Everyone would love to own, have or drive sports cars that come from the house of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and even brands like the Lotus or Porsche. But what about the underrated sports cars? These sports cars may not have “sports car” brand backing, but they too come from automobile makers who know the art of making a good car. They come with plenty of power, tons of thrills and are underrated only because of their brand value and the lack of status symbolism about them.
Others on this list are underrated sports cars because of their less-than-stellar looks, making them less appealing to the buyer who wants his car to look as sporty as it drives. That does not mean that these cars don’t come bursting at the seams with thrills and features, it’s just that somehow, they get overlooked in the bigger picture. If you are a gearhead and know your sports cars, then these are the underrated options you must drive at least once, for the ultimate kicks.
10 2005-2014 Chrysler 300 SRT8: Luxury Sports Sedan
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The SRT8 is a performance-focused avatar of the all-American luxury car, the Chrysler 300. This dynamo packs a 6.4-liter 392 HEMI V8 motor under its massive hood to pump out 470 horses and an equivalent amount of torque.
It propels the SRT8 to finish the 0-to-60 MPH milestone in just 4.3 seconds on the way to a top speed of 175 MPH. It’s much faster than it looks, and you get a comfortable, spacious, and luxurious cabin at the same time, but it remains one of the most underrated sports sedans in the US.
9 1977-1995 Porsche 928: Marketing Fail
It’s a Porsche and unlike its elder siblings, it comes highly underrated because it was marketed to replace the iconic 911 and that’s where things went wrong. The 911 is still running in the race but the 928 is long gone.
They make for excellent bargains in the classic car bazaar, at least for now. An immaculate condition model will set you back by about $30,000. It’s a rare 1986 example that’s got a large, front-mounted, and water-cooled 5.0-liter V8 mill mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
8 1993-2000 Fiat Coupé: Only On Foreign Shores
The Chris Bangle-designed and Pininfarina-fabricated Fiat Coupé had a sensational debut in 1993 and was sold mainly in Europe until 2000. In 1996, Fiat slotted a high-revving 2.0-liter Turbo Inline-5 in the Coupé that cranked out 197 horses and 228 lb-ft of torque.
The 0-to-60 MPH sprint took only 6.4 seconds proving that this was an ultimate 150-MPH sports car. However, a true gearhead must sit at the wheel of this once underrated machine just for the utter joy it offers its admirers, although it never reached US shores in its heydays.
7 2004-2007 Saturn Ion Red Line: Long Gone Marque
The Saturn Ion Red Line used a 2.0-liter inline-4 to pump out 205 supercharged horses that’s enough to get any sports car fan’s blood pumping. With a 0-to-60 MPH time of 6.0 seconds, this sport compact was one of the quickest around in the 2000s.
It was the AMG equivalent of the Mercedes-Benz at the time, but it completely went unnoticed. Less than 6000 of these high-performance models were ever made between 2004 and 2007, and they are dirt cheap in the used car market because the marque itself was axed.
6 1991-1995 Volkswagen Corrado VR6: Barely Known
The Corrado was developed by Volkswagen’s old-time mate Karmann to lock horns with other stalwarts in the sports car market. Volkswagen even blew its own trumpet by publicizing that the Corrado is quicker than its arch-rival, the Porsche 944.
With a 6.4-second 0-to-60 MPH time and a top speed of 145 MPH, it had insane acceleration. This lightning spurt came from the 1992 VR6 trim that housed a US-specific 2.8-liter V6 gasoline motor under its hood putting out 177 horses. This VR6 variant was marketed as the Corrado SLC aka Sport Luxury Coupe to the US audience but never really caught on.
5 2014-2017 Chevrolet SS: Not A ‘Vette
Not a legitimate sports car, but this Chevrolet SS screamed like a Corvette because it had the same 6.2-liter V8 mill jetting out a massive 415 horses. Of course, it was much bigger than the Corvette, tipping the scales at almost 4,000 pounds.
That said; it still managed to do a 0-to-60 MPH jig in about 4.5 seconds. These terrific numbers put it in the domain of the amazing but underrated sports cars for sure. While its looks did not earn it any major favors, driving it will change your mind about it.
4 2009-2016 Genesis Coupe: A New Brand
Genesis is Hyundai’s luxury marque and one that believes in letting its quality speak for itself. That also means that Genesis is not being marketed all that aggressively, and the Genesis coupe is not something buyers would immediately associate with when they think of buying a sports car.
Again, while the Genesis Coupe may not offer a V8 like the Genesis sedan, it does bring V6 power, punchy acceleration, and great handling. The top trims come with a track-tuned suspension and larger brakes.
3 2000-2006 Toyota Celica GT-S: Not A Supra
The Celica GT-S was no Supra, but that isn’t reason enough to look down on it, considering it has one of the best steering in sports cars. The nameplate itself has a long legacy, one which birthed the Supra, but it gets sidelined today, despite a thrilling ride.
The Celica GT-S is as sporty as it can get, with almost 200 horses to boot, with a 1.8-liter inline-four engine. The same variety also powers up a base Supra, so there’s no need to underrate this Toyota all that much.
2 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky: Unfortunate Twins
This was Pontiac’s idea of making the ultimate roadster, almost like an American-made British car. The Solstice/Sky offered a great alternative to the likes of the Miata and came almost as affordable with even better looks.
The chassis is well-tuned, although the history of these cars was not as hallowed as the Miata, considering both Saturn and Pontiac were culled by GM, to let Chevy survive. That said, both make for great if underrated sports cars.
1 1992-1996 Subaru SVX: A Bit Wild
The Giugiaro-styled Subaru SVX has Japanese insides but an Italian-dreamed fascia and the latter is what may have led to its general unpopularity. The window-within-a-window concept of these sports cars was a bit too far out for the general populace, leading to it being underrated and overlooked all its life.
That said; the performance was good, with a 230-horse flat-six engine, although the automatic transmission was a bit derpy. Still, one cool sports car from Subaru, worth a spin down the highway.
Sources: Autotrader, CarsForSale