If there is anything that all of the exotic sports cars made in the last century have taught us, it is that great performance comes with a sleek and aggressive look. In fact, that’s why sports car designers are now working overtime for other brands and giving their cars the coolest exterior that conveys competence and power.
All in all, exotic looking mid-engined cars are not all inherently fast, and this has been proven by numerous examples over the years. Without mid-size minivans like the Toyota Previa, the mid-engine designs provided superior handling, but without the power to secure them, the cars suffered from sluggish acceleration.
In this list, we take a look at some aggressive looking sports cars that are known to have underperformed and rank them by their flattering times from 0 to 60 mph.
10 Mazda RX8 – 6.3 seconds
Via: Mazda
The most recent application of the rotary Wankel engine in a production car belongs to the Mazda RX-8. That iteration was 1.3 liters, but unlike the naturally aspirated 160 horsepower RX-7, Mazda managed to pull out a staggering 232 horsepower.
Via: Mazda
It is known to be extremely balanced around corners, light and easy to drift. Unfortunately, it wasn’t unanimously well received, possibly because of its less impressive acceleration and its insatiable thirst for oil and gasoline.
9 Panther Solo – 6.8 seconds
Via: Wikimedia
The Solo was a sports car built by Panther in the late 1980s. It was originally scheduled to appear in 1986, but following the successful debut of the Toyota MR2, the Solo had to undergo a major design overhaul.
Via: Goodwood
Instead of a maximum of 130 hp from a turbo engine, the Solo became sharper with a 2.0-liter turbo inline four with 204 hp. With this and a new AWD system, the Solo reached a top speed of 144 mph, but took 6.8 seconds to reach 60 mph. The Solo lacked the speed to assert itself in its price against other cars, namely the Lotus Esprit Turbo and the 911.
8th DC Forward – 7.5 seconds
Via: Pinterest
The DC Avanti was the first loosely defined supercar from India. Powered by a 2.0-liter, turbocharged Renaultsport four-cylinder, it reaches 60 miles per hour with 250 hp in 7.5 seconds. However, this could be due to its groundbreaking 3,443 pounds curb weight.
Via: Pinterest
Unfortunately, the car was only made for a few years. The company announced last year when DC founder Dilip Chhabria was arrested by Mumbai police for sparking a scam in which he sold his cars to his own company and took out multiple loans for each car before that he sold them to third parties.
7th Toyota MR2 AW11 – 8.2 seconds
wikipedia.org
The first generation Toyota MR2 is known to have had a slew of problems, not to mention gears jumping out of position and rusting in awkward places. Speed ​​was certainly not their ally either, as it was cursed by its 1.6-liter inline four with just 112 hp for the US market.
via Pinterest
All generations of the MR2 are known for their card-like handling, but even the forced induction was not up to the higher curb weight of the car. With a compressor, the first generation MR2 weighed over 2,400 pounds.
6th NA Miata 1.6-9 seconds
Via: Wikimedia
Mazda launched the first generation Miata in 1989. It had a 1.6 liter in-line quad that developed 116 horsepower, weighed just 2,100 pounds, and had independent suspension on all four corners.
Street: Miata Club
Its weight is evenly distributed across the car, and its short wheelbase enabled it to carve mountain roads with exemplary precision. Speed ​​was never Mazda’s goal with this car, and it shows with its sluggish 9-second 0-60 mph time. Fortunately, it surpassed what it was originally intended to be, namely a driver’s car.
5 Lancia Scorpion – 9.8 seconds
Via: Wikimedia
The story of the Lancia Montecarlo and its mutilated condition upon reaching the US coast is tragic. It started as an Alfa project but was eventually developed under Lancia. Because of the emissions, the USDM car received a 1.8-liter, 81-horsepower engine.
Via: Wikimedia
All US models were convertibles and safety equipment such as large metal bumpers was required, making the car much heavier than intended. All of this made the Lancia Scorpion another pathetic victim of the USDM.
4th 2004 Smart Roadster Final – 10.3 seconds
Via Pinterest
U.S. motorists have seen little boxes on four wheels spinning down the street after Alvin and the chipmunks called smart cars, but something they’ll likely never see is a smart roadster.
en.wikipedia.org
It is a convertible smart car, the front end of which was stretched a few meters, and which is not suitable for use on US roads due to emissions requirements. Its drivetrain is small but impressive as it is a 700cc in-line six-cylinder with a turbocharger and develops 60 or 80 hp. At 1,851 pounds curb, it’s slower than even a shifter kart.
3 Fiat X1 / 9 – 10.4 seconds
Via Flickr
Despite its miserable lack of speed, the Fiat X1 / 9 looked great on paper. His style was sporty and was reminiscent of the later Pontiac Fieros. It had a four-speed manual transmission and four-wheel disc brakes. Although it had a 1.3-liter in-line four that made 67 horsepower in the US, its weight probably had more to do with its sluggish acceleration.
Via Pinterest
At 2,200 pounds, some outlets said they depressed the throttle for up to 15 seconds before the car would hit 60 mph. It handled superbly thanks to improved suspension and gave the car some boastful rights.
2 Matra Bagheera – 11.8 seconds
Via: Wikimedia
This French travesty took seven long years to produce. The exterior was a sitcom of a wedge-shaped front and a Ford Pinto in the back, but owners could choose between a couple of shifts. Either 1.3 liters or 1.4 liters, the car has 83 or 89 hp.
Via: Wikimedia
Neither did his cause, because as the fastest version, the Bagheera weighed almost 2,800 pounds, had 89 horsepower from its 1.4-liter engine and reached 60 mph in 11.8 seconds. Fortunately, the reign of terror ended in 1980.
1 1970 Porsche 914 – 13.9 seconds
Via: Hemmings
Unfortunately, a Porsche makes this list no less than the slowest. The slowest came of the car with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder that put out 80 horsepower at the rear wheels connected to a manual transmission, and the car weighed just over 2,000 pounds. Getting into the Porsche requires a certain amount of accountability from the spine, and once inside it feels like there’s only an inch of clearance from the floor, including the bottom of the car.
Via: Hemmings
There’s not much where feet land, it’s practically empty space, and while 80 horsepower doesn’t sound enough to make an impression, the very possibility of a wreck, be it a curb or a smart roadster, is terrifying.
About the author
Brian Grabianowski
(63 articles published)
Brian has been writing about cars for various publications in various media for nearly 15 years. He has reported on motorsport events and participated in press conferences for vehicle releases. Brian owned and worked on Japanese sports cars and motorcycles, German executive sedans, and American trucks and mustangs. His goal is to build a classic car with modern power.
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