It’s always tricky judging a car by its looks. Automotive history is filled with cars that looked absolutely amazing and beautiful but, when actually put on the road, turned into messes. At the same time, some cars don’t look like much but pack a fantastic punch in engines and performance. Yet it’s striking how some manufacturers put so much work into a car’s exterior yet neglect what’s under the hood. In most cases, this meant fitting a V6 or an even smaller engine into a car meant to pack at least a V8.

It’s especially true for the period where American car manufacturing was at a low point and had several models suffering. It’s a shame as most of these cars could have become classics, but the weak engines wasted their great looks.

10 Plymouth Volare Road Runner

via Mecum

When a car is named after an animal (and cartoon character) known for its amazing speed, it should live up to it. Instead, a real roadrunner would have a better 0-to-60 time than the Plymouth Road Runner's Volare option. Replacing the original model, the V8 could only get 170 hp which, for a car weighing 3,400 pounds, meant some very slow speeds.

Incredibly, it got even worse with the 1980 model having just 120 hp and fourteen seconds to reach 60 mph. Wile E. Coyote would have no trouble catching this Road Runner.

9 1980 California Corvette

Chevrolet Corvette 1980
Via Classic Cars

Thankfully, only one state in the Union got this particular Corvette and the other 49 didn’t miss much. New environmental laws meant stricter emission rules, especially in California. This was why the 1980 Corvette C3 in that state had a 305 V8 with a woeful 180 hp.

Chevrolet Corvette 1980
Via Mecum

Maybe not too awful but considering it was a Corvette and a beaut of one at that, it seemed worse. One might expect the state with Hollywood to not be so stingy on a great car.

Related: 8 Aggressive Looking Cars That Are Hilariously Slow

8 Ford Mustang II King Cobra

A lot of muscle cars of the 1980s had a great look but never lived up to that potential. The King Cobra is a fine example. It’s beautiful and powerful and looks every inch what a muscle car should be.

Via Wikimedia

But under that otherwise perfect hood is a 5.8l V8 that somehow only produced 133 hp. To do so much remodeling to the exterior but nothing to fix the performance was awful and a key reason this car is mocked by muscle buffs. This Cobra simply had no real bite.

7 1982 Chevrolet Camaro

Via Mecum Auctions

The 1980s were not a good time for muscle cars. Thanks to stricter environmental laws and a new affinity for sports cars, muscle car development suffered. The 1982 Camaro had all the looks to make for a fantastic muscle car, terrific framework, and mixed in elements of this decade for a powerful ride.

Via Mecum Auctions

Then Chevy put a 2.5-liter four-cylinder producing 90 hp into it. The V8 option wasn't much better as there was almost no “muscle” to speak of and a reason that decade was a dark age for that style.

6 1975 Chevrolet Corvette

Chevrolet Corvette in a garage
Via classiccardb.com

One of the most gorgeous Corvettes ever, the 1975 model is also saddled with one of the surprisingly weakest engines any Corvette can possess. The 350ci V8 was affected by production issues of the time, which meant a Corvette with only 165 hp and a top speed of 129 mph.

Via classiccardb.com

That wasn’t as awful as other cars of the time yet still pales to what a V8 Corvette should be capable of. It didn’t last long as the next models enhanced the performance and a shame this engine was so disappointing.

Related: These Cars Look Fast But Are Actually Incredibly Slow

5 Pontiac Fiero

Pontiac Fiero
Via Mecum Auctions

Actually a good seller in its time, history has not been kind to the Pontiac Fiero. It looked amazing, mixing Italian-style design with some American muscle and that wedge-shaped front was striking. But then Pontiac decided to fi it with the infamous “Iron Duke” four-cylinder with a pitiful 92 hp.

Pontiac Fiero-
Via Mecum Auctions

The V6 wasn’t that much better with 140 hp as the engine weighed the car down. That’s without the numerous problems of steering and suspension that made the Fiero one of the worst used sports cars anyone could buy.

4 Chrysler Sebring

via autoevolution

It’s baffling when a car screaming out for a terrific V8 gets stuck with a V6. Amazingly, a few options for the Chrysler Sebring even had a V4, which is baffling given that this car looks all set for a terrific racing drive.

via AutoEvolution

On paper, the 3.0-liter SOHC V6 put out 200 hp, but after roughly 60,000 miles, the oil drops are awful. A V8 would have turned this into a terrific sports car rather than the low-level rider it is.

Related: 5 Fast Cars That Look Slow (And 5 That Look Fast But Are Slow)

3 3rd & 4th Generation Oldsmobile Toronado

via: cargurus.com

For a car that sounds like a storm involving high winds, you’d expect some speed. The earlier models were notable for some great V8 engines packing major muscle power. But then came the infamous "Big Diesel" era V8 that ruined the car's reputation with only 110 mph. 

via: pinterest.com

The 4th generation of 1986-1992 was worse in many ways with a lack of a V8 option. It's a shame a once-great muscle car faded badly as the decades went on.

Related: These Are The Slowest Cars In 2021

2 DeLorean DMC12

DeLorean DMC-12 parked outside
Via pinterest.com

As Doc Brown said, “if you’re going to make a time machine out of a car, why not do it with some style?” Yes, the DeLorean had that style with those gullwing doors and some spectacular design work to become famous. Too bad a regular sedan could outrun it.

DeLorean DMC-12 in a parking
Via motor1.com

A 2.85-liter V6 in the DeLorean translated into a pitiful performance that could barely equal the cost. It’s why the DeLorean is one of the more infamous flops in auto history as getting this to 88 mph in a minute was true science fiction.

1 Plymouth Prowler

Plymouth Prowler
via Pinterest

It’s a downright tragedy a car this gorgeous flopped. The Plymouth Prowler boasted a stunning retro design, mixing in old-school elements but a modern edge. It looks for all the world like a car ready to rip down the road at high speeds...until it starts.

Plymouth Prowler on the road
Via roadandtrack.com

Putting a 3.5-liter V6 producing 253 horsepower into a car this large meant a top speed of just 126 mph. This could have been a fantastic hit but that too weak engine meant the Prowler didn’t roam as it should have.

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