Many aggressive-looking sports cars have lived up to their looks and have been incredible in terms of performance and speed thanks to their engines. Indeed, vehicles like the Dodge Hellcat Demon are perfect examples of a brand producing a car that looks outstanding and menacing, and then backing it up with good horsepower figures and great acceleration. Yet, this hasn't always been the case when looking at aggressively styled sports cars from the past.Related: 10 Fast-Looking Sports Cars That Are Incredibly SlowThe cars on this list are a perfect example of brands making a car look a lot better than it actually is. When buyers purchased these cars, they expected them to be incredible in terms of performance but many were very let down. As such, we now bring you sports cars that may have looked aggressive, but actually performed less than expected.

9 1994 Pontiac Trans Am GT (1994)

Pontiac Trans Am GT (1994) 

The fourth generation of the Pontiac Firebird was launched in 1993 and it was designed to be more aerodynamic than the previous generations of the vehicle. The release of the Pontiac Trans Am GT in 1994 was quite the letdown. It looked the same as the standard Trans-Am cars, which isn't always exciting in a Trans Am GT model, but as the car still looked aggressive, many were expecting big things from it.

The engine was a 5.7-liter V8 that produced 275 hp. While this isn't the worst engine to ever be used in a car, it didn't power the Trans Am GT to the high levels that many were expecting, and the speed was incredibly slow.

1994 Pontiac Trans Am GT
via Amazing Classic Cars

Going 157 mph at top speed wasn't exactly impressive in a muscle car like this, and it could only offer an 8 mph boost over the top speed of the standard Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.

Considering its looks and appeal, we would have expected the Trans Am GT to go faster and for its engine to put out quite a bit more horsepower. As such, the engine is definitely a disappointing one and one we wouldn't want to commit to owning because of this.

8 Chevrolet Camaro Iron Duke

1982-Chevrolet-Camaro-Iron-Duke
via historygarage

A complete letdown, the Chevrolet Camaro Iron Duke was poor in all things performance and power. The car looked very aggressive and like it would be an incredible vehicle, but it simply wasn't.

The car used the 2.5-liter Iron Duke engine and it produced a tiny 90 hp. The engine and car both were supposed to be a solution to the 1970s oil crisis and the requirements for economical engines, but it didn't work out as planned.

via Pinterest

While the styling was definitely on point in the Iron Duke, it was certainly a ridiculous car for enthusiasts who wanted a muscle car packed with power. It was unable to even reach 100 mph at top speed, so it was clearly a laughable vehicle compared to its aggressive styling.

7 Chevrolet Corvette (C3) California

Chevrolet Corvette C3 ‘California’

Released in the late 1960s, the Corvette C3 was a success for fans of Chevrolet and a nice continuation of the famous Corvette name. However, when the California model came along in 1972, the vehicle was not the high-powered vehicle it once was.

Due to the strict vehicle emission standards in California, Chevrolet decided to offer the C3 California model that was lower performing. Removing the big block engine found in the standard C3, the California came with a 235-hp rate when it launched and the brand decided to knock its levels down every year after this, and power levels were 180 hp in 1980 through the use of the 305 cu in engine.

Related: These Are The 5 Worst Corvettes Money Can Buy (And 5 That Are Beyond Awesome)

180-Horsepower 1980 Chevrolet Corvette C3 ‘California’

Despite its cool looks, the C3 California was a complete letdown that doesn’t live up to the nameplate and a Corvette we definitely wouldn't take for free.

6 Mitsuoka Orochi

Via Pinterest
Mitsuoka Orochi

The Mitsuoka Orochi was launched in 2006 and it had the looks and styling to make it an impressive supercar. Taking inspiration from the Acura NSX, the vehicle was shaping up to be outstanding. However, its engine couldn't live up to the exterior (and the incredible interior) of the car.

Coming with a 3.3-liter Toyota V6 engine that produces 231 hp, the power wasn't bad for a car that wasn't meant to be an attention-grabbing vehicle. However, the Orochi was meant to capture the eyes of everyone and while it may have done this in terms of its appearance, it definitely didn't in terms of power.

conceptcarz.com

Also, the car was tremendously slow. Going 0-60 mph in 7.0 seconds is rather slow for a vehicle like this, especially one styled to look far quicker. Being so slow and such an unpowerful vehicle, the Orochi has been remembered as a performance letdown among enthusiasts.

5 Pontiac Fiero GT

Pontiac Fiero 1988 Wall
via: Wikipedia

Released in 1984, the Pontiac Fiero GT was very much lauded for its extreme looks that were sharp and very cutting edge at the time. In terms of its abilities on the road, it was great in terms of handling and Pontiac built the vehicle very well. However, the engine and speed were a letdown in comparison to the build quality of the car.

The GT model came with a 2.8-liter V6 engine that was more powerful than the standard Fiero model yet still didn't offer enough performance.

Pontiac-Fiero-GT---Front-Quarter-1
Mecum

It came with 140 hp and a top speed of 125 mph. These figures were both abysmal in a vehicle that many were expecting to have a nice level of performance. Indeed, it wasn't really full sports car material because of this and enthusiasts were very disappointed. As such, the Fiero GT was very unimpressive and it remains as such nowadays too.

4 Plymouth Prowler

2001 Plymouth Prowler Cropped
Via mecum.com

The Plymouth Prowler is a retro-themed vehicle that was suitable as a daily driver. Its release in 1997 was incredibly interesting and many enthusiasts were excited by the prospect of it being designed like the hot rods that existed previously. Indeed, it looks like it would be a capable vehicle and its harsh nose at the front looks particularly performance-based.

Related: 5 Horrible Retro Inspired Cars (5 That Are Amazing)

2001 Plymouth Prowler 2 Cropped
Via mecum.com

The car actually came with a nice 3.5-liter V6 engine but it simply didn't work great in the Plymouth Prowler. The car is very slow, only able to go a small 126 mph at top speed. In a car that is actually fairly lightweight, one would expect the engine and the speed to be better. As such, the Plymouth Prowler was a very disappointing vehicle when launched.

3 Ford Mustang II King Cobra

Via Wikimedia

Launched in 1978, the Ford Mustang II King Cobra was a limited-edition model of the second-generation Ford Mustang car. Coming with the snake decal on its hood, the car looked very cool and quite outlandish but sadly, the engine was not a good reflection of the aggressive appeal of the King Cobra.

The car came with a 4.9-liter V8 engine, and the V8 had been a feature of many of the Ford Mustang II cars, but the powertrain in the King Cobra just couldn't live up to the same level. No additional performance features were applied to the car and it was a complete flop.

Related: 10 Bad Muscle Cars That Are Worth A Fortune Today

Also, its speed was incredibly slow too, going 132 mph at top speed was quite disappointing for a car that looks so aggressive, especially considering that it is a Mustang. As such, the Ford Mustang II King Cobra was a definite example of an aggressive-looking but slow car.

2 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am

Courtesy Houvies Garage YouTube

The Pontiac Trans Am is a very iconic car, but not all Trans Am models lived up to the hype of the original. The Turbo model is an exact reflection of this problem.

The model was released in 1980 and the 4.9-liter turbocharged V8 produced a tiny 210 hp. This is an incredibly low rate compared to the standard Trans Am model coming with an outstanding 350 hp when it was first launched.

Pontiac-Trans-Am-Turbo
via topcarrating

Despite it being a turbocharged engine, it just couldn't live up to the standard Trans Am and this made it very undesirable among enthusiasts. Coming with a top speed of 139 mph was abysmal for a muscle car like this, and it could only go 0-60 mph in 9.0 seconds. As such, the Pontiac Turbo Trans Am was a complete flop and a vastly different car from the original model.

1 Mercury Capri

Mercury Capri 1979
Via Classic Industries

The second generation of the Mercury Capri launched in 1979 and it was the first Mercury pony car since the 1970 Cougar. Its front end was particularly aggressive and it looked as though it would pack a punch on the road, especially because it was a pony car.

The car wasn't badly styled at all, and it was expected that it would come with a nice amount of power and performance but this couldn't be further from the truth at all. The 2.3-liter engine brought a tiny 88 hp which was tiny and the Turbo option of this engine didn't bring much either.

1979 Mercury Capri
Via Autopolis.wordpress.com

To go 0-60 mph, it takes the car 13 seconds, which is incredibly slow for a pony car; its top speed is 99 mph. It may not be the slowest car on this list in terms of top speed, but it is tiny for a car that was supposed to be quite aggressive and performance-based. The variants of the Capri in its second generation are better, however, the standard model was a poor car in terms of power.