Cars have come a long way since they were first created. We now have supercars in the market that reminds us of road rockets or spaceship on wheels. Even ordinary cars are getting one-of-a-kind designs.
Source: Pixabay
But of course, some models actually fell short of the hype their brands created about them. What seemed to be great automobiles on their launch ended up to fall short once they hit the market. Read on to know some of the worst cars ever made through the years.
Maserati Merak
Maserati released the Merak in 1972 with a base price of $20,000 as a response to the market’s need for a budget supercar at that time. The supercar look was designed by coach designer Giugiaro.
Source: Supercars.net
But despite its supercar looks, its engine turned out to be disappointing. The hydraulic braking system was far from super. It was faulty plus the 190 hp engine was not impressive for supercar enthusiasts.
Lamborghini Urraco
The 1973 Urraco is Lamborghini’s foray when it comes to the arena of budget supercars, with a base price of about $70,000. Lamborghini’s logic is that producing budget supercars would expand their customer base but unfortunately, this plan did not really work out.
Source: Supercars.net
The Urraco had a lot of reliability issues and it really did not stand out when it comes to performance, considering that it is a Lamborghini. In the six years that it was in production, they were only able to sell less than 800 models.
Panther 6
The British Panther 6 must probably be the original six-wheel supercar as it was produced in 1977 and is considered to be a futuristic approach to car design. The base price for this car is $52,000.
Source: Supercars.net
Clearly, the idea of driving around an automobile with six wheels did not pick up in the following years – and the weird boat-like design did not help. There are only two Panther 6 models ever produced.
Dome Zero
The Dome Zero is a Japanese supercar that was launched in 1978 with a base price of $30,000. It was set to be a game-changer for the Japanese automobile industry seeing its potential to compete with other international brands.
Source: Supercars.net
Sadly, the Dome Zero never made it past the concept stage. The lack of funds caused it to never move on to production. Plus there were also some challenges to the concept car passing local governing testing standards.
BMW M1
The M1 is the starting point of BMW’s long line of M cars, which have come to define BMW sports car standards. The M1 was released in 1978 with a base price of $60,000. It had a bulky, macho design.
Source: Supercars.net
The M1 was created to dominate the racing track. Unfortunately, it was very costly to produce. The units that were able to make it to the market had yet to claim any noteworthy success in the races.
DeLorean DMC-12
If you are fans of the movie Back to the Future, then the DeLorean DMC-12 may look familiar to you. This car was launched in 1981 with a base price of $25,000. The design was a blend of retro and futuristic.
Source: Supercars.net
Although a popular car, thanks to the movie, the actual DeLorean DMC-12 is actually not as fast as we would have likely imagined it to be. Today though, the DeLorean is offering restoration services for DMC-12 owners who want to give their classic car an upgrade.
Ferrari Testarossa
The Testarossa was launched by Ferrari last 1984 with a base price of $94,000. Its vintage design is a standout compared to other supercars of its time. It is actually a must-have for car collectors in the present.
Source: Supercars.net
But back then, the Testarossa was far from desired. It was not fast and there were a lot of reliability issues. In the end, the maintenance and repair costs made the Testarossa a huge financial burden even to the richest car owners.
Mosler Consulier GTP
The Mosler Consulier GTP was launched in 1985 with a base price of $49,900. The car looked like a top-tier supercar at first glance. It had a lightweight design that made use of a lot of carbon fiber and kevlar.
Source: Supercars.net
However, the downfall of this supercar is the fact that the engine was far from exotic. Although its original and unique design has made the Consulier a valuable model for car collectors.
Hoffstetter Turbo
The Hoffstetter Turbo is a kit car introduced way back in 1986 with a base price of $30,000. Creator and namesake Mario Hoffstetter built the car because of the strict government restrictions on vehicle imports in Brazil.
Source: Supercars.net
The car definitely looked unique and turned heads. Unfortunately, the Hoffstetter Turbo did not have a great engine. In the end, only 18 car models were sold in the market. Hoffstetter pulled the plug on his car model by 1991.
Venturi Atlantique
This French supercar was launched in 1986 with a base price of $70,000. Coming from a boutique supercar startup company, the Atlantique was actually considered to be a proper automobile for a flagship model.
Source: Supercars.net
The downfall of the Atlantique was the fact that Venturi was mismanaged. They were nowhere near the levels of being a proper supercar producer, despite being able to sell less than 700 Atlantiques. Eventually, Venturi had to file for bankruptcy.
Cizeta Moroder V16T
Ex-Ferrari man Claudio Zampollili and his music producer friend, Girogio Moroder created the automotive boutique Cizeta. They were later joined by ex-Lambhorgini designer Marcello Gandini and together, they were able to create the Cizeta Moroder V16T and launched it in 1991.
Source: Supercars.net
The company was only able to produce 19 units of the model before it went bankrupt. One of the biggest downfalls of this model is the fact that it cost more than their rivals, for a newcomer in the market, with a base price of $300,000.
MTX Tatra
The MTX Tatra is the fastest Czech-made automobile when it was released back in 1991. The car is a collaboration of two companies – MTX and Tantra. When it was launched, it had a base price of $100,000.
Source: Supercars.net
Unfortunately, the MTX Tantra has failed to live up to any of the hype it once generated. Four units were only produced thanks to an unfortunate fire that burned down the production company.
Jaguar XJ220
The XJ220 was launched by Jaguar in 1992 with a base price of $600,000. When you look at it, it looks like a proper supercar. Jaguar created a lot of hype about this model but buyers ended up being disappointed.
Source: Supercars.net
During production, they switched the V12 engine to a V6 without informing buyers. And instead of an all-wheel drive, the models released to the public were rear-wheel drive. Customers were understandably unpleased to the point that lawsuits were made.
Vector M12
This supercar was launched in 1996 with a base price of $189,000. Unfortunately, the concept was created while the company was undergoing a lot of drama and fending off takeovers.
Source: Supercars.net
Aside from the problem with the management, the Vector M12 was created with a Lamborghini Diablo V12 engine, making it very expensive to produce. All of these elements eventually led to the supercar’s downfall.
Aston Martin Vantage Le Mans
Back when Aston Martin was still owned by Ford, they put out all the stops when they celebrated the 40th anniversary of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans Victory that happened in 1959 by producing a tribute model, the 1999 Aston Martin Vantage Le Mans.
Source: Supercars.net
The Vantage Le Mans was expected to be the fastest Aston Martin and the most powerful car in the world at that time thanks to its twin-supercharged engine. But it was later discovered that the car’s heavyweight got in the way of all this and all expectations were crushed.
Mitsuoka Orochi
The Mitsuoka Orochi was the Japanese automaker’s response to the growing popularity of Ferrari back in 2007. Its base price is $125,000. The name is derived from a legendary eight-headed dragon.
Source: Supercars.net
Although on the surface, the Mitsuoka Orochi is a good-looking sports car, it had a disappointing engine. It did not live to its promise to take on the Ferrari. Most car users were also not impressed by its look.
Covini C6W
This six-wheeled, street-legal supercar from Italian auto brand Covini was introduced in the market back in 2009 with a base price of $400,000. The design, however, was not considered “super” as we all are used to the aesthetics of four-wheel drives.
Source: Supercars.net
The layout actually made sense since it would allow the car to have more grip when dealing with twists and turns. It also came with six braking assemblies for greater brake performance.
Lamborghini Veneno
During Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary, they launched the Lamborghini Veneno in 2013. This was an extremely exclusive car – there will only be three unique units built with a design that focuses on cornering stability and optimum aerodynamics.
Source: Supercars.net
Naturally, car enthusiasts from all over the world were intrigued. But the design may be too futuristic for anyone’s taste. It has been considered one of the ugliest car designs ever made.
Devel Sixteen
The Dubai-based automaker Devel Motors announced that they have a hypercar in production called the Devel Sixteen back in 2013. It had a base price of $1,800,000. That is a huge price tag, right?
Source: Supercars.net
To this day though, we only have the prototype. Numerous delays and engine problems have been plaguing its production. Judging from the looks of it, it is probably best that this concept does not see production at all.