3 Ugliest Sports Cars That Were Actually Fast!

3 Ugliest Sports Cars That Were Actually Fast!

Ever wonder what happens when a car manufacturer puts all their effort into making something go fast but completely forgets about making it look good? Throughout automotive history, some of the most embarrassingly ugly sports cars turned out to be some of the fastest machines on the road. Today we're counting down three legendary sports cars that proved performance matters way more than good looks.
First up is the Jensen C-V8, a British sports car that looked like a crouching four-eyed cat according to people who saw it in 1962. The problem started when Jensen got worried about American safety regulations and removed the sleek headlight covers just before the car launched. This left the quad headlights looking exposed and strange, sitting in deep recesses that were never meant to be seen. Even the designer hated the final result. But here's the thing: underneath that awkward face sat a thundering Chrysler V8 engine that could hit 136 miles per hour and sprint from zero to sixty in just 6.7 seconds. For its time, that was seriously impressive performance.
Next, we're looking at the Daimler SP250, a British roadster that attendees at the 1959 New York Motor Show voted as literally the ugliest car at the entire event. People compared its front end to a drooping catfish mouth and said it looked like an Edsel. The styling was so bad that it probably cost Daimler millions in lost sales. However, the SP250 featured a brilliant V8 engine designed by motorcycle legend Edward Turner, and it could hit 120 miles per hour when most British sports cars of that era couldn't even break 100. The car proved so capable that police departments across Britain actually used them to chase down cafe racers at speeds over 130 miles per hour.
Finally, there's the Panoz AIV Roadster, an American-made aluminum sports car from 1997 that looked like a chunky kit car according to critics. Designer Freeman Thomas, who would later create the iconic Volkswagen New Beetle, gave the Panoz a stubby, balloon-fendered appearance that divided opinion sharply. Most people thought it looked weird and awkward. But the Panoz AIV could accelerate from zero to sixty in just 4.3 seconds and embarrass cars that cost twice as much on race tracks across America. This was genuinely cutting-edge engineering wrapped in questionable styling.

____
We do not own the footages/images compiled in this video. It belongs to individual creators or organizations that deserve respect. By creatively transforming the footages from other videos, this work qualifies as fair use and complies with U.S. copyright law without causing any harm to the original work's market value.

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.

_____