Some cars are just massively produced for one and only one purpose only: go from point A to point B. With an engine as powerful as a blender, those cars are not considered to be racecars for the vast majority of the population. More often than not, when the said cars are being modified, car fans shake their heads looking at all the stickers and oversized spoiler applied on the street-legal lawnmowers.
Some tuners, however, enjoy creating monstrosities (in a good way). They take normally slow cars and turn them into quarter-mile ready cars. Seeing a Golf facing off an Audi R8 might seem highly illogical for the uneducated car fan. However, it is well known that some slow cars are just what car aficionados call "sleeper cars". If you're not careful enough and think that your 350hp combined with your mediocre gear shifting skills will assure you a win, then take a look at the following cars.
10 Volvo 242 Turbo
Volvo is known for being suburban moms' favorite cars. Thanks to high safety ratings and decent MRSPs, Volvo cars are by definition the go-to vehicles for 40/50 something-year-old women. It is also quite common to see the same Volvo cars being driven by bubbly girls at popular colleges in Southern California. A decent entertainment system and enough room for a tent and other festival items make Volvo cars good starter cars.
Though Volvo cars are not known for being the fastest cars on the market, the 242 does have a sport version (the GT) that develops a shy 138hp. It is less powerful than a newer Honda Civic. A car fan owns one juiced up 242 and claims that it produces a calming 740hp. That is faster than some of the stock 2020 M5 or C63.
9 Ford Crown Victoria
The Ford "Crown Vic'" is every driver's nightmare. Seeing one in your rearview mirrors will have you look at the speedometer once or twice. Being Highway Patrol's staple, the Crown Victoria is not always synonymous with performance. Most of the time, the Crown Victoria means trouble.
What is widely unknown is that the later editions of the Crown Victoria come with a 4.6L V8, which is a similar engine as the 2000 Mustang GT. As sad as it will sound, the V8 only produces 224hp. There is however a beastly modded Crown Vic equipped with a Kenne Bell Supercharger among other goodies. The Evil Vic can be found on YouTube beating Cobras.
8 Lincoln Navigator
The Lincoln Navigator is known to be a luxurious SUV intended to take the family to a ski trip to Aspen or a nice weekend getaway to the summer house near Lake Tahoe. Though far from being slow, the 3.5L twin-turbocharged developing 450hp may not be enough for some drivers out there.
Legendary Texan tuner Hennessey decided to inject a healthy dose of steroids in the Navigator to bring the power from 450hp to 600hp. Though the market is increasingly being flooded by outrageously fast SUVs, the Navigator is one of a kind given its massive size and engine block. Hennessey did more than just adding more stallions to the Navigator. It applied the same treatment to the Escalade as well as the Yukon Denali.
7 Mitsubishi Eclipse
The Mitsubishi Eclipse became extremely popular thanks to the movie Fast And Furious. In fact, the green Eclipse found in the movie has had a tremendous impact on the JDM scenes worldwide. Though nothing special when stock, the Eclipse has tremendous capacities as far as customizing is concerned.
Whether tuners want to give it a street racing appearance or a straight drag ready monster look, the Eclipse is highly modular and can be decently customized regardless of one's budget. The most popular trim, the GSX (due to it being AWD), can be modded to a decent 600hp (and for the craziest and wealthiest tuners, over 800hp). That is a lot, considering the fact the GSX only produces 210hp stock. It is not the slowest car on the market, but 210hp is not that exhilarating.
6 Smart Brabus 125R
The Smart cars are by definition small, city-friendly, and gas-saving vehicles. The two-seater is the perfect car to navigate easily within a metropolis and go from the office to a meeting without having to stress over finding a parking spot. Though very useful in an urban environment, the Smart is far from being a thunderbolt on the road.
Noticing the need for speed of some city dwellers, Brabus cooked up the 125R. The Smart car is tiny and therefore light. As a result, the 125hp turns this microcar into a real monster. However, the 125R remains a sign of utter wealth as it costs around $50,000 which is about the same price as an AMG or M-Powered BMW.
5 Dodge Neon SRT4
The Dodge Neon SRT4 is by far one of the most disappointing sports car Dodge ever released. The 2.4L 4-cylinder produces a sad 230hp stock. Compared to the SRT8 engine, the SRT4 is plainly boring. Moreover, the Neon SRT4 does not look as aggressive and mean as the Challenger or Charger SRT8.
Despite its flaws, the SRT4 has great potential to become a respectable drag car. Its 4-cylinder engine can be modded to 700hp similarly to this SRT4. It is unclear whether the SRT4 can truly rival a Subaru Impreza STI or Mitsubishi Evo X. What is sure is that the Neon SRT4 is not a lost cause. It will just require a large amount of money and time.
4 Volkswagen Golf MK2
The Volkswagen Golf is known for being a decent car for middle-income families and first-time drivers. With trim such as the GTI and most recently the R version, the Golf has been able to conquer the hearts of various demographics.
What is widely unknown in the world of normal people (aka not car fans) is that Golf cars have so much potential that they can be transformed into small German rocket ships. It is quite common to bump into 800hp and more Golf cars. With such a modular nature, it is quite understandable why tuners, whether professional or amateurs, tend to look at the Golf as a good base for a project.
3 Saab 93
Saab went out of business despite numerous attempts to revive the Swedish car manufacturer. In 2012, Saab called it quits. Over the years, Saab released some of the greatest Swedish sleeper cars on the market. The 93 Viggen was already ahead of its time when it was first released.
One of the latest versions of the Saab 93 includes a 2.8L V6 that cranks out 280hp. That is not bad at all. The 93 is the definition of a sleeper car as it does not look like a sports car at all. As a matter of fact, the 93 looks like a typical small sedan driven by a young family. This 93, however, is demonic with its engine developing a humbling 1000hp.
2 Mazda Miata
Being among the preferred cars in the JDM scene, the Miata has been at the forefront of the custom car culture. The Miata, with its acceptable 2.0L 4-cylinder engine, only produces 181hp. That is correct for a car that size but not enough for a 2.0L engine.
With a history of being a small Japanese street racer, the Miata has had custom parts ranging from an oversized turbo to a door handle. It is quite easy to find parts for the Miata, though pushing its engine to 700hp and more will set you back a few hundred thousand dollars.
1 Honda Civic
The Honda Civic. The most basic starter car ever. Most car fans and tuners would simply laugh at Civic owners. Although it is correct that the Civic is a glorified lawnmower, it can also be an incredible machine when finely tuned.
Its tiny engine can be either removed and replaced by a nice sized engine or modded to the point that it is no longer a Honda engine. Some Honda cars have traded their fuel economy for a better time on the quarter-mile. It is now common to see 300hp and up Civics on the freeway. However, most 800hp and up Civics tend to belong to the track.