Fail of the Century #48: the Honda Unibox Concept

Sure, 2001's Unibox concept resembled a Meccano project assembled in the dark. Sure, it looked like it could be dismantled by a car crim wielding nothing more than a 5mm hex key. But that didn’t make it a fail. Self-assembly chic, very in right now.

Nor was the Unibox a fail because it failed to spawn a production car. In FOTC’s opinion, any concept that morphs into a recognisably similar production car was too damn dull to be classified as a concept in the first place.

Its woeful aerodynamic profile? Also not an issue. FOTC has had quite enough of air getting its own way, and it’s high time someone stood up to it.

No, the reason for the Unibox’s #epicfail status was... those transparent lower body panels. Great for bringing light into the Unibox’s cuboid cabin, but also great for giving passersby, and fellow motorists, an untrammelled view of its occupants’ nether regions. As a society, we’re just not ready for that level of sharing.

One of the very joys of driving is having one’s downstairs area tucked safely from public view, leaving one free to rearrange undergarments that require rearrangement, to loosen one’s belt, to commute wearing pyjama trousers should one damn well please. Some corners of life must remain private and sacred, including one’s own Ginsters-strewn thighs.