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From a battered metallic 'electric egg' to an angular rocket, these are how the world's top designers once thought the cars of the future would look.

An exhibition has brought together 19 concept cars over the ages, and while some may resemble what we have today, others are out of this world.

With names like Cyclone and Thunderbolt, the designs were almost never destined for sale. Instead they were a way for fiercely competitive car firms to flex their muscle and put a stamp on history.

Electric Egg: French artist Paul Arzen built his three-wheeled L'OEuf électrique in 1942 to help him get around the streets of Paris during the war, and in many ways it was a precursor to the Smart cars of today

People-carrier: Fewer than 10 1936 Stout Scarabs were hand-produced by the U.S. Stout Motor Car Company, which wanted 'a virtual living room on wheels'. It was based on the scarab beetle and could seat seven

Made to order: Edsel Ford commissioned the Model 40 Special Speedster himself in 1934 because he wanted a sleek car like those he had seen in Europe. Many features were considered radical but appeared in later Fords

Sleek: French aeronautical pioneer Gabriel Voisin unveiled his C-25 Aérodyne at a 1934 show in Paris as a statement of modernist luxury. He had to adopt new techniques as the French car industry declined after 1929

And they introduced revolutionary ideas which would go into mainstream production decades later, such as heated seats, proximity sensors and rear view cameras.

The concept cars have been collected from across Europe and the U.S. for a new exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia.

They were all built as fully-functioning cars - but many have not been driven for several years.

Included in the exhibit are the 1942 L'Oeuf électrique (Electric Egg), created by French engineer Paul Arzens for his personal use in the streets of Paris during the Second World War.

And the designs resurged after the war ended, with General Motors producing the rocket-shaped Firebird XP-21 in 1953 which had hints of the space race that was to come.

Taking influence from a real jet, the car even ran on a gas turbine - which proved far too expensive to enter commercial production.

Legend: Bugatti now make some of the world's fastest cars, and the Aerolithe was made by Jean Bugatti himself in 1935. Its rounded look was a departure from the boxy style of the day. Pictured is a 2007 recreation

Speedy: Only five 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolts were built but they were touted as 'The Car of the Future,' built to educate the public about aerodynamics and streamlining. They foretold many later designs in the 1950s

Chunky: The 1948 Tasco (The American Sports Car Company) included mobile fiberglass front fenders which turned with the wheels. The T-top roof design with removable panels influenced the 1968 Corvette

Pet project: American engineer Norman Timbs created the 1947 Special for his personal use. It was touted as a 'little workbench project' but took Timbs more than two and a half years to build and cost him $10,000

Experimental and concept cars surged in popularity in the 1930s, after the automobile turned from  simply a modern mode of transport into a statement of style and independence.

They became known as 'dream cars' in the 1950s, and allowed engineers the freedom to invent new technology which would find a practical outlet in cars produced decades later.

Hundreds were produced by designers as diverse as European artists and American car giants.

The designs in the exhibition, which date from 1932 to the present day, chronicle battles to conquer fashion trends which either seem outdated, have since resurged or both.

One such contest was for the 'ultimate wedge', won in the minds of some by Italian firm Carrozzeria Bertone's Stratos HF Zero in 1970 - rising just 33 inches off the road.

Bizarrely enough, the bright orange triangular profile of the car resembles many of the European supercars of today.

Razor-sharp: General Motors' Le Sabre XP-8 (1951) was its first post-war concept car made of exotic sheet and honeycomb aluminum, several large magnesium castings, and fiberglass. It even had heated seats

Screen star: Hugely ahead of its time, the Buick Centurion XP-301 (1956) had no rear view mirror - replaced by a rear-mounted camera with a wide-angle lens and 4x6-inch view screen embedded in the dashboard

Space race: Influenced by the Skyray jet, General Motors' 1953 Firebird XP-21 was the first gas turbine-powered car in the U.S. and described as a 'jet fighter on four wheels'. It proved too costly for mass production

Storm: The 1959 Cadillac Cyclone XP-74 had a soaring bubble canopy, sweeping fenders and dramatic fins - all cues from jet aircraft. Its proximity-sensing radar was a forerunner to beeping sensors found in modern cars

Streamlined: The 1955 Chrysler Ghia was designed by Italian Giovanni Savonuzzi who began a battle of the wedge, nicknaming his car Gilda after Rita Hayworth's sleek title character in the film noir of the same name

The exhibition opens on May 22 and lasts until September 7.

It explores the designs through five themes: individual makers, the impact of styling, visionary designers, the design process, and the influence of automobile fairs.

As well as the actual cars, the exhibition includes conceptual drawings, patents and scale models.

Museum director Michael Shapiro said: 'Our previous exhibition was tremendously successful in bringing new audiences to the museum.

'With Dream Cars, we continue our commitment to showcasing the importance of design and encouraging future innovation.'

Back to the future: Concept cars took a leap in 1970 with the Ferrari Pininfarina 512 S Modulo, which was just 37 inches high. It had sliding doors and bowling ball-inspired orbs on the console in line with the wheels

King of the wedge: The 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero debuted months after the Ferrari and was four inches squatter. The seats are between the front wheels and the only way inside is by raising the perspex windshield

Leap forward: The exhibition includes modern concepts such as this 2001 BMW GINA (the N means Infinity), which has tensile fabric stretched over a moveable body frame of aluminum and flexible carbon fiber

Modern: The most recent concept car is the 2010 Porsche 918 Spyder, the first to address its own environmental impact. Unlike most of in the exhibition, the car has recently come on the market - for $850,000