Modern-day motoring for the majority of people is bound by a number of commonly shared factors, things that dictate what style and type of vehicle are chosen to suit a driver's purpose or need. On the whole, car manufacturers identify the two largest points of interest for buyers to be practicality and economy, which is why vehicles like the super cool Toyota Aygo X compact crossover dominate certain markets.
Yet some manufacturers will ignore the current public fads, turning a nose up to what the masses want to deliver a vehicle that is both uneconomical and highly impractical. Usually restricted to the wild stylings of a motor show one-off concept vehicles, like the all-new Chevy Beast, these crazy cars occasionally make it into production either via limited runs or through bespoke manufacturers.
Springing from the minds of automotive designers who aren't restricted by the prospect of requiring to sell a million units or to satisfy the needs of a tight design brief, these motoring anomalies let loose into the wild. Often limited by their asking prices, availability, or just the outlandish off-the-wall design features that keep them from being accepted by the mainstream car buyer, here are 10 of the least practical cars money can buy.
10 Veritas RS III
Looking like a land-going shark on wheels, the radically designed Veritas is powered by a BMW V10 5.0-liter engine spitting out 507 hp, allowing it to swallow the 0-60 mph dash whole in as little as 3.1 seconds.
With only a single seat, no creature comforts to speak of, with even the windscreen being an optional extra, the 2010 super sports coupe weighed in at close to half a million dollars offering very little for quite a lot.
9 KTM X-Bow
DReamt up by Austrian motorcycle aficionados KTM, the X-Bow could be likened to a 2.0-liter turbocharged track focused carbon fiber bath tub designed for those who have far more money than actual sense.
A stripped-out road racer, the XBow has zero frills, nothing in the way of storage, and seats that resemble branded slivers of foam. A nightmare to get in and out of, the KTM is about as practical as a chocolate fireguard.
8 Dallara Stradale
The first road-going product from Italian motorsport chassis manufacturer Dallara, the Stradale, although breathtaking to look at, has no doors and in Spider form, no front screen. Basically, it is ideal for those who like the taste of bugs.
Once having dropped into the spartan cabin, drivers can expect to have zero rear visibility thanks to non-adjustable mirrors. It also offers a bone-shaking ride, plus a less than Italian rasp from the boring 2.3-liter Ford derived powerplant which hardly warrants the cars $150,000 asking price.
7 Gumpert Apollo
Essentially a road-legal race car, the Apollo is a 4.2-liter twin-turbo monster whose V8 kicks out 641 hp. That's enough to give the car the ability to hit 60 mph in 3.0 seconds before running on to a ridiculous top speed of 220 mph.
All highly impressive statistics, but where in the world can all of that performance be legally unleashed? Outside of a racetrack, the Apollo is simply an overpowered posing pouch that would likely get stuck in every car park it enters.
6 Mercedes-Benz G63 6X6
Advertised by Mercedes-Benz as the ultimate go-anywhere civilian vehicle, the $1.3 million G63 begs the question that if you need 6x6 wheel drive, should you be driving there in the first place?
With a 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine making 544 hp, the 6x6 is a colossal vehicle that is 20 feet in length has the turning circle of an ocean liner, making it impossible to drive in any actual civilian setting.
5 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm
Based on the fantastic Giulia GTA, the $200,000 GTAm version is a track-focused road-legal tool that, thanks to all the additional enhancements and trimmings, Alfa Romeo has rendered completely impractical for real-world use.
The limited-edition stripped-out sedan is powered by a 533 hp 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6. It has four doors but only a single seat with a racing harness, and will hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. It's a ballistic sedan with zero daily functionality.
4 Praga R1R
Sounding like it was named after an overpriced coffee, the Praga is yet another vehicle dreamed up under the guise of being a fully legal road-going racecar. However, like most such creations, it is actually more at home on a private racetrack than a crowded city center.
With the steering column splitting the pedal layout, drivers are forced to left foot brake, which is easier said than done, especially on a highway. Plus, getting in then out again requires at least 6 months of weight loss and Olympic level gymnastics training.
3 MacLaren 765T
Listed as a Super Series flagship, the ultra-rapid 765T musters up a whopping 755 hp thanks to a 4.0-liter V8 that breathes through two huge turbochargers. If you blink as you bury the throttle, you'll miss 60 mph as it disappears in 2.6 seconds.
Despite offering a civilized cockpit that is wrapped in Alcantara, this is not a car that you can jump into to pop to the shops due to its immense reserves of power, access limiting ride height, and those attention-grabbing looks.
2 Renault Twizy
Distinctively French, the Renault Twizy looks more like a kooky concept special constructed to draw the eye at a motor show and not a real-life production model that could actually be bought and used.
Powered by an electric 17 hp motor, the Twizy was originally sold with open scissor-style doors meaning that you'd get cold and wet depending on the weather, whilst range was limited to a measly 50 miles before needing a 4-hour recharge.
1 Tramontana
A bold and wild project born from a concept vehicle, the Spanish-built Tramontana comprises a 5.5-liter Mercedes-Benz sourced V12 twin-turbo engine spitting out 710 hp housed in a single lightweight single-seater futuristic-looking shell.
With a hood badge made from solid white gold, the extravagant Tramontana is more like a fighter jet with wheels. Fast, cramped, and completely useless to anyone who wants to use it outside the realms of a closed circuit.