Wednesday One-Off: Innotech Mysterro

Ever since there have been motor shows, there have been concept cars to fill them; extravagant and futuristic, and often no closer to public release than the long-awaited flying car. But the industry needs its dreamers, even if in the end we are left with the one-off reminder of what could have been.

One such car is the Innotech Mysterro, the flamboyant brainchild of Václav Král, one of the Czech Republic’s most prolific automotive designers. Král had garnered his reputation through his design work for Skoda, as well as his pivotal role in his native country’s experimental Formula 1 ‘KIN’ project, but is perhaps best known for the Tatra MTX V8.

A clear visual development of that car; the Innotech Mysterro was introduced to the public at the Brno motor show in the early 1990s, with a plan to build 25 cars, but production ceased with just the one. The Mysterro featured a unique tubular spaceframe under an outlandish fibreglass body shell, and was fitted with custom-made three-piece centre-lock OZ Racing alloy wheels. It borrowed an engine from the C4 generation Chevrolet Corvette, but mounted it in the middle, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

Král’s bespoke body shell certainly looked the part of a 1990s supercar, with its steeply raked windscreen formed into the classic wedge silhouette, combined with huge side air vents, and that bold deep groove in the rear body section.

Born for fair-weather climates, the Mysterro had no roof at all, keeping the salmon pink Connolly leather-trimmed cabin permanently exposed for all to see. The bespoke interior featured Recaro seats, a Momo Corse steering wheel, and a carbon-fibre dashboard panel.

Little is known of the history of the Mysterro since it failed to launch into production, though it has surfaced several times when offered for sale – usually with an asking price as eccentric as the bodywork.

Over 25 years later, Chevrolet introduced the world to the first mid-engined Corvette – the C8. It was a major shift in concept for the iconic sports car, but one that Václav Král arguably saw coming.