7 American Sports Cars That Were Completely Pointless (And 10 Foreign Ones)

Sports cars have a fan following of their own. The cars have become a symbol of class, and driving them elevates the standard of a person to a legendary status. There is nothing like getting one of these iconic cars and putting the pedal to the medal to speed pass the other cars around.

The massive kick we get from driving supercars makes us partial in our judgment of these car types. While some sports cars are absolute legends of the road, we cannot deny the fact that some of their counterparts have fallen flat in the market. These sports cars failed to leave a mark on audiences and did not deliver the performance audiences expected.

Here is a list of some of the worst American sports cars to make the rounds. To round off the list we will also provide you with of some of the worst European sports cars.

17American: Cadillac ELR

This ELR operates only on electricity for 40 miles before the engine switches to gas. The gas recharges the battery to keep the car going. However, the feature did not excite fans who were already disappointed with the high price of the vehicle. The poor sales caused the manufacturers to end production.

16American: Plymouth Prowler

The prowler featured in a Detroit Auto Show in 1993. The bold and outlandish design of the vehicle did not strike a chord with the fans as they dismissed the model. Since a majority of the budget was spent on the aluminum body and chassis, there was little left for developing the engine.

15American: Ford Thunderbird

The Ford Thunderbird was a failed attempt by manufacturers to reclaim the glory years of the original thunderbird. The car did not live up to expectations, and to make matters worse, it looked slow and was, considerably. The car is considered the poorest sports car manufactured by Ford.

14American: Chrysler Crossfire

The Chrysler Crossfire attracted a lot of attention due to its style and elegant design. However, the car failed to back the style by substance as it did not have the specifics and mechanical engineering that sports car fanatics prefer. The car was a huge disappointment, and its design was the only saving face.

13American: Pontiac Solstice

This is easily one of the worst looking and worst performing sports cars we cover on the list. The car was unreliable and was not durable and also lacked the necessary race car persona. It was underpowered and overweight and it’s no surprise why no one really misses the car today.

12American: Cadillac XLR

Another Cadillac on our list is the XLR, which has mixed opinions. Some experts call it a great car while others disagree. The car tried too hard to be similar to the Chevrolet Corvette but failed miserably. It was criticized for being slow and heavy, it was also not as refined as the Corvette.

11American: Chevrolet SSR

A little bit of a stretch, considering it’s also a pickup, the convertible Chevrolet SSR was one of the biggest flops in the American automobile industry. Somehow the manufacturers at GM believed that the they would get away with designing an overpriced and under-powered car that looked awkward. As expected the car failed miserably. The car followed Plymouth Prowler, which was a major flop too.

Our friends from Europe have had their fair share of hiccups too; let’s take a look at some pointless European cars.

10Non-American: Porsche 356

The Porsche 356 was a lightweight car that had a rear engine, came with two-doors, and a rear-wheel drive. The car was first made by the company Porsche Kinstrucktioen GesmbH. Although the car was categorized as a sports car, it was merely an attractively styled Volkswagen Beetle.

9Non-American: Ferrari Mondial

Ferrari is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. The brand is renowned for providing fans with style and substance. The Mondial however, falls flat in front of some of the earlier cars as fans were disappointed by its slow performance. The car took 10 seconds to move from 0-60, which is dismal.

8Non-American: MG Midget

The MG Midget was a part of the roadster revolution in 1961. The car was called a badge-engineered version of the Austin-Healey Sprite. Both the cars were identical in nature apart from some exceptions. The straight line performance was virtually absent in the Midget, plus the car took 18 seconds to reach 60 mph.

7Non-American: Triumph Spitfire

Another British car on our list is the Triumph Spitfire. Although the car’s name gives the impression of a fire spitting dragon, its performance is painstakingly slow as it takes 16 seconds to move from 0-60 mph. The car has a power rating of only 63 hp. The car had a great design but its performance was poor.

6Non-American: Jaguar E-Type V12

Enzo Ferrari tried his best to promote the car by calling it the most beautiful car ever made. However, this 3.8-liter inline, 6 engine and manual transmission car was far from it. The heavy body of the car also did not help as it could not match the sleek style of the other cars in the racing circuit.

5Non-American: Porsche 914

This is one car that is truly ugly. The awkward block-shaped car was a great match, perhaps, to cars made from Lego bricks. In addition to the design, the performance of the car was not great either, as it took 12.5 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph. The car lacked the power to be classified as a sports car.

4Non-American: Triumph 1800

While driving the Triumph 1800 in the wide and green English countryside would be a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon, it does not offer the same levels of exhilaration we derive from racing the 1946 Triumph 1800. The 1.8-liter engine could produce only 63 hp, which is very disappointing.

3Non-American: Ferrari Dino 206

The Ferrari Dino 206 was released after the company enjoyed 21 years of success in the industry. The manufacturers felt that they could cater to the lower end of the market by creating a car for their specific needs. The compromise between price and power meant that the vehicle lacked the qualities of its predecessors.

2Non-American: Porsche 924

The design and smooth lines of 1976 prompted huge hype amongst the masses as people could not wait to get their hands on the automobile. However, this resulted in huge disappointment as the car offered a power rating of 95 hp, which was combined with a 4-speed transmission.

1Non-American: Volkswagen Golf GTI MK4

Released in 1997, the GTI MK4 from Volkswagen is the fourth-generation model of the iconic hatchback. The car was released to great public reviews as people appreciated its performance. By 2001, it became a bestselling car only for the people to discover that the performance was not in harmony with the upscale interior.

[“source=thethings”]