10 Terrible Versions Of Amazing Cars
Just because you’ve made a great car, that doesn’t mean it’ll stay great. Over the course of automotive history, car makers have struck gold and then somehow converted it into tin with their choice of specifications. Here are ten examples of when they got it very wrong.
Ford Mustang Ecoboost
After becoming an automotive icon in the USA and around the world, the Ford Mustang finally arrived in Britain in 2014. Petrolheads rejoiced, but the big V8 engine was ever so slightly taxing at the UK’s pricier-than-America fuel pumps. No problem, Ford confidently thought – we’ll stick in a 2.3-litre, four-cylinder Ecoboost engine. That’ll keep everyone happy.
Well, it did bring fuel costs down. But a muscle car without any muscle is just… a car. It’s not that the 2.3 Ecoboost is bad – it’s pretty good, in fact – it just doesn’t suit the Mustang at all. A big engine is integral to what makes the Mustang a Mustang. And if you don’t want that engine, why would you want a Mustang at all?
Toyota Supra
In full-fat twin-turbocharged mode, the A80 Supra is an absolute animal. It’s a tuner’s dream project with a 2JZ engine that’s ripe for more horsepower. However, the likes of The Fast and Furious tend to gloss over the fact that the car also came with an entry-level model, which utilised a naturally aspirated version of the 2JZ inline-six.
It made a fairly healthy 220bhp, but in a relatively heavy car that made it rather gutless compared to the 326bhp pumped out by the double-blower version. Quite why anyone bought it, we’re not sure.
Nissan 240SX Convertible
Take a car revered since the 1990s for its handling and fun, and make it less fun, with worse handling. That’s the S13 Nissan 240SX 'Silvia' Convertible, a car that loses structural rigidity and adds extra weight and mechanical complication over the excellent coupe model. And it looks rubbish, too. And the roof leaks.
Still, at least you can enjoy the fresh air while regretting your decisions.
Ferrari 208 GTB
The Ferrari 308 GTB sits high in the pantheon of cars branded with the prancing horse. It was driven by Magnum PI, it had a lightweight fibreglass body and a glorious V8 engine that made north of 250bhp, which in the early 80s was really quite a lot. But then the fibreglass was replaced with steel, attention to detail went through the floor, and eventually the engine got smaller and less powerful – wearing a 208 GTB badge in its native Italy it coughed out just 155bhp from a 2.0-litre V8 downsized for tax reasons. Less a prancing horse, more an ailing donkey.
Nissan Skyline R32 GXi
Few words moisten the petrolhead appetite like 'Nissan Skyline' But don’t get too excited about this one. The GXi version of Nissan's dare-we-say-iconic R32-generation Skyline ditched its turbocharger, chucked the four-wheel drive that made it rocket off the line, and added two extra doors at the back. Under the bonnet was a weedy four-pot engine that just about managed to develop 90bhp. Rarely has the potential-to-disappointment ratio been so massive.
BMW E31 850i
Yes yes, we can hear the screams of outrage from here. But hear us out. In theory, the flagship 8-series engine was a great option, with a stonking V12 under the bonnet and dashing good looks. But in practice BMW's 5.0-litre V12 was heavy, which knackered the handling, overly complicated, which meant it broke down a lot, and not very good even when it worked, with distinctly underwhelming performance. That meant that bragging rights over the number of cylinders you’ve got is about the only thing going for it.
BMW E46 M3 Convertible SMG
Oh, more screams of outrage? Look, OK, the drop-top E46 BMW M3 isn’t bad. It’s just that it’s quite a bit worse than all the other BMW M3s of that era. And that goes double when it’s fitted with the SMG automatic gearbox. At the time heralded as F1 tech in a road car, it was little more than a robotised manual, which is one of the worst of all the automatic gearbox technologies. It does nothing that isn’t better in a manual gearbox and completely ruins an otherwise brilliant car.
Tesla Model S 40kWh
Before the Model 3 came out, Tesla customers wanted a more affordable car than the moderately pricey Model S. Tesla’s solution was a Model S with hardly any standard equipment and a tiny 40kWh battery, which gave it a measly official range of 139 miles. It wasn’t supercharger compatible either. Unsurprisingly, it was on sale for less than a year before Tesla withdrew it.
Toyota GR Yaris
Cease your outrage – yes, we know that the Toyota GR Yaris that we get here is excellent. But in Japan, Toyota sells another version that ditches the hardcore model’s four-wheel drive. And its engine. And therefore most of the things that make it fun. It’s front-wheel drive and has a three-cylinder, non-turbo, 1.5-litre engine with 118bhp and a CVT. In fairness, we’ve never driven it, but we can’t imagine it’s even a shadow of the GR Yaris that we get here.
BMW E36 M3 (US spec)
The E36-generation BMW M3 is an iconic ‘90s performance car, but the model we got in Europe (pictured) was considerably better than that sent out to those poor Americans. In the USA, the E36 M3 was severely neutered, with a different, far less powerful engine – 240bhp instead of 320-odd – in a bid to make it more affordable. YouTube favourite Jason Cammisa would have you believe it’s the one to go for, but we don’t think his arguments about value for money would stack up in a pub argument about horsepower.
Comments
My mom had a Mustang II Hatchback with a nice v8 in her golden ages, i must admit, i would have loved to see it, and she told me some stories about it; she bought it junked, it was wasted, but she gave it new life, “it was so sexy (yes she actually used that word), it ran so soft and nice, ah, i’ll miss that car, i loved it”. But she had to sell it because she gave birth to my sister, “Can’t maintain car while maintaining children, i had to sell it to take care of your sister”. So she bought a Volkswagen Atlantic and so on, until i was born 13 years later, she bought then a Ford Fiesta, and later on, our recent Volkswagen Gol (Voyage in other countries)
No love for the AE85?
Single cam disappointment
No comment about the 240SX coming with a truck engine instead of the SR20?
One could add a mx5 with automatic. Or just picture a sloppy older automatic in general. Because this ruins every real sportscar.
Talking about automatic transmission. WRX CVT is surprisingly good but only thing missing would be the backfire from the manual transmission
I feel like the n/a 300zx should have made this listed.
I’d have to disagree on the Toyota 86 there, I own an 86 and yes it’s an automatic (mind you I hate automatics and I’ve said I’ll never buy one) but once I drove my 86 of the first time it was completely different and the best transmission I’ve experienced. I will agree it’s not as fast as the manual or as fun or connected to the car but it makes up for it. The paddle shifts are good fun on the way to work going in and out of traffic (and actually changes gears quite fast, almost like DCT, so it’s impressive), and it’s not like it’s not capable on the track, I’ve done basic drifting and track events and I’ve surprised myself and others. Now if I was to add forced induction or have a track car then I’ll consider/go a manual and at times I wished I brought a manual, but a 86 shouldn’t be looked down if it’s an automatic it’s still an awesome piece of engineering!
What about base model auto Lancers? It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Mitusbisbi manages to turn those things into EVOs.
No 90’s Eclipse GS???? FWD and NA, contrary to the AWD Turbo GSX
996 Tiptronic is actually pretty good.