Wanting Again at 14 Forgotten Excessive-Efficiency Automobiles
While certain automotive designs and styles may never go out of fashion, speed is a bit more objective. When it comes to high-performance cars, faster is always better, right?
As manufacturers keep pushing the performance envelope ever further, some very impressive machines are consigned to the sidelines far too soon.
But not to worry, our automotive experts here at Wealth of Geeks have dusted off old tomes, scoured the internet and unearthed their collection of old car magazines to bring you a list of some of the finest high-performance cars that are certainly worth remembering.
Bugatti Veyron
Now before you say that the Veyron is still very much in our collective automotive consciousness, let us explain why it deserves its spot here. The Bugatti Veyron first arrived on the scene in 2005. It’s 1,000 horsepower quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16-cylinder engine gave it such crushing performance that it became the first true hypercar.
It broke every acceleration and top speed record, finally unseating the McLaren F1 as the fastest production car of all time. Yet its very success spawned a generation of copycat hypercars that eclipsed its performance and made its 253mph top speed into a footnote rather than a highpoint.
So when Bugatti released the faster and more powerful Chiron in 2016, the Veyron’s fate was sealed.
Bugatti EB110
If you still don’t think that the Veyron is a soon-to-be forgotten high-performance car, then let us tell you about the Bugatti EB110. Designed by Marcello Gandini and powered by a 553 horsepower 3.5-litre quad-turbo V12, the EB110 was capable of embarrassing just about every other supercar with a 3.4-second 0-60mph sprint time and a crushing 212.5mph top speed.
It featured innovations like a carbon fiber chassis, all-wheel-drive and even active aerodynamics; design features incorporated into the Veyron some 14 years later. Yet despite its technical advances and crushing performance, the EB110 never quite became the success its designers had planned for. Just 139 were produced, including a handful of 603 horsepower Super Sport variants, and even though Michael Schumacher once owned (and crashed) one, the EB110 remains a largely forgotten supercar.
Corvette ZR-1
These days there are plenty of overpowered American sports cars to choose from, but back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, things were a little different. German and Italian sports cars ruled the roads, but the Corvette C4 ZR-1 changed all that.
With a little help from British firm Lotus, GM replaced the trusty old L98 V8 with a newly designed 5.7-liter LT5 unit pushing out 375 horsepower. the ZR-1 wasn’t just quick, it was supercar quick, and a match for any European rival. These days few Americans recall these game-changing cars, and they are virtually unknown in Europe. The good news is that this makes them a superb modern classic car bargain.
Callaway Sledgehammer
If power is good, then an insane amount of power is even better. This may not be the motto of Callaway Cars, but it sure should be. Back in the early ‘90s, they offered a twin-turbo upgrade for the C4 Corvette. GM sold these alongside its regular models and even included its 1-year warranty as standard.
Power output was rated at a somewhat underwhelming 382 horsepower (just 7 more than the ZR-1), so clearly there was a lot of untapped potential. Callaway showed just how much when they developed an ultimate variant called the Sledgehammer. This 880 horsepower beast was piloted to 254.76mph back in 1988. A figure that makes it quicker than most current hypercars.
Hennessey Venom GT
Some great cars have resulted out of a collaboration between American and British auto makers. The Venom GT is perhaps one of the most impressive and forgotten supercars out there.
Based on the stunning Lotus Exige, the Hennessey Venom GT got rid of the weedy little 1.8-liter motor and in its place went a 7.0-liter twin-turbo LS7 V8 producing a more appropriate 1,451 horsepower.
Combined with a curb weight more commonly seen in tiny hatchbacks, the Venom GT became the world’s fastest road car in 2013 when it reached a slightly insane 265.7mph.
Jaguar XJ220
The Jaguar XJ220 was intended to deliver a knock-out blow to the opposition and reclaim the fastest production car title it once had with cars like the XK120 in the 1950s. The plan was to use a bespoke V12 Jaguar engine paired to a grippy all-wheel-drive system which would then be draped in a stunning bodyshell.
The end result was somewhat different. Aside from the beautifully styled body, a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 was employed, sending power solely to the rear wheels. It was still indecently rapid and held the fastest production car title for a year until the all-conquering McLaren F1 arrived on the scene. But thanks to a global recession, steep pricing and more than a few cancelled orders, the XJ220 slowly faded in the background.
Lamborghini LM002
SUVs with mental performance are a dime a dozen these days. But back when the term SUV hadn’t even been invented, the Lamborghini LM002 was the king of the high-riding performance cars. Introduced in 1986, the LM002 was a big, tough off-roader that was capable of tackling just about any terrain. The difference between it and every other off roader lay under the hood.
Instead of a smoky old diesel engine or some underpowered V6 petrol engine, the LM002 utilized the 455 horsepower 5.2-liter V12 more commonly found in the Countach supercar. This gave the lardy LM002 impressive performance, and if customers wanted more, Lamborghini’s marine-spec 7.2-liter V12 could also be fitted.
Lykan Hypersport
Remember that crazy scene in Furious 7, when a red sportscar defies gravity and logic to fly between two skyscrapers? Well, the scene may have been purely CGI, but the car is most certainly real, and it’s called the Lykan Hypersport.
Built by a Middle Eastern company called W Motors, the Hypersport was an exercise in excess. From the Ruf-tuned 740 horsepower flat six motor, diamond-embedded headlights and carbon-fiber body with rear-hinged upward opening doors, this was more than just another fast supercar.
W Motors claimed a sub-3-second 0-60mph time and a 245mph top speed. Neither figure has ever been independently tested, and with just seven cars sold at a price of $3.4-million apiece, it most likely never will.
Gumpert Apollo
It is said that good-looking people usually have an easier path through life than their less visually arresting counterparts. Well, in the case of the Gumpert Apollo, this certainly seems to be the case. Viewed strictly from a mechanical design perspective, the Apollo should have delivered a knock-out blow to its more established rivals.
Ultralightweight carbon fiber bodywork? Check. Twin-turbo Audi-derived V8? Check. Record-setting lap times? Check. In race-spec, it delivered 789 horsepower to the rear wheels. Even the ‘base’ 641 horsepower version was capable of a 3.0-second 0-60mph time and could do almost 224mph.
Had potential customers only been sent performance figures, sales would have easily surpassed the 150 units that were eventually produced. Unfortunately, the press shots revealed a face that only a mother could love, for the Apollo Gumpert was (and is) one of the most visually challenging supercars ever made.
Maserati MC12
Few car fans don’t know about the Ferrari Enzo, the F50 successor that launched the Maranello supercar manufacturer into the hypercar realm. Yet the mechanically identical Maserati MC12 remains relatively unknown.
Both cars share the same 621 horsepower 6.0-liter V12 engine and suspension components, but the MC12 has a longer, heavier body designed to allow it to compete in the FA GT championship series. That heavier body made the Enzo the slightly quicker car, but the MC12 had superior downforce and proved to be an accomplished race car, scoring 40 wins in 94 races. With just 62 cars built, the MC12 remains a rare anomaly that is certainly worth remembering.
Mitsubishi Evo
Compact, turbocharged, all-wheel drive cars are quite common today, but that certainly wasn’t the case when Mitsubishi released its rally-inspired Evolution I back in 1992. It delivered the kind of back road performance that few supercars could match, and it was unbeatable on slippery roads with its AWD traction.
Mitsubishi improved the basic formula with each successive generation, culminating in the Evolution X in 2007. This 291 horsepower all-terrain sports car went out of production in 2016, and with Mitsubishi now more interest in hybrids and crossovers, the Evo cars are slowly becoming a fuzzy memory.
Noble M400
The Noble M400 is a British sportscar that was designed to deliver a pure, unadulterated driving experience. Its powerplant was based on a 3.0-liter V6 that usually did duty in a Ford sedan, but thanks to enhancements like twin turbos and updated cams and fuel injection, it produced 425 horsepower.
That may not seem all that impressive by today’s standards, but it sure was back in 2006. And paired with a 2,500 pound curb weight, it was as quicker than a contemporary Porsche Turbo. Production lasted for just one year – 75 cars were built – but it paved the way for the even more impressive M600, which is even more impressive if not any more well known.
Porsche 968
Thanks to the enduring popularity of the Porsche 911, many of the marques less successful models have become largely forgotten. One great example is the Porsche 968, introduced in 1991. This model was the culmination of a layout that was first introduced in the 924 back in 1976.
Just like the 911, it offered seating for four, but the engine was a four-cylinder unit nestled between the front wheels. Thanks to decades of refinement, the 968 was not only quick but one of the best handling cars of its day. The 3.0-liter motor put out 237 horsepower which grew to 305 horsepower in Turbo S models.
SSC Ultimate Aero
This butterfly-winged beast was America’s answer to the new generation of supercars coming out of Europe. Unlike the hi-tech, high-revving small capacity engines that the Germans and Italians preferred, SSC North America subscribed to the ‘no substitute for cubic capacity’ theory and packed a 6.3-liter Chevy LS V8 into their SSC Ultimate Aero.
Then, just in case it wasn’t enough, they supercharged it. The resultant 911 horsepower was enough for a 249mph top speed and a 0-60mph time of under 3-seconds. Later models got an even larger 6.9-liter motor and twin-turbos replaced the supercharger. These cars made 1,300 horsepower and set several speed records that only a handful of cars can match today.
The post Looking Back at 14 Forgotten High-Performance Cars first appeared on Wealth of Geeks.
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