The annual Detroit Auto Show presents a great chance to be inspired by the scope of design and investment put into the development of concept vehicles. They range from vans to convertibles and from stunning to "what were they thinking?"

The less memorable designs are quickly forgotten by the press, the public, and even the manufacturers, but concept vehicles are a great platform for the "what if" question: what if this could be in your driveway in ten years?

Since the introduction of the first concept car — the Buick Y-Job — in 1938, concept vehicles have been raising the "what if" question, and some have answered it more accurately than others. The plutonium-powered Ford Nucleon was a memorable misstep, but concept cars have also produced key developments in automotive safety, like the seat belt, and new vehicle categories, like the minivan.

There's a rush of excitement in seeing something new, in glimpsing of the future. At this year's show, concepts like the Lexus LF-LC showed off devastatingly beautiful, hand-crafted details, new lighting technologies and applications, and dynamic forms that seem suspended in space but full of motion. The design is nothing short of inspiring.

But reality sets in quickly. While envisioning the future is a demanding task, the real challenge is to support that vision throughout the complexities of production design. Without the continued support of engineering, marketing, branding, production, and the buying public, "what if" remains an entirely hypothetical question. Taking a dream and transforming it into an achievable design turns "what if?" into "when?" If a great vision can meet the practical needs of cost and design, pure concept becomes a tangible goal.

In 2012, the LF-LC is still just an inspiring dream, but maybe down the road, we'll know the feeling of seeing it at home in the driveway.