The old line "never trust a book by its cover" holds true in the automotive world. Countless owners have bought what they thought was a terrific top-of-the-line vehicle only to discover it was a lemon. Every year, auto shows feature breathtaking new car designs that wow with the looks to the point folks forget to ask about the performance. Because no matter how beautiful a car may be on the outside, it won't matter if it runs as fast as a beater.
This pertains majorly to sports cars in that many go for sleek and stylish looks meant to captivate owners and look terrific on the road. But appearances can be deceiving as several slick cars that look ready to roar down a highway end up slower than a regular sedan.
Some of their 0-60 times are outright laughable, and even the best manufacturers can't make it faster. Here are ten cars that may look like speed machines but very slow as proof looks aren't everything.
10 Chevrolet Corvette C3 (0-60 MPH In 8.1 Seconds)
Looking at this baby, you'd expect it to be a stunning machine. The Chevrolet Corvette C3 does have some good stuff going for it, and it's obvious why it was nicknamed "the Shark." Too bad it moved slower than one. The early models weren't bad, but then came the emissions rules of the late 1970s and '80s that hurt it.
The worst was the 1980 "California" model that was legally forbidden from going 90 mph. Even a regular C3 can take over eight seconds to hit 60 mph. A top speed of 140 mph isn't what one expects from this gorgeous vehicle.
9 2013 Dodge Dart (0-60 MPH In 8.2 seconds)
You name something the "Dart," then it's only natural to expect it's fast. For a company that has the Viper and Hellcat to proclaim a 2.4l 4-cylinder is a "Powerhouse" is a joke. That's the enhanced version as the base Dart is a 2.0l 4-cylinder with just 160 hp.
This car's top speed is 140 mph for a base version, but some can go lower and nearly nine seconds to hit 60. It's a shame as the great exterior makes it look like it'll take off, but the Dart misses the mark.
8 1982 Ferrari Mondial 8 (0-60 MPH In 8.2 Seconds)
Talk to any Ferrari buff, and they'll agree that the 1982 Mondial 8 may well be the worst Ferrari ever built. Sure it had a fun style, a Ferrari look, and seemed prepared to take off on the road.
But the V8 couldn't handle the ridiculously large 3459-pound frame, so it took an eternity of 8 seconds to hit 60 mph. The top speed of 143 mph was miserably slow, and it was unreliable to boot. It's no wonder even Ferrari museums pretend this model never existed.
7 Crown Vic Police Interceptors (0-60 MPH In 8.7 seconds)
When a car is a go-to model for police forces worldwide, the expectation is that it has to be fast. What cop wants to engage in a high-speed pursuit in a car lacking in power? As it turns out, the Crown Vic Interceptor isn't as fast as one might assume.
The 4.6L V8 can vary from 175 to 215 hp, but a cop car is weighed down with materials a regular Crown Vic isn't. Also, they're electronically limited to 140 mph. It's the reputation that helps as a crook lucky enough to have a fast car can easily outrun an Interceptor.
6 1977 Porsche 924 (0-60 MPH In 9.5 Seconds)
"Budget Porsche" sounds like an oxymoron. No one buys a Porsche because it's an affordable ride, they do it because it's the epitome of fantastic sports cars. The 924 looked good, mixing the usual Porsche styles with a semi-muscle appearance to seem like a car ready to tear it up on the road.
Then the reality came crashing in with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder offering 94 hp. That's terrible for any car but sacrilege to a Porsche. Early models took nearly 12 seconds to hit 60, and even the "better" ones faltered and a reason this is the shame for the company.
5 Ford Mustang King Cobra (0-60 MPH In 10 seconds)
Imagine being in a fantastic, stunning muscle machine ready to tear down the road….and you get passed by a Camry. The Ford Mustang King Cobra appears to be a classic muscle car with an open-top, smooth styling, and mean appearance.
Then one realizes the 5.0L V8 can only produce 140 hp for a top speed of 132 mph. How a muscle car this perfect in appearance can be so lacking in performance is astounding, and this "King" lacks any real bite.
4 2003 Hyundai Tiburon (0-60 MPH In 10.4 Seconds)
The Hyundai Tiburon is a sleek looking car, mixing a modern sedan look with the feel of a sports car. Yet for all the improvements in its engines, the Tiburon never quite gets to a top-level speed. The worst of the bunch is the 2003 model as the GT version can make zero to 60 in 7.8 seconds.
That's speedy compared to the regular version, with an appalling 10.4 seconds to crack the 60 mph marker. The 140-hp, 2.0l simply can't lift the car to high speeds, and the V6 option isn't much better. Granted, other model years are rough, but this year was the worst for this "sports" car.
3 DeLorean (0-60 MPH In 10.5 seconds)
Because of Back to the Future, most believe the DeLorean DMC is a terrific speedy car. Anyone who drove a Delorean DMC12 knows what an expensive failure it turned out to be. In fact, they'd laugh at the idea of the car doing 88 mph in less than thirty seconds. Sure, it looked stylish with the gullwing doors and fitting for a car turned into a time machine.
But it also had a very weak 2.85L V6 with a top speed of just 109 mph. Forget going back in time, the DeLorean could barely qualify as a sports car for one of the auto industry's more infamous flops.
2 Opel GT (0-60 MPH In 10.6 seconds)
A modern Opel GT isn't too bad with some decent speeds. Sadly, while the original may look fantastic, it's not a speedster by any means. The base is a pitiful base 1.1 L OHV inline-four engine, which produced 67 hp.
The "upgraded" 1.9L can get 102 hp, so it takes nearly eleven seconds to hit 60 mph and a top speed of only 113 mph. It's a shame as it's a beautiful design, mixing British styling and engineering, and a better engine would have made this a classic sports car.
1 1984 Pontiac Fiero (0-60 MPH In 10.7 seconds)
On paper, the Pontiac Fiero should have worked. It was a major success in its time, selling over 370,000 units as it was affordable and came off fast. It looked terrific and handled well. But in terms of power, the Fiero was lacking, the 2.5-liter Iron Duke weighing it down so the 92 hp couldn't get to high speeds.
Taking nearly eleven seconds to hit 60 and a top 103 mph speed was pitiful even for the mid-80s. A V6 option boosted later models a bit, but the horrible speed (and how it soon fell apart) made the Fiero one of the worst sports cars of its era.
Sources: Jalopnik.com, caranddriver.com, motor1.com, hagerty.com