After scathing critiques of Audi’s Prologue concept for LA 2014 and a few other recent machines, we want to balance things out. An equal-opportunity offender here!

But the Prologue is just a major disappointment. It is not something that makes you want to gouge your eyes out with a red-hot iron spike.

When thinking of other truly fug-nasty concept cars, the F700 leaps to mind instantly. What were they thinking?

The low-nose and cab-forward style as a future S-Class-plus limo is hard enough to swallow, but then we have gobsmacking bug-eye lamps, a deeply plunging windowline into the front doors, and a rear end only a mother could love. The overall result is enough to make you shudder. What a relief that very few of these ideas for a future eco-limo have materialized since then!

The one piece of the design we do like and see applications for are the tear-drop skylights in the roof, which lighten the rear cabin elegantly.

Only the BMW i3 has taken the mantle of forcefully, violently unattractive eco cars from the F700.

2008 Mercedes-Benz F700