Nowadays, it seems as if every single vehicle out there has some form of 'sports car' trim available for it. This, more often than not, will increase its price, but does it necessarily mean it's better?
Just because something is costly doesn't mean it's better than the alternatives (using finance as the barometer). You could pay as much as $2 million or as low as $100,000 and still have a car that underperforms constantly on the track.
To illustrate this point, we gathered up ten of the most expensive sports cars out there that are just awful on a racetrack.
10 Dodge Viper (Fifth Generation)
One car that was a particularly severe disappointment was the revamped Dodge that'd been on a three-year hiatus. To be specific, the 2016 facelifted fifth-generation Dodge Viper.
Apparently, Dodge didn't learn their lesson from the previous Viper models; instead they continued to fill even their highest-end trim with cheap plastics, untrustworthy parts, and more. However—giving Dodge some credit—the latest Viper ACR outperformed its previous models, so at least they improved it over time. You’ll just have to pay upwards of $120,000 for the privilege.
9 2020 Maserati Ghibli
It feels like ages since we've seen a competitive Maserati sports car on-track. Even though the Maserati GranTurismo held its own, we've been desperately hoping for another true racecar that’s like the old MC12. If that's what you're looking for, then the 2020 Ghibli isn't it, chief.
Some may jump to the Ghibli's defense by saying, "well, it's a luxury car!" Even so, the Ghibli is also a performance luxury car (emphasis on 'performance') with a Ferrari-built 3.0-liter V6. If Maserati didn't care about speed, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths to make it as quick as possible.
8 2020 Lexus RC F
Next is a car that's both expensive and good looking, yet that lacks quintessential pieces of what every sports car needs: handling and proper weight distribution. Sadly, the Lexus RC F possesses none of those characteristics.
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson summed up the RC F's performance succinctly in his review of one, pitting it against the then-current BMW M4. Not only was it slower off the line, but it also had a low top speed, poor grip around corners, too much electronic inputs and assists, and excessive weight (among other things). Clearly, it's nothing compared to the earlier Lexus LFA.
7 2020 Mercedes-Benz SL Grand Edition
In a controversial move, Diamler removed the SL63 AMG from Mercedes-Benz's lineup for the foreseeable future. In its stead is a near-identical looking version: the SL 'Grand Edition'.
The problem with the Grand Edition is this: Although it may have the designation of 'Grand Edition', it's no AMG. AMG is known for its amazing racecars and sports cars, so when they dropped the AMG badge, the result was obvious.
6 2019 Cadillac ATS-V
Sitting right beside one of Cadillac's most successful sports cars, the CTS-V, is another, more luxurious take on the family super-sedan. Of course, we're talking about the Cadillac ATS-V.
Don't let the similar names fool you. The ATS-V and CTS-V are two very different vehicles. While the CTS-V has been hailed as a grippy, track ready sports car for the whole family, the ATS-V has received a bit less of the same praise.
As we said before, the ATS-V is a comfortable, luxurious take on the regular CTS-V. So, it's no surprise that it wouldn't do as well.
5 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
American muscle cars have always had the reputation of being sluggish, boat-like sports cars when on a racing circuit. Oftentimes, they're far heavier and far less refined compared to their European competitors.
Ford attempted to break the stereotype with the Shelby GT350 and GT350R models. In the standard GT350's situation, it proved to be way better than older iterations. However, like the Viper ACR, it was only enough to impress Mustang fans, but not the racing world.
4 2020 Dodge Challenger Hellcat
While we're on the subject of muscle cars and their tendency to underperform on track, let's mention another one: the 2020 Dodge Challenger Hellcat, as well as the limited-run Challenger Demon.
To say the Hellcat isn't good on track is a little dishonest. It is good on certain tracks, such as drag strips and straight-lines. Corners, though, are another issue entirely. Yes, it has over 700-horsepower, but it's also very very heavy. As such, it's floaty around turns.
To be fair, the Hellcat wasn't advertised as a circuit racer, it was sold as a dragster. So, if that's what you want, go for it!
3 BMW 840i Gran Coupe
Similar to the Cadillac ATS-V, the 2020 BMW 840i Gran Coupe is not a bad car by any means. Rather, it's a cheaper, more luxury-focused alternative to the faster, track purpose edition. In the 840i's case, that would be the BMW M8.
The title 'Gran Coupe' is a bit of a contradiction considering that "coupe" usually means two-doors. Nevertheless, the Gran Coupe models are actually four-door, fitted with a longer wheelbase, and a non-M tuned engine.
As a result, you have a car that's both heavier and less powerful than its M-model siblings.
2 2021 Audi TTS
Speaking of lower-tier versions of more expensive sports cars, we have another example: the upcoming 2021 Audi TTS, an S-line trim version of the base Audi TT.
If you're not interested in spending upwards of $72,000 for a compact racer, then consider the cheaper TTS. As is customary with most carmakers, the TTS isn't as quick as the RS. Of course, that's obvious, but what isn't is how badly an Audi TT will understeer. Whether it be rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, many owners have reported cases of extreme understeer in the newer TT models (along with older variants, too)
1 W Motors Lykan Fenyr Super Sport
If you thought a Bugatti or Koenigsegg was expensive and outlandish, you haven't seen anything yet. Allow us to introduce you to W Motors: creator of the Lykan HyperSport (seen in the Fast and Furious franchise) and Lykan Fenyr hypercars.
According to W Motors, the Fenyr easily dusts its Lykan sibling with a top speed of 248 MPH and a 0 to 60 of about 2.8-seconds. So far so good, but that's not the end of it. Like the Lykan Hypersport, the Fenyr is a hypercar that's famous for its price rather than its speed.
Sure, it's fast on paper, but we don't know how well that will translate on the track. For the price of almost $2-million, we'd go with something different.