Many car buffs have dream cars they’d love to own, from Ferraris to Lamborghinis, Bugattis, and the list goes on and on. These people had car posters on their walls when they were kids, providing a dream to always strive for. And now that those kids are adults, they want the real thing. The problem is, many of those people cut corners to try to get those supercar dream-mobiles into their garages.
Supercar kits are out there for the people who can’t afford to actually drop six or seven figures on their favorite car. When assembled correctly, those kits can look pretty darn close to the real thing. Other times, car-buyers and builders think they have the knowledge to make their day-to-day vehicle into a supercar, with just a little tweaking. More often than not, those cars turn out less than ideal.
It takes a great amount of dedication, resources, and know-how create a convincing supercar. That’s why it’s a task to which not everyone is suited. Leave it to the professionals, people—there’s a reason why these cars cost half a million dollars or more. Even if you have the kit or the ability to cosmetically transform your car into a supercar, underneath the hood, your car will always suffer. Your secret will be out the moment anyone hears your engine turn over on the freeway.
In the wise words of Jeff Goldblum, from a little movie called Jurassic Park, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Scientists, in this case, are the kit users and clone builders.
Here are 9 supercar clones we wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot-pole, and 10 that do it better.
19 Won’t Touch: Dodge Stratus -> Lamborghini Gallardo
This car was first “showcased” in The Smoking Tire, and then reported on by Jalopnik. Its base model is a 1996 Dodge Stratus, which is a front-engined car, and someone had attempted to make a mid-engined Lamborghini Gallardo out of it. Car people should know that a transformation like this will never work, but the saddest part is that the Lamborghini Gallardo Dodge Stratus was found on eBay in Florida with 37 bids on it, at $8,181. So people were actually bidding on this monstrosity, even though it looks like it’s made of Play-Doh, and the seams aren’t even connected correctly!
18 Won’t Touch: Beetle 959 -> Porsche 356 Speedster
This sad car was spotted by a reader of Jalopnik named Patrick Frawley, who had this to say: “Take one VW Beetle. Add one batch of plastic that can’t decide if it wants to be a 356 Speedster or a 959 (two cars that have little more than a badge and engine location in common). Include one profoundly poorly-written ad. Offer at the price of a good 911SC. Revel in the angst and indigestion created across the entire Porsche-Volkswagen community.” Yes, this is a Beetle that someone tried to morph into a Porsche 959-356 Speedster mishmash, obtaining the result of looking like neither car convincingly.
17 Won’t Touch: Chinese Lamborghini Reventon
The Lamborghini Reventon is one of Lamborghini’s rarest cars. It had a total production run of just 21, and had an original asking price of $2 million. That being said, we have to respect the ambition of farmer from China who wanted a Reventon of his own.
28-year-old Wang Jian of the province of Jiangsu reportedly spent 60,000 yuan ($8,624) to produce his creative interpretation of his dream car.
The replica is an amalgamation of parts, with the engine and bodywork scraps provided by Nissan vans and Volkswagen sedans. Wang has been a trained mechanic since 16, and wanted to “manufacture a supercar [himself], researching and designing it on [his] own,” according to Jalopnik. He plans to use it to haul fertilizer around his parent’s farm.
16 Won’t Touch: Camaro -> Lamborghini Reventon
This is another shoddy representation of someone trying to create a supercar clone from a car that has no business being transformed in such a way. It’s pretty disrespectful to the Camaro underneath all these spare, extra parts. The ’94 Camaro is a pretty slick looking car to begin with, so why destroy it with all these unnecessary things, like the door vents and patchwork bodywork? It was pointed out on Jalopnik’s “What’s the worst replica car ever made?” article, and a couple people immediately jumped on this one as the winner. The person displaying the car only had this to say: “Hey Lamborghini Camaro your motor is in the wrong place.”
15 Won’t Touch: Pontiac Fiero -> Ferrari Enzo
Some people might consider this a supercar clone achievement with some hiliarious nicknames: the legendary EnzNo, or Enzo Fiero, or Pontiac Fiero Ferrari Enzo. The person who mangled this car managed to make the Pontiac Fiero worse than it already was, which is quite a feat. It was first reported in 2008: a Fierrari Enzno that is complete with crooked, off-brand Ferrari prancing horse logos, four off-kilter exhaust tips, pop-up DVD player, an engine-cover-mounted TV antenna, and APC racing seats. According to the seller, this car was featured in the “well-known” motion picture, “13 Million,” a film that IMDb hasn’t even heard of. Jalopnik says, “Is it possible for a car to be so bad it crosses the line into greatness? The answer is yes.”
14 Won’t Touch: Ford Cougar -> Bugatti Veyron
There are actually some Bugatti Veyron replicas that have the base model of a Ford or Mercury Cougar that look quite compelling and resemble the real thing. But this mock clone isn’t fooling anyone.
On the more successful conversions, the cars use an entire “Bugatti kit” that helps transform their car into the $1.5-million supercar that’s also one of the fastest cars in the world.
The successful Cougar to Veyron conversions can sell for upward of $60,000 on eBay, making them either the most expensive Cougar or the cheapest Veyrons on the planet. But we have an inkling that this sad attempt will not sell anywhere near that amount. The Ford Cougar was never the best looking car in the world, but the owner of this one has done nothing to fix that.
13 Won’t Touch: Ferrari F430 -> Ferrari Enzo
The worst part about this replica/clone is that underneath the “Ferrari Enzo” exterior is a perfectly usable and classy Ferrari F430! Who would do such a thing? The MSRP on a F430 was between $187,000 and $217,000. And yes, the Enzo cost around $2.4 million. The way this car has come together, though, he or she will be lucky to get 10% of the asking price on an F430, and that’s if the buyer is either a) insane, or b) feels sorry for the seller. It’s clear the builder of this “supercar” just wanted one of the rarest Ferraris for himself, but why not try to build a cheaper car into it, rather than wasting the beauty of the F430 you have sitting in your garage? It’s blasphemy of the highest order.
12 Won’t Touch: Lamborghini Countach Project
The Lamborghini Countach was a classic wedge-shaped Lambo and one of the top three sports cars of the 1970s, according to Sports Car International (and also #10 on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s).
It pioneered and popularized the sharply angled “Italian Wedge” design conceptualized by Italian design house Bertone.
The car pictured here has a long way to go before it becomes a convincing replica of that supercar, though. When the body is finished, it might resemble the Countach, as there are loads of parts and even a V12 engine inserted. This “project” is available to buyers for under £5,000. But would you transform your car into a Lamborghini Countach if you knew the end result might look like this?
11 Won’t Touch: Toyota MR-2 -> Ferrari F430 Scuderia
It’s not that difficult to tell a real supercar from a clone, is it? If you’re reading this, you probably have a pretty good idea what a Ferrari F430 looks like, and this Toyota MR2 transformation isn’t it. The builder of this car hasn’t managed to make the graceful transition to a Ferrari: its back end above and beyond the rear wheels is way too long. The ride height isn’t very Ferrari-esque, though the owner says the car will get over speed bumps just fine, which can’t always be said of supercars. It’s definitely not the worst looking car on the planet (and would actually be a pretty cool MR2, if that is what the owner called it), but it’s no Ferrari F430.
10 Better: Mercury Cougar -> Bugatti Veyron
We’ve shown an example of a bad Ford and Mercury Cougar that was transformed into a shoddy Bugatti Veyron, now let’s show you a flawless one. The Mercury Cougar is probably on the bottom of the list of candidates you’d think could transform into a semi-accurate Veyron, but you’d be wrong.
Regarding proportion and styling cues, this car is pretty spot on.
It still has a raspy 2.5-liter V6 engine mounted up front, sending power to the front wheels, but the exterior cosmetics are where this car shines. You won’t be hitting a top speed of 253 mph in this thing, or even 253 km/h, but for just a fraction of the million-and-a-half price tag, this guy has done a pretty good job.
9 Better: Mitsubishi Eclipse -> Lamborghini Reventon
As you can see, the Lamborghini Reventon is one of the most sought-after supercars, at least based on the clones that people create in its image. And while the list above has two poor examples of Reventon clones, here is one that really shines. The builder of this gun-metal gray Lambo is from Ukraine, and he’s built a Lambo from the skeleton of a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The proportions and performance of the real car aren’t there, but the stealth-fighter looks definitely are. And he doesn’t try to trick us into believing it’s the real thing by placing the Lamborghini logo on the front of the car, either, which we can respect.
8 Better: Toyota Corolla -> Ferrari F430
If you want an imitation of a Ferrari F430, most of the examples above don’t really cut it. This car was built by Executive Modcar Trendz, from India. The company doesn’t start with a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive car, like the F430 should be, but they have crafted a surprisingly convincing F430 out of a late-model Toyota Corolla. Now, truth be told, it doesn’t really look like an F430 because of its roundness, but it definitely looks more exotic and stylish than a typical Toyota Corolla, so we call this one a win for Executive Modcar Trendz, with their hip “z” and all.
7 Better: Chrysler Sebring -> Bentley Continental GTC
The Bentley Continental GTC is a $218,400 supercar that offers 500 to 700 horsepower from its 4.0-liter V8 or 6.0-liter V12 engine. The GTC is the convertible version of the GT, first presented in 2005.
It can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 5.1 seconds, and has a top speed of 195.1 mph—a speed you might not expect from a big convertible by Bentley.
So, there’s no doubting it’s a supercar, and this Chrysler Sebring transformation is quite convincing. Not everyone can afford a quarter-of-a-million-dollar car. To the untrained eye, this Sebring convertible gets the job done, and this car only costs about $12,000! (Kit not included.)
6 Better: Toyota MR-2 -> Lamborghini Murcielago
It seems there are a few automobiles that are destined to be the base models for these supercar clones, with the Mercury Cougar and Toyota MR2 proving to be popular starting points. There are many MR2s out there that can’t hold a candle to this clone, though. This Lamborghini Murcielago replica car is built on the bones of a second generation Toyota MR-2. It looks the part, right down to the scissor doors, but the normally-aspirated, 2.0-liter, inline-four engine definitely means its performance is not up to par with the real thing. But if you’re just driving around the streets of your hometown, this thing will surely turn heads, and that’s one of the main reasons to own a supercar like this, right?
5 Better: Chevrolet Corvette -> Ferrari Testarossa
This is another case that could have ended badly considering the car this Ferrari Testarossa clone is based on. Why would anyone transform a perfectly good Chevy Corvette—which is already close to being a supercar in its own right—into something it’s not? Well, probably because the builder of this vehicle had a vision for what kind of car they wanted, and they didn’t want to spend the $181,000 it costs to buy a Testarossa. This one might not be proportioned perfectly, but it is still moderately convincing to the naked eye. Also, the service bill will be much less on this car given its Detroit underpinnings.
4 Better: Suzuki Cappuccino -> Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R definitely deserves a spot in the “supercar” category. It’s a high-performance vehicle that has bested Lamborghinis and Ferraris on race tracks all over the world for years.
It also has a top speed of 196 mph, even though its price of $99,990 is a fraction of most Lambos and Ferraris (and especially Bugattis).
Someone managed to craft a very convincing GT-R from the base of this Suzuki Cappuccino, though, and it’s quite impressive. This “GT-K” is a clever reworking of the Cappuccino “kei” car, and though it might not be mistaken for a real GT-R, it will definitely get you noticed.
3 Better: Volkswagen Beetle -> Porsche 917
We’ve shown you what an awful Beetle to Porsche transformation might look like, so now let’s show you what a good one looks like. The Porsche 917 is a legendary race car prototype that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans races in 1970 and 1971, with a test-track top speed of 240 mph. The car featured in 1971’s Steve McQueen film, Le Mans, sold at auction for $14 million. Well, this Beetle might not hit 240 mph, but there’s a reason why the Beetle is probably the most popular kit car and replica foundation there is. This extreme transformation was built by Elite Enterprises, and they call it the Laser 917. It’s exponentially cheaper and more economical to operate than a real 917, as you might imagine.
2 Better: Acura NSX -> Ferrari F50
What is the deal with people taking their near-supercars and mangling them? A modern Axura NSX has a $157,000 MSRP, while the 90s version still ranges from $60,000 to $90,000 on the secondhand market.
Granted, the real Ferrari F50 retailed at $528,000, but that’s besides the point.
Luckily for the builder of this clone, they did a decent job and didn’t completely destroy their NSX. What we’re not a fan of, though, is dressing up an NSX into Ferrari’s ugly F50 model, which is not sleek or beautiful in the way most Ferraris are. The end result is serviceable, but it still seems to be a waste of a perfectly good supercar just to transform it into a more expensive supercar.
1 Better: Ford Mustang -> Aston Martin Vanquish
In years past, Aston Martin might not seem like the best contender for “supercardom,” but that time has changed. The Vanquish is a $295,000, 580-hp, 6.0-liter V12-powered beast of a car.
It’s beautiful, expensive, and with its 200-mph top speed, it meets all the criteria of a supercar.
That being said, this Ford Mustang transformation is quite flawless. This looks like James Bond’s ride in Die Another Day, which made the Vanquish an instant favorite among car geeks and movie-goers alike. Thanks to some clever designers, this 007 replica easily matches the real thing, for a fraction of the cost.
Sources: jalopnik.com, sub5zero.com, medium.com, and thegentlemansjolly.com.