to the assembly line. Mite ne!