Automobile enthusiasts all over the world absolutely adore the sports car. In fact, sports cars are the most anticipated releases amongst all cars throughout the world. Car lovers can spot their favorite sports cars from a mile away, and inevitably sigh when one crosses their path.
Merriam-Webster defines a sports car as "a low, small, usually 2-passenger automobile designed for quick response, easy maneuverability, and high-speed driving." Given these features, sports cars are quite unanimously agreed to be the "supermodels" of the car world.
Sometimes, automakers do get quite ambitious with their sport car designs. While looking to create something unique and innovative, they bring out vehicles that completely fail to impress. Here are some European sports cars that nobody wishes to be associated with.
15 BMW Z3
The Z3's styling is either loved or hated. Most people hate it. It seems even BMW wanted to erase this car from memory, as the next BMW roadster was named Z4, a name it has kept ever since. Other than the styling, most versions of the Z3 are severely underpowered, so flooring the throttle to get away from people pointing and laughing at you for driving this thing won't actually work.
14 Maserati Quattroporte
While the fifth-generation Maserati Quattroporte looks good, it definitely does not appear to be a sports car. The Quattroporte performs well, with its ability to reach 62 mph from a standstill in 5.2 seconds. The downfall is that this stretched-out sedan has some serious reliability issues, making anyone with an ounce of common sense stay far away from it.
13 Jaguar F-Type
The Jaguar F-Type is most commonly referred to as the spiritual successor of the legendary E-type car. While the car looks neat and is exciting to drive, it hasn’t been raking in sales ever since its release. The F-Type is a somewhat failed attempt at getting the brand back to its former glory.
12 BMW 2 Series
The BMW 2 Series was extremely popular when it was first released. The car does its best to offer the basic sports car requisites – a rear-wheel-drive option, a six-speed manual transmission, and a powerful turbocharged engine, but it seems that it's no longer enough to keep the fans coming back - they're not keen on settling for these basic features alone.
11 Mercedes AMG GT
The Mercedes AMG GT was first released as a halo car – which means that the automaker pushed the limits to make the car unique in terms of technology, styling, and performance. Unfortunately, such halo cars are the ones that never bring in the sales, despite being every car lover’s fantasy. The main thing a halo car does is make people want to be associated with the brand, and therefore buy one of the lesser models where there are good profit margins.
10 Porsche 718 Boxter and Cayman
These twin cars are known for their ideal weight balance, and also for constantly bringing up debates about their unique engine setup. While the two vehicles perform very well as far as sports cars go, the Porsche enthusiasts out there lost interest when Porsche decided to fit turbocharged four-cylinder engines instead of the traditional flat-six. However, Porsche is now making six-cylinder versions as well, so it's all good.
9 Alfa Romeo 4C
The Alfa Romeo performed exceedingly well when it first released. The Italian automaker launched the coupe first and followed it up with the Spider, both of which were loved by the automotive press. Despite the praise, the 4C's sales started to dwindle after the first year, even with it being a limited-run model.
8 Ferrari California
The Ferrari California was first released in 2009 and there was a lot of buzz regarding the new look created by the automaker. Ferrari attempted to make the car look sportier with plenty of muscle accents, but people still referred to it as a "girl's Ferrari" and it never managed to live up to its name.
7 Porsche 968
The Porsche 968 boasted of all the features that a sports car must possess, except for that one standout quality that car lovers look for – design. The overall look of the car was quite dated and boring, it looked like a mix between the 944 and 928, both of which were designed during the 1970s.
6 Audi TT
When the Audi TT released in the year 1999, it was celebrated for its turbocharged motor and Quattro drivetrain. Then it turned out it was rather accident-prone at high speeds and was recalled. Today, the original TT looks dated and most car enthusiasts won't touch it with a 10-foot pole.
5 Ferrari 348
The 348 is the worst Ferrari ever made! Not only does it look dated but its interior is also nothing short of an ergonomic disaster, and the car handled like a broken shopping cart. The only good thing we can possibly say about it is that it was so bad that Ferrari had to go back to the drawing board, and it resulted in the brilliant F355.
4 Bugatti Veyron
Sure, the Bugatti Veyron is every car lover’s dream vehicle - in theory. The reality is a little different, however. The Veyron is completely impractical to own. Besides the fact that the car weighs over 4,000 lbs, it costs over $1 million, with each tire costing close to $25,000, and an oil change can cost $30,000.
3 BMW E46 M3
When it released, the BMW E46 M3 was applauded for its muscular stance, growling exhaust, and the upgraded S54 inline-six engine. To this day, most enthusiasts consider it the best M3 ever made. Unfortunately, it was plagued by issues like a poor coolant system, and there was the failed connecting rod system that led to a class-action lawsuit. Now, only hardcore BMW enthusiasts want one.
2 BMW 335i
The BMW 335i suffered from two major flaws. One was the high-pressure fuel pump spontaneously failing, which meant the engine would fail immediately. The second was premature bushing wear for the turbo wastegate, meaning it could break and that would lead to the turbo being destroyed. Don't get one unless these parts have been replaced under warranty.
1 Porsche Boxster
The Porsche Boxster has always had a reputation of being a "girl's Porsche" or the "poor man's Porsche;" however, due to its mid-engine configuration, the Boxster is actually a better handling car than the 996. Unfortunately, it has more serious issues than its image. The IMS bearing fails, and when it does, the entire engine will have to be replaced. Seeing how cheap these cars are now, you know they're gonna be used and abused by people who can't afford proper servicing.