Supercars are easily the most desirable vehicles out there. They are fast, technologically advanced and extremely inaccessible. You have to be someone to afford a supercar - and we don't mean just being wealthy.
Supercars are complicated vehicles that require you to know what you're doing when you get behind the wheel. Even though most supercars are usually seen in the rich neighborhoods of London, Dubai, and Los Angeles, where they truly belong is the racetrack.
But most doesn't mean all. There are plenty of supercars that seemingly hold up to their status in terms of luxury, power, and pricing but simply don't perform like they should when pushed to the limit. In this article, we've compiled a few of these special automobiles that, while unique, beautiful, and expensive, simply don't belong on a track - for better or for worse.
15 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Somehow, the SLR McLaren got somewhat lost in the annals of history. And that's a shame, as it was one of the hottest cars when it first came out in 2003. Designed by Mercedes in collaboration with McLaren, it had all the supercar credentials: a whopping 617 horsepower, butterfly doors, and exhaust tips right behind the front wheels.
With the 0-60 time of 3.4 seconds, it was an extremely fast car for 2003. However, its performance was somewhat limited by an old-school 5-speed automatic transmission and almost 4,000 pounds of weight - a combination that doesn't work well on the track.
14 Aston Martin Vantage Le Mans
If you need any proof that Aston Martin back in the day is nothing like Aston Martin today, look no further than the Vantage Le Mans. It was the final version of the 1989 Virage. It was big, heavy and not agile at all - but it made up for all that with raw power, 604 horses of it, to be exact. At 3.9 seconds from 0 to 60 and a top speed of 199 mph, it was a fast car - but only in a straight line.
13 Bugatti Veyron
Yes, the ubiquitous Veyron. At this point, it doesn't even make much sense to write about this car. You already know all the details: the fastest car in the world at the time, 1,001 hp, ten radiators, et cetera. Truthfully, the Veyron was designed with two things in mind: top speed and excess. Bugatti probably knew that their customers wouldn't dare to take their Veyron to the racetrack (except if it's a drag strip).
The reason: it's just not a very small car, nor a lightweight one either. With 175.7 inches of length and over 4,300 pounds of weight, it's hard to fight the laws of physics - no matter how much power you have. No, it will not perform poorly, but many will still be disappointed by how this luxury grand tourer fares on the track nevertheless.
12 Lamborghini Aventador
In its nature, the Aventador is very similar to the Veyron - although, not as excessive. It's another emblematic supercar that came to define Lamborghini when it was first released in 2011. Once again, it's got a ton of power - 690 hp and up, but even that power is not enough to make the Aventador nimble. At 4,085 pounds, 188.2 inches of length and whole 79.9 inches of width, it's a pretty big car that will feel like an elephant on the track.
11 Ferrari Testarossa
The Ferrari Testarossa is one of those 1980s classics that you either love or hate. While styling is, of course, very subjective, we find its looks beautiful, iconic and definitely supercar-worthy. And it really was one back in its heyday! 385 horsepower from 4.9-liter flat-12, a 0-60 time of only 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph are healthy numbers even today. However, its bulky size and questionable 80s Ferrari reliability (especially in the engine compartment) should make you think twice about showing up to the track in a white linen suit.
10 Mitsuoka Orochi
Commonly referred to as the ugliest car ever made, it's certainly a polarizing conversation topic among car enthusiasts. Aesthetics aside, it certainly looks like a capable supercar - except that it doesn't have the performance to back up those looks. The Orochi is powered by a 3.3-liter Toyota V6, lifted straight out of a Camry. At 233 hp, it's not exactly powerful, even though it was based on the legendary Honda NSX.
9 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
As we know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree - and the Mercedes SLS didn't fall from its predecessor, the SLR. Both were instant classics when they came out, both ventured into supercar territory but ended up becoming overpowered grand tourers. As we've mentioned before, it's hard to battle to laws of physics on the track, and the nose-heavy, bulky SLS wouldn't feel as comfortable there.
8 Vector M12
Diving into obscure supercars, next up we have the Vector M12. Unlike its more known predecessor, the W8 which was mostly original, the M12 was based on the Lamborghini Diablo. And by based we mean hastily thrown together from poorly-made parts and without serious quality control.
7 DeLorean DMC-12
Say what you want, but we believe that the DeLorean was a true supercar with almost all of the credentials. Why almost? Because one essential thing that was missing was the performance. The DeLorean was fitted with a 2.85-liter Peugeot-Renault-Volvo V6 that only made a measly 130 horsepower. That's enough for impressing people at car shows but absolutely inappropriate for the track.
6 Lykan HyperSport
There is plenty of small-scale, relatively unknown supercar manufacturers that fail to get the spotlight - but Lykan is not one of them. After all, it's the first Middle Eastern supercar manufacturer and their HyperSport was famously featured in the Fast & Furious franchise. Still, jumping from one building to another is not enough for a supercar to prove itself capable of real challenges, and we'd advise against taking it to the track. No offense to W Motors, but it was their first-ever car, after all.
5 Dodge Viper
Don't get us wrong: the Viper is not a bad supercar by any means. In fact, it's quite iconic - particularly for its unforgiving handling with no safety assists and tremendous power. The early Viper models are especially notorious for how hard they are to control. This is precisely the reason why you shouldn't track it - unless you're an extremely experienced driver.
4 BMW i8
One could say that the BMW i8 is somewhat of a spiritual successor to the DeLorean. Sure, it's got the looks of a supercar - hello, butterfly doors - but it doesn't have enough power to classify as one. 369 horsepower from a turbocharged three-cylinder and an electric motor is a healthy number, of course. Still, we would expect more from the i8's looks. It simply doesn't belong on a track.
3 Lamborghini Countach
There are two types of people in this world: the ones who had a Testarossa poster on their wall when they were kids in the 1980s, and the ones who hung up a Countach. Arguably one of the most influential supercars of all time, the Countach came to define Lamborghini as the car company that we know today. And just like the Lamborghinis of today, the Countach was always more of a display of excess than a track-focused car. The terrible visibility, notoriously heavy clutch and spotty reliability made sure of that.
2 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye
There is hardly a more fascinating story in the history of American automobiles than the transition of the Challenger from an average muscle car to a true sports car. Yes, we've said it: it's a supercar. Because what else could it be with 717 horsepower? The only problem is that those horses are only useful in a straight line. The Hellcat never liked turns due to the brutal rear-wheel power and hefty weight. The only track you should take it to is the drag strip.
1 Marussia B2
You might not know what that this car even is, but the Marussia is a very significant car - at least for Russia, where it originates from. In fact, it was Russia's first proper sports car from its first proper sports car company. The B2 featured an aggressive supercar-like design and a 2.8-liter turbo V6 developed by Cosworth that made 420 horsepower.
Sadly, as it usually happens with Russian cars, the build quality and reliability were questionable. And as we know, it's never a good idea to test these qualities on the racetrack.