Hunting success in the car industry is a game of trends and advancements. With technology as a whole shifting and changing with each passing year, automakers have the tough task of not only incorporating it into their cars but predicting what the next big trend will revolve around. Of course, this applies to performance tech as much as it does the digital features.

That game is a hard one to play thanks to countless government regulations, as well as incredibly complicated corporate finances and image to consider when developing a car. Sometimes, an automaker can push through and create a car so advanced that it predicts trends by years, if not decades. Other times, though, a car can be released with no real advancements, to the point where the car is outdated as it's released.

That said, this list will include sports cars that were far ahead of their time when released and compare them to a few that were outdated the minute they hit the streets.

10 Ahead Of Its Time: Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4

Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4
via: Pinterest

Sold under many names, the Mitsubishi 3000GT was also known as the GTO, and Dodge Stealth. A tech-heavy car, to begin with, the VR-4 version was among the most advanced cars of its day.

Via Jalopnik

Very underrated compared to other Japanese sports cars of its day - like the Toyota Supra and Mazda RX-7, the 3000GT VR-4 was just as competent as them. Powered by a twin-turbocharged V6 with 300 hp (later 320), the 3000GT VR-4 was rather heavy but made up for the weight with that great power, and plenty of advanced features. Among those were an AWD system, 4 wheel steering, active aerodynamic elements (a prestigious feature today), and electronically controlled suspension among others. Seriously advanced for the '90s, the 3000GT VR-4 contains many features that are rare and desirable even today.

9 Outdated On Release: Ford Mustang (5th Generation)

2012 Ford Mustang V6
Via Autoblog

Ford's most iconic muscle car, the Mustang is still in production today with over 5 decades of history to it. While the current generation does incorporate properly modern and advanced features and design, the 5th generation of 2005 to 2015 didn't.

2012 Ford Mustang V6 Rear
Via Autoblog

While the old-school retro-inspired looks are positive on the 5th gen Mustang, it's almost ironic how they reflect the car's outdated construction. The worst offender here is the rear suspension and drivetrain, using a solid axle design that was almost entirely phased out on-road cars by the 2000s. As well, while 2010 saw the new Coyote V8 included on GT models, prior to that the aging '90s designed Modular V8 was what you got.

8 Ahead Of Its Time: Chevrolet Corvair Monza

Via Mecum Auctions

Sadly tainted by its "unsafe at any speed" reputation, the Corvair was a seriously innovative and unique car, so much so, that one feature offered on the Corvair Monza predated general acceptance of it by decades - the inclusion of a turbocharger.

Via CLASSIC.com

While not the first turbocharged production car, that honor goes to the Oldsmobile F85 Jetfire, the Corvair Monza followed it up by a matter of months. Available on the sportier, higher-end Monza trim, the Corvair began offering turbocharging in 1962, nearly doubling the standard 80 hp power output. But turbocharging wasn't the only thing that made the Corvair a uniquely advanced car, as features like an aluminum flat-6 mounted in the rear made the Corvair an innovative and beautiful machine. It was popular too, until its advanced rear suspension was found to cause instability issues in Unsafe At Any Speed - even though these issues were fixed by then, the ahead-of-its-time Corvair was no longer respected.

7 Outdated On Release: Chevrolet Monte Carlo (6th Generation)

Via Barrett-Jackson

A once great nameplate carrying NASCAR prestige, the Monte Carlo's 6th generation brought little to the table and is remembered with little fondness.

Via Barrett-Jackson

Even the '80s G-body Monte Carlos still had something going for them, namely simple muscle car construction, and RWD. The 6th generation-spanning 2000 to 2007 had very little going for it though. Debuting for the year 2000, this Monte had a cheap plastic interior and lack of any real forward-thinking features, but by far the worst part - it was FWD. Based on the thoroughly average Impala, this Monte Carlo seemed content just coasting on prior reputation, and its only redeeming feature was the inclusion of a 300 hp LS4 V8 for SS models for its final 2 years of production.

RELATED: Here's How The Chevrolet Camaro Crushed The Monte Carlo

6 Ahead Of Its Time: Renaissance Tropica

Via DriveTribe

The most hyped market segment today, electric sports cars may seem like a new thing, but back in the '90s, there was indeed one player in the industry making them.

Renaissance Tropica 3 4
via Cars&Bids

Some may remember the '70s electric-powered cheese-wedge on wheels known as the Sebring-Vanguard Citicar, and the Renaissance Tropica was the brainchild of the man who created them. With Sebring-Vanguard going under, Robert Beaumont founded Renaissance in the '90s to produce this sports car. Not all that fast, the Renaissance Tropica had a range of 50 miles, and a top speed of 60 mph. Meant more as a sporty city car, the Tropica was well ahead of the sporty EV curve but just didn't have the tech to keep up with ICE sports cars of the time.

5 Outdated On Release: Nissan 370Z

Nissan 370Z
via AutoExpress

Continuing Nissan's iconic Z nameplate, the 370Z wasn't actually outdated on release, but with each passing year, it stayed in production, got closer and closer to being yesterday's news. Jump to today, and the 370Z is still on sale after over a decade, with very little done to keep it modern.

Nissan 370Z
via Motor trend

The successor to the 350Z, the 370Z did revamp a lot of the little sports car's construction for its 2009 release. Modern for 2009, the 370Z was a fast and fun performance machine and offered good value for the money. Today though, the new 370Z isn't actually that new, with an interior that shows its age thanks to a lack of tech features that most new sports cars offer as standard. Performance too hasn't improved all that much over the decade it's been in production, and the car overall is in dire need of a replacement. Mercifully, that replacement is coming soon.

RELATED: 20 Outdated Cars That Were Still Sold After 2010 (For No Good Reason)

4 Ahead Of Its Time: Porsche 959

Front View of Porsche 959 1988
Via topspeed.com

A legend within Porsche's long history of sports car mastery, the 959 was one of the most advanced cars of its day, packed with both ultra-advanced tech, and monstrous performance.

Porsche 959 on the road
Via topspeed.com

Developed for the most insane class of rally racing ever devised - WRC Group B, the Porsche 959 was about as fast as a car could get at the time thanks to the unparalleled amount of tech inside. While it didn't make it to the Group B circuit, the 959 proved itself in the Paris Dakar rally. Twin-turbocharged, AWD, coming standard with features like adjustable suspension height and damping, as well as an off-road gear, the 959 could hit a top speed just shy of 200 mph, some seriously advanced performance and tech for its debut year of 1986.

3 Outdated On Release: Chrysler Crossfire

Via CarBuzz

One of the biggest sports car flops of the 2000s, the Chrysler Crossfire is a strangely ugly car, with a basis on a platform Mercedes had discontinued years prior.

netcarshow.com

Merging in 1998 to form DaimlerChrysler, the Crossfire was a product of both companies, with the platform it rides on being used by the Mercedes SLK. But, the SLK in question here is the R170, a platform developed in the late '90s, and killed off right as the Crossfire went on sale. Essentially a hand-me-down Mercedes wearing some ugly Chrysler clothes, the Crossfire did get a decent performance version as the SRT-6, but overall is remembered as one of the worst sports cars of the 2000s.

RELATED: Worst German Sports Cars Ever Made

2 Ahead Of Its Time: Jensen FF

Jensen-Interceptor-FF
Via: Motorbiscuit

An achievement often attributed to Audi, 4WD on a road car was a feature considered incredibly advanced on the Quattro's debut. But, decades earlier, the relatively unknown British brand Jensen had beaten Audi to the punch.

Via The Hairpin Company

Similar in looks to the more well-known Jensen Interceptor, the FF debuted in 1966 as a grand tourer that's not all that far separated from the muscle cars of its time. Powered by a big Chrysler V8 making 330 hp, the Jensen FF was seriously fast for the mid-'60s and laid that power down with a 4WD system design by Ferguson Formula (lending their initials to the FF name). Made 14 years before Audi's Quattro, the Jensen FF may have been seriously ahead of its time, but reliability issues among others doomed it to failure, with just 320 units being sold.

1 Outdated On Release: Morgan Aero 8

Via Autocar

A brand notorious for sticking to the old ways of doing things, Morgan's lineup consists of cars that look like they came straight out of 1950's Britain. The Aero 8 was a modern take on that heritage, but still used many of the traditional techniques that are today outdated - this is part of the charm though.

Via Autocar

Mostly bespoke with hand-built interior bits, the Morgan Aero 8 debuted on sale in 2007, and lasted until 2010. Using a BMW V8 engine with 367 hp, the Aero 8 is quick too, thanks to its relatively light weight. By far the most notoriously outdated part of the Morgan Aero 8 (and most of their cars) is the fact that the body structure was made from wood, with traditional techniques used for construction elsewhere across the car. This isn't actually that terrible, as Morgan positions itself as a brand that sticks to tradition, and stands out because of that purposeful old-school style.

NEXT: Morgan Combines Vintage And Modern In 2020 Plus Four