Supercars have a long history of being different than all other cars. After all – they are much more expensive to buy than any other car on the road. Supercars are usually smaller than normal road cars and are fitted with big, powerful engines which take up lots of room inside the car. With this in mind, supercar makers have had to be very clever with the packaging in their cars, as well as finding places where they can possibly ‘cheap-out’ without anyone noticing, like using inexpensive wing mirrors on a car worth $490,000.

Some classic supercars have had the strangest solutions to design and engineering problems, resulting in weird features such as an illegal rear spoiler, an extra gear to get around noise pollution issues, and optional wing mirrors. These features have made the cars more sought-after and led to them becoming collector’s items, which – of course, comes with the exorbitant price tag.

Some of these features are weird, some are interesting and others are just amazing to behold, as they are cleverly made and/or offer surprising practicality for such a class.

10 Jaguar XJ220 – Citroën CX Wing Mirrors

Front 3/4 view of the XJ220
Via FavCars

The Jaguar XJ220 was the fastest production car in the world – for less than a year until the McLaren F1 showed up on the scene. The XJ220 had a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 producing 542 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque going to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual. It could achieve a top speed of 217 mph – a record at the time – and was sold for an eye-watering $580,000 in 1989.

citroen-cx-gti
Via: Artebellum

For a car with this incredible price tag, it was fitted with mirrors from a cheap, French Citroën CX station wagon. Whilst this might seem like a bit of cheating on a half-million Dollar car, the CX’s wing mirrors were revolutionary in their design, so much so that they were also featured on cars such as the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Lotus Espirit, TVR Griffith, and the Marcos Mantis.

9 Lamborghini Diablo – Nissan Headlights

The front of the Diablo 6.0
netcarshow.com

The Lamborghini Diablo was the last car from the Raging Bull to be built before its takeover by the Germans. It was fitted with the V12 which originated in the 1964 350 GT and ended with the 2010 Murciélago SV. In the Diablo, it displaced either 5.7 or 6.0-liters, produced between 560 and 600 horsepower and around 468 lb-ft of twisting power going to the rear, or all four wheels via a 5-speed manual.

Lamborghini-Diablo-Nissan-300ZX-Headlights-1
via Automobilians

It cost from $240,000 when new, however, it was fitted with the headlights from a Nissan 300SX after the facelifted model was forced to change the pop-up headlights, due to new pedestrian safety regulations. The change in headlights was noticeable; however, the fact that they were Nissan headlights wasn’t immediately recognizable, unless told. By now, most of the motoring community knows about the Raging Bull with Japanese eyes.

8 McLaren F1 – Side Luggage Space

Elon Musk McLaren F1 Sports Car
Via: Facebook

Before the Bugatti Veyron changed how we perceive the hypercar, the McLaren F1 was the king of the top speed hill, surpassing the 230 mph mark in 1993. It was a love letter to automotive engineering in its design and execution, with a glorious naturally aspirated 6.1-liter V12, developed by BMW especially for the F1, mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox.

gtspirit-mclaren-f1-via-GT-Spirit
Via GT Spirit

The F1 featured a central driving position for better visibility and control and gold foil on the engine firewall to ensure the carbon-fiber engine cover doesn’t melt. Another interesting feature is the luggage compartments just in front of the rear wheels, which were sold with fitted luggage to make sure they fit perfectly.

Related: This Bonkers SUV From BMW Packs A V12 From A McLaren F1

7 Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600 – Twin Superchargers

1999 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Le Mans V600 Coupe for sale
Classic Driver

Aston Martin is known for its luxurious grand tourers, which are usually fitted with smooth V12s for a serene and powerful driving experience. The 1993-2000 V8 Vantage, however, features a 5.3-liter V8, producing 330 hp and a healthy 364 lb-ft of torque, all whilst being naturally aspirated.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600 Le Mans
Aston Martin

From 1998, Aston Martin introduced the Vantage V600 – a car built by Aston Martin’s Works Service. It still featured the 5.3-liter, but it was fitted with twin-superchargers, resulting in a ridiculous 600 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. This made it more of a British muscle car than a grand tourer!

6 Lamborghini Miura – Optional Wing Mirrors

1972 Lamborghini Miura
Source:Flickr

The Lamborghini Miura was the car that originally cemented Lamborghini as a worthy competitor to the automotive giant, Ferrari. The Miura was faster than any Ferrari on sale and was the first supercar to be built in the mid-engine layout. It featured a 3.9-liter V12, transversely mounted right behind the driver, producing 350 hp in the original P400 model.

1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Sports Car
Via: Pinterest

The Miura was the car that officially kicked off the supercar war, leading to the automotive battles we all know and follow, even to this day. The weird thing about the Miura was that the wing mirror was an optional extra. Lamborghini’s explanation for it was that in a Miura, the driver wasn’t going to look behind when driving. How Lamborghini is that?

5 Porsche 959 – ‘Gelände’ Gear

Porsche 959
Via wikipedia.org

The Porsche 959 was built as a Group B rally car, however before Porsche could take it racing, the FIA required them to build at least 200 units and sell them to the general public to follow the homologation regulations. At the time of production, the twin-turbocharged 959 was the fastest production car in the world, topping out at 197 mph.

1987-porsche-959-gelande-gear-via-Motor1
Via Motor1

One issue Porsche had when making sure the car followed the regulations for road cars, was that the exhaust was too loud when pulling away. So they employed a shrewd tactic by adding a ‘G’ (for ‘Gelände’) on the gear knob and marketing it as an ‘off-road’ gear. This was Porsche being sneaky and hiding the fact that when pulling away in 1st gear, it is actually 2nd, resulting in a lower decibel level allowing the 959 to pass the legal requirements.

Related: Here's Why We Love The Porsche 959 Groups B Rally Car

4 Ferrari F40 – Thin Paint & Driving Aids

Ferrari-F40---Front-Quarter-1
Via WSupercars

The Ferrari F40 was built to beat the Porsche 959 and claim the World’s Fastest Production Car title – which it did. To achieve this, Ferrari used many techniques to get the most out of their new car. The F40 had a unique engine designed specifically for it – a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 producing around 471 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque – however, due to the hand-built nature of the F40, many cars produced more power than claimed.

weave_3_1024x1024-via-STEVS-Automotive-Performance-LTD
Via STEVS Automotive Performance LTD

The weird thing was that the car’s entire body was made of carbon fiber, Kevlar, and aluminum to reduce weight, with such a thin coat of paint over the body panels, leaving the weave of the carbon fiber and Kevlar visible. Many customers found this undesirable, so they had their cars resprayed. Today, non-resprayed F40s are preferred by collectors.

Related: This Ferrari F40 Belonged To A Brutal Dictator

3 Bugatti EB110 – Two Fuel Doors

Bugatti EB110 3
via: Pinterest

The Bugatti ED110 was the first Bugatti car since the company went under after the death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947. In the late 1980s, development began on the EB 110 and was unveiled to the world in 1991, 110 years after the birth of Ettore Bugatti – hence the name. It featured a brand-new 3.5-liter quad-turbocharged V12, producing 550hp in the GT and 600 hp in the Super Sport, going to all four wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission.

Bugatti EB110
via: CarBase

The car featured many interesting features, but the fact that it has two fuel doors is the most significant, as it has two fuel tanks – each to power one bank of cylinders. This was a weird feature as both tanks would need to be filled for the car to work properly.

Related: Why The Bugatti EB 110 Is One Of The 1990s Most Underrated Cars

2 Lamborghini Countach – The Rear Wing

4-Via Collecting Cars Cropped
4-Via Collecting Cars Cropped

The Lamborghini Countach was the original poster car – one that would hang on a wall somewhere visible to be dreamt about. With its angular, futuristic styling and great, big V12 powering it to 185 mph. In 1975, Canadian Walter Wolf (owner of the Wolf F1 team) commissioned a higher-powered Countach with an engine nearly identical to the LP500 concept, on which the Countach is based. The Countach ‘Walter Wolf Special’ produced 447 hp and paved the way for the LP500 S that was launched in the 1980s.

1984-Lamborghini-Countach-2

Also fitted to the car was a huge rear wing, which wasn’t entirely legal on production Countaches. Instead, the car was produced (without the wing), inspected, cleared, and driven to just outside the factory limits, where a technician fitted the wing, after which it was officially recognized as an aftermarket modification. A very Lamborghini way of doing things.

1 Vector W8 – Fighter Jet Style Screen

The Vector W8 at sunset.
Via: Reddit

The Vector W8 was a weird car. Not only was the styling out of this world, but the engine was way more powerful than any of its rivals and – if anyone bothered to test it – would most likely have been the fastest production car in the world at the time of production and for some time afterward.

the-vector-w8-is-the-10_1600x0w-via-supercars.net
Via Supercars.net

The W8 featured a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, coupled to a heavily-modified 3-speed automatic from a Chevrolet RV. It produced 625 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque; however, the car was fitted with driver-adjustable turbo boost levels and at a maximum boost of 14 psi, the engine was recorded to produce around 1,200 hp. The weirdest (and possibly coolest) feature of the W8 was the fighter-jet style screen used to indicate engine rpm, speed, and various other gauges.