Think you know your cars? Check out this list of 10 fun, amazing, or just plain weird European cars that have been made over the years. Although each follows its own formula to get there, they all share the same goal: evoke feelings of exclusivity, joy, and exhilaration in their owners.
These micro-manufacturers only turn out a handful to a couple hundred units a year, but each is loaded with all the style, luxury, speed and impressive tech you’d expect from their astronomical MSRPs. So read on to discover 10 cars (some currently in production, some not) that you’ve likely never heard of – but are definitely worth a look.
10 Alpine A110
Back in the 1960s and ‘70s, a tiny French car company named Alpine turned out some stunningly beautiful cars based on the running gear of Renault 8. Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Renault, Alpine is once again building the A110 to rave reviews. The modern version not only recalls the original in appearance, but the ethos remains the same: light, tossable cars that are fun to drive.
The current A110 features aluminum construction, mid-engine layout, low weight and a dual-clutch 7-speed automatic transmission that all work together to deliver a better power-to-weight ratio than a Porsche Cayman and handling that, while softly sprung, carves like nothing else. It’s a seriously fun car that won’t break the bank, but that you also won’t see every day. That’s a combination that’s getting hard to find on either side of the Atlantic.
9 Artega Scalo
This German brand hasn’t been around long, but what they’ve accomplished in just 12 years is nothing short of amazing. The successor to the Artega GT, this rear-wheel-drive electric coupe can blast from 0-60 in 3.6 seconds, travel up to 250 miles, and fully recharge in less than an hour.
It’s wrapped in a polyurethane and carbon body that’s as beautiful as it is efficient, explaining why the Artego Scalo Superelletra won the German Design Council’s prestigious Automotive Brand Contest in 2017. The car was summed up as, “The best of two worlds – progressive German technology and Italian flair. High tech meets traditional craftsmanship.”
8 Cizeta-Moroder V16T
What do you get when you put automotive engineer Claudio Zampoli, musician Giorgio Moroder and famed car designer Marcello Gandini together? A car that lightly resembles the Lamborghini Diablo, but out-outrageous-es it with a 540-horsepower, V-16 DOHC engine transversely mounted in rear-mid-engine configuration, the largest tires in the world at the time, and a list price in 1991 of $600,000.
In total, just nine cars were built (two for the Sultan of Brunei) before a world recession put an end to production. Cars number 10 & 11 were left unfinished and languished in storage in Detroit for years. But if interested, you may still be able to purchase a Cizeta-Moroder V16T, because there’s a U.S. Cizeta website offering the chance to order a car for $800,000. Considering the rate of inflation since 1991, that could be considered a very good price.
7 Donkervoort D8 GTO-40
If the Donkervoort D8 GTO-40 reminds you of the Lotus 7, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, Donkervoort got his start in the car business in 1978 as the Dutch importer of a certain S7 kit car. But the kit lacked the necessary approval to be driven on Dutch roads and chassis modifications were required. Since he had to modify the car anyway, Donkervoort decided to go all-in and make any changes he felt would improve the car.
Over the years, Donkervoort lightened, strengthened and streamlined his cars, even as he added more power, creating the beast you now see: capable of 0-60 in 2.7 seconds, and a top speed of 168 mph.
6 Mazzanti Evantra
The Mazzanti Evantra is high-tech throwback to Italian cars of the 60’s and 70’s. Just five are made per year. And as you would expect with such low production, there are many things about the car that can be tailored to your desires. Want bespoke styling? Mazzanti artisans can hand-hammer certain portions of the aluminum body into a one-of-kind shape. Have a thing for exotic leathers? You can specify interior materials, colors and finishes for your 1-of-5 creation.
The car uses a boxed steel frame linked to an internal roll cage for crash-worthiness, rather than a carbon tub as so many modern supercars do. And taking yet another cue from low-production Italian masterpieces of yore, the Evantra uses V8 power – a 7.0 Liter aluminum V8 producing a normally-aspirated 751 horsepower that propels the car from 0-60 in under 3 seconds. If you want a modern car with the pageantry of a classic, look no further.
5 PGO Cevennes
PGO is France’s typically weird take on low-volume car manufacturing. Looking for all the world like an ungainly Porsche 365 that’s been dragged into the modern day, the Cevennes takes a different approach, putting “style” over performance. Powered by a turbo-chaged, 1.6-liter inline 4-cylinder from BMW developing 181-horsepower, the Cevennes won’t be keeping up with any other car here, but that’s not the point. Discovering, “sensations that come from the harmonious distribution between reconstructed past and assumed modernity,” (whatever that means) is.
In a refreshing throwback, the Cevennes is available with a 6-speed stick (!) and can be personalized through a variety of colors, two-tone finishes inside and out, and a few performance items that don’t seem to be street-legal. Vive La France!
4 Rimac Concept One
If you’ve heard of Rimac, Croatia’s finest car company, it’s mostly likely thanks to Richard Hammond crashing a Concept One during filming of Amazon’s The Grand Tour in 2017. Pushing 1,224 horsepower to all four wheels through individual electric motors, the Concept One also pushes the boundaries of the believable thanks to instant full torque from a standstill. It goes 0-62 in 2.5 seconds, has a top speed of 220 mph, and a range of 217 miles per charge.
Speed and performance aside, the Rimic Concept One has also proven itself to be an exceptional car to park yourself in, as Richard Hammond lived to be the butt of countless jokes by his co-hosts after surviving a 100-foot fall when he lost control of the car.
3 Vencer Sarthe
Billed as, “Last of the Breed – Analogue. Involving. Rewarding,” the Netherlands gives us the Vencer Sarthe: an old-school approach to modern driving enjoyment. So, if you can’t drive stick, this ain’t the car for you. If you need computers to help keep you on the road, this ain’t the car for you. But if you enjoy raw power, speed and the uncanny handling that only highly engineered yet lightweight cars can deliver, this may be the car for you.
With a supercharged, 6.3-liter V8 producing 622 horsepower, the Sarthe blasts from 0-62 in 3.6 seconds on its way to a 209 mph top speed. But it will blast you back to the iconic cars racing at Le Mans in the 1980s much faster than that.
2 Ultima EVO Convertible
Nobody does hand-built sports cars like the Brits. It’s almost as if the ability to bend and twist steel and wood and vinyl and leather and fiberglass into the shape of an open two-seater is baked into every baby at birth. So the Ultima Evo Convertible comes as no surprise. Absolutely zero. But what might be a surprise is that Ultima played a role in the development of the McLaren F1. That’s some fine pedigree right there, and an indicator of how good the Evo is to drive.
In a nod to convenience and whim, the convertible comes with three different setups: standard height windshield, racing-style fly screen for more wind in the hair, and a hard-top retractable targa roof with gullwing doors for those no-wind-in-the-hair days. It also comes with one of three motors: a 480-horsepower LS3 V8, 700-horsepower LS 7, or the absolutely insane 1,020-horsepower, supercharged LS8, that rockets the Evo from 0-60 in 2.3 seconds (0-150 in 8.9 seconds) and on to a top speed of over 240 mph. Whatever it is that makes the British so good at this kind of stuff, let’s hope it never changes.
1 Zenvo TSR-S
Zenvo is Denmark’s entry into the rarefied world of supercars, and the TSR-S is a cross between their GT and racing cars. Another manufacturer that completes just five cars a year, you’re certain to never see another car like yours – even at the factory – as each one is finished to the owner’s specifications. The TSR-S is easily distinguished from the other two versions by its giant rear spoiler that functions as both an air brake and stabilizer for cornering by rotating longitudinally to generate inward force as well as downforce. This boosts inner tire adhesion and leads to much higher cornering speeds.
In another indicator of its dual race and street nature, the TSR-S has adjustable ride height: lower it for maximum aerodynamic efficiency and stability, or raise it 2 inches to help clear speed bumps and curb cuts. But let’s not gloss over the most important part – the TS stands for Twin Supercharged – and the 5.8-liter flat-plane crank motor creates 1,177-horsepower channeled to the rear through a 7-speed, ultra-fast paddle-shift gearbox. The result is 0-62 in 2.8 seconds, and 0-124 in 6.8 seconds. So, whether you’re looking for a better lap time at the Nürburgring, or a quick cup of coffee, it’ll deliver.