Sporty cars that looked fast – but actually really weren’t
Sharp styling, large spoilers and sculpted air dams will occasionally trick us into thinking a meatier engine lies underneath.
Looks can be deceiving and don’t always mean great acceleration or top speed. Here are some cars that we think look more meteoric than they are:
Toyota Celica
With its low-slung stance, small bonnet scoop and carved lines, the Celica started off in life with just 143bhp from its Yamaha-derived 1.8-litre VVT-I unit. It took 9 seconds to get to 62mph from rest, though would eventually make 127mph when possible. While it wasn’t a drag racer, the Celica handled well and was even considered the best-handling front-wheel drive car on sale in 1999.
Mazda RX-8
Many people often expected the RX-8 to be a speed machine with its funky 2+2 layout, sporty bodywork and a special naturally aspirated high-revving 1.3-litre Wankel rotor engine – an evolution of the RX-7’s twin-turbocharged unit. The RX-8 landed with 189bhp but little torque – a characteristic of most rotaries – at 162lb ft, due to the lack of turbos, which meant 0-62mph in 7.5sec and a quarter-mile time of around 17sec.
Toyota GT86
When it arrived in 2012, the GT86 was praised for its lightweight body, rear-wheel drive and 50:50 weight distribution. It looked like a bona fide sports car with its aggressive front-led headlights, ground-hugging stance and swooping roofline. The 2.0-litre Boxer engine produced 197bhp, and 151lb ft, which had just 1239kg (2731lbs) to shove along but the GT86 would hit 62mph from rest in 7.7sec and top out at 137mph. However, those who opted for the automatic version would have to put up with a frankly pedestrian 0-62mph time of only 8.2sec.
Fisker Karma
The man who designed the BMW Z8 and Aston Martin Vantage, Henrik Fisker, gave us the striking Fisker Karma in 2011. Its bonnet was long, it was wider than a Ferrari 360 and its bodywork was sculpted like that of an Aston Martin Rapide, as though it was to fire on to 170mph-plus. However, underneath the makeup was a 260bhp 2.0-litre powerplant and two 201bhp electric motors powering the rear wheels. This meant, on battery power alone, the Karma would scuttle to 62mph in 8.0sec.
Ferrari Mondial
In the 1980s, the world was gifted the legendary Ferrari Testarossa and the F40. The Mondial, launched in Geneva in 1980, did have all the Ferrari looks such as an iconic sloped front end, vents to cool the mid-mounted V8 and a supercar presence. Upon its release, 3.0-litre V8 produced just 214bhp (205bhp in US spec), which meant the Mondial slugged its way to 62mph from rest in 8.2sec, although some claims are closer to 10sec. Given enough room, it would hit 140mph, eventually…
DeLorean DMC-12
DMC-12 was intended to be lighter and a lot more powerful than the production version ended up being, as the firm had a difficult time finding a suitable engine. The prototype had a Ford Cologne V6 but was later swapped for a four-cylinder Citroen engine that was to be turbocharged.
Unfortunately, Citroen didn’t like the idea and asked DeLorean to go elsewhere, and they eventually settled on a 2.85-litre Peugeot V6. It looked like a supercar with its sleek bodywork and gullwing doors, but with a poor 130bhp, and it tipping the scales at 1230kg (2712lbs), the DMC-12 took a tedious 10.5sec to reach 62mph. The top speed was 130mph although other sources claimed only 105mph was achievable.
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