There's a whole lot of things manufacturers have to consider when pricing their cars. The type of car, size, design, materials used to make it, types of equipment it has, historical significance, and power are some of the factors that can determine how cheap or expensive a vehicle is.
The fastest sports cars typically command the highest prices, but that's not always the case. Over the years, manufacturers have produced extremely expensive cars that don't go as fast as their price tags suggest. On the other hand, manufacturers have built various affordable cars that pack a serious punch. Read on as we explore five ridiculously expensive but slow cars versus five fast ones that don't cost too much.
10 Fast But Affordable: Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
The Corvette is undoubtedly one of the most iconic American cars ever. However, the Corvette hasn't always been great throughout its seven-decade history. In fact, the '70s to' 80s era was horrible for the Corvette, as emission regulations had forced Chevrolet to downgrade its power and speed.
But in 1990, Chevrolet finally figured out how to make Corvettes fast again and won back its fans with the fantastic ZR-1. The ZR-1 had a 5.7-liter LT5 under the hood cranking out 405 HP, giving it a top speed of 180 MPH. The ZR-1 was so fast that it could outrun some European sports cars nearly twice its price. Chevrolet built nearly 7,000 C4 ZR-1s, and surviving examples cost around $20,000.
9 Slow But Expensive: DeLorean DMC-12
The DeLorean DMC-12 needs no introduction. Anyone who grew up in the '80s probably had this car's poster hanging in their room, as it had an eye-catching wedge-shaped design with gullwing doors. The DeLorean is also one of the most popular movie cars, having played a key role in the Back to the Future franchise.
The DeLorean had one major flaw, though. It was seriously underpowered. It had a 2.85-liter V6 producing just 130 horsepower, giving it a 0-60 MPH time of 8.8 seconds and a top speed of 109 MPH. These figures are not enough to justify the $37,000 these cars command today.
8 Fast But Affordable: 2006 Pontiac GTO
Most gearheads immediately think of a powerful '60s muscle car when someone mentions the Pontiac GTO. However, the 2006 GTO was far from that — it was essentially a rebadged Holden Monaro.
GM Chairman Bob Lutz wanted to revive the iconic GTO nameplate in the 2000s, so he convinced the executive hierarchy to allow him to rebadge one of the best-selling cars manufactured by GM's Australian subsidiary Holden. The 2006 GTO came with a 6.0-liter LS2 V8 with 400 HP on tap, allowing it to reach 180 MPH. Unfortunately, the 2006 GTO was a commercial failure, which is why they are affordable today.
7 Slow But Expensive: Morgan Plus Four
British automaker Morgan has a different approach when it comes to building sports cars. Morgan designs look like they were penned 50 years ago, have wooden frames, and generally feel like they come from an entirely different universe. The Plus Four is no different.
Introduced in 2020, the Plus Four has a similar design to its predecessors and is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four with 255 HP. Even though the car weighs just 2,224 pounds, it tops out at just 118 MPH. This is incredibly slow, but those willing to pay almost $70,000 for the Plus Four are not looking for speed.
6 Fast But Affordable: Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4
Japanese manufacturers were dominating the '90s with their fast and affordable sports cars. Honda gave us the awe-inspiring NSX, Toyota improved the Supra drastically, and Mitsubishi built the 3000GT. Known as the GTO in Japan and the Dodge Stealth in the US, the 3000GT has a proper performance car design that gearheads still love today.
It's powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 pumping out 320 horses and 315 pound-feet of torque. The 3000GT has a top speed of 165 MPH despite weighing 3,737 pounds.
5 Slow But Expensive: Ferrari Dino 246 GT
Introduced in 1969, the Dino 246GTS is one of the highest-produced Ferrari's ever, with 3,761 examples built during its 5-year production run. The Dino — named after Enzo Ferrari's son — had a gorgeous design penned by Pininfarina featuring soft edges and curving lines.
The Dino 246GTS was different in many ways. Unlike other V12-engined Ferraris produced at the time, the 246GTS had a 2.4-liter V6 producing 175 HP. It took more than 7 seconds to reach 60 MPH and had a top speed of 146 MPH, which was terrible for a Ferrari.
4 Fast But Affordable: Porsche Cayman 987
In the '90s, Porsche noticed a growing demand for affordable sports cars, largely thanks to the proliferation of Japanese sports cars like the Supra and NSX. Not wanting to get left behind, Porsche introduced what is nicknamed the poor man's Porsche — the Boxster. The topless Boxster soon got a tin-top sibling, the Porsche Cayman.
Even though the Cayman 987 was one of the cheapest European sports cars in the 2000s, it still had a 262-HP flat-six under the hood and could top out at 165 MPH. The icing on the cake was the mid-engined layout that made it extremely fun to drive.
3 Slow But Expensive: Rolls-Royce Ghost
The Rolls-Royce Ghost is one of the most expensive sedans available today. It starts at $337,850 and can go up to nearly $500,000, depending on the buyer's options. When paying almost $500,000 for a car, one would expect to leave every other car in their dust.
However, that's not the case. Powered by a 6.6-liter V12 engine, the Ghost takes almost 5 seconds to accelerate to 60 MPH and has a top speed of 155 MPH. To put it into perspective, the Ghost would get absolutely destroyed in a race with the Corvette C8, which costs a sixth of its price.
2 Fast But Affordable: 2000 Aston Martin DB7
The demand for affordable sports cars was extremely high in the '90s, so Aston Martin introduced the DB7 to capitalize. Aston Martin's plan worked like a charm, as the DB7 ended up becoming their highest-produced model ever, with over 7,000 examples built over a 10-year production run.
Just because the DB7 was the cheapest Aston doesn't mean that it was slow. Buyers could get one with a supercharged six-cylinder engine producing 335 HP or a 5.9-liter V12 producing 414 HP. A 186-MPH top speed was more than enough.
1 Slow But Expensive: Fisker Karma
The Karma is a luxury sedan developed by Fisker Automotive in 2012 before it went under in 2013. The Karma was the first car produced by Fisker Automotive and was developed as a plug-in hybrid to compete in the then-new EV market. The Karma was well-received at first, largely thanks to its sleek design that actually looked like the concept version.
However, people soon realized its flaw — despite having a total output of 403 horsepower from Dual 150 kWh electric motors and a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Karma only had a 125-MPH top speed. A price tag of over $100,000 seemed too high for such a slow car.