One-hundred thousand dollars can get you a lot, particularly with cars. Although such an amount won't get you any multi-million dollar hypercars or historical antiques, you'll still have a choice between plenty of suitable alternatives that are more than powerful enough.
However, just as there are fast $100,000 sports cars, there are slow ones too. With a price-tag mostly held up by the manufacturer it's attached to or its limited production number, these models don't necessarily need their speed to sell anymore. Even if they did, they'd be demolished by newer, more technologically advanced replacements.
The way we see it, if you're going to fork over anything greater than one-hundred thousand bucks on a singular vehicle, you'd want it to be quick at the very least.
So, to showcase how not all expensive sports cars are necessarily fast, we've gathered ten cars that are far too slow for their price tags.
10 1999 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Le Mans V600 Coupe - 185 MPH
As we stated in the introduction, a lot can contribute to a car's price, regardless of its speed. As previously mentioned, a limited production number can significantly jack up the price. Case and point, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Le Mans V600 Coupe.
The Le Mans V600 isn't just a mouthful of a name, it's also a lifetime's savings worth of cash. As of the writing of this piece, a handful of V600s are for sale, many of which are well beyond $300,000. Well, making just forty units will do that to the supply-and-demand curves.
9 2014 Audi R8 4.2 Quattro Spyder – 185 MPH
As controversial as it might sound, not all Audi R8s are equal. It's the truth, however, as evidenced by the significant power divide between the 4.2-liter R8 and the V10 one.
Where the V10 Plus trim on the Audi R8 excels, the 4.2-liter V8 leaves a lot to be desired. We'll concede that the V8 is less expensive than a V10, but (at that point) there's no reason to not just go for the extra two cylinders.
If you manage to find one for a good deal—perhaps under $100,000—don't expect it to dust any other supercars any time soon.
8 Lamborghini Diablo – 200 MPH
After Ferrari attained the 200 MPH goal with the F40 supercar, Lamborghini wasn't just going to sit by and let 'em keep it. Their response? The Lamborghini Diablo.
Technically, the Diablo didn't need to consistently break 200 MPH; it just needed to get there when tested. As such, the Diablo eked out a better figure, though we wouldn't be surprised if Lamborghini rounded some decimals (more on that later).
Regardless, our big contention is with the 'price-to-speed' ratio, so to speak. For a car that's at least $150,000—usually more—you'd want something more than an old sports car that occasionally reaches 200. Heck, you can get a newer, more affordable Lamborghini Gallardo that'll run circles around a Diablo. At the end of the day, it's all about personal preference.
7 Ferrari F355 Spider – 183 MPH
Just a handful of years after Lamborghini had their Diablo launch, Ferrari (of course) had to respond. This time, however, it would be with a set of smaller, sportier cars that are perfect for the track. One of them is the Ferrari F355.
Those who fawn over the Ferrari F355 do so in regards to its engine note and appearance while excluding the performance behind each of those factors. A great-sounding Ferrari is cool but only useful when it can back all that bark up with a little bit of bite. In 2021, 183 MPH is barely hitting the mark, unfortunately.
6 1983 Ferrari 308 GTB - 170 MPH
Being the Ferrari fans that we are, we remember almost every time there's one in popular media. Whether it be in a movie, comic book, or television show, we're hyper aware of its presence either way. We've frequently cited the Testarossa from Miami Vice as the best instance of this, but it's not alone—in fact, it's far from it. After all, you can't forget the Ferrari 308 GTB from Magnum P.I.!
Now, we love Ferraris, but we're not going to lie to ourselves (or you, for that matter). In hindsight, the Ferrari 308 left a bit to be desired. On a good day, the 308 can hit 170 mph. Yet because it's a Ferrari, it'll cost an arm and a leg. There is a bright side, however. Since the 308s weren't all built by hand alone, it won't go into 250 GTO or 275 GTB territory.
5 Lamborghini Countach LP400 - 170 mph
Earlier on, when going over the Diablo, we hinted at our distrust of what Lamborghini puts on the official record. The reason behind that is the Lamborghini Countach LP400 and its initial few years.
For marketing purposes (and maybe to upset their competitors), Lamborghini gave false claims about the LP400's top speed. Many stated it was 190 mph—magnificent for the 1970s. In reality, though, the real number was around 170-ish mph.
4 Mitsuoka Orochi – 155 MPH
Those of you who've spent some time perusing the many lists on here may have come across this car before. It's the Mitsuoka Orochi: one of the ugliest sports cars we've ever laid eyes on.
The Orochi, translating to an eight-headed serpent of Japanese legend, is a weird one to say the least. If they were going for a dragon/snake look, they may have missed the mark a bit. It could be forgiven if it was fast, but, alas, it doesn't even scratch the 160 mph mark.
Knowing all that, would you believe us if we told you this very same car costs anywhere between $110,000 to $150,000? Us neither.
3 1971 Maserati Ghibli SS – 155 mph
Let's go over the Maserati Ghibli. No, not the Ghibli you're probably thinking. It's no 21st-century four-door luxury cruiser. In reality, the Ghibli existed long before its revival years ago, entering the scene in 1967.
Unlike a surprising amount of old Maserati's, the 1960s or 1970s Ghibli SS Coupe still retains a lot of its value nowadays. Several auctions have listed them for about $150,000 in mint condition, even though it'll barely hit 155 MPH. It could be worse, though. At least they look great.
2 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray ‘Split-Window’ – 142 MPH
The latest Corvette C8 has turned a lot of heads since it came out; not the least of which was due to their utter dominance in the 2020 IMSA season. It's a far cry from what the beloved sports car began as, like the old 'split-window' Corvette C3.
We'll preface this with our opinion on the split-window Stingray. Firstly, we do love this car, especially for how beautiful it is (even to this day). However, objectively speaking, it's not very fast by current standards. Nevertheless, its age, rarity, and looks will keep the split-window Corvettes well beyond the $100,000 mark for the foreseeable future.
1 1970 Ford Mustang BOSS 302 Fastback – 137 MPH
Since Ford unveiled the 2021 Mustang Mach 1 fairly recently, we thought it would be appropriate to discuss another Mustang like it: the 1970 BOSS 302 Fastback.
Of all the beautiful Mustang sports cars in Ford's repertoire, the BOSS 302 is easily the most gorgeous. That being said, the theme of 'don't judge a book by its cover' still holds throughout this article. While the outside is to die for, the stats aren't as effective. Who wants to pay over $100K for a car that can't beat a Honda Civic?!