Sporty cars that looked fast - but actually really weren’t

Looks can be deceiving and don't always mean great acceleration or top speed. Here are some cars that we think look more meteoric than they are:

With its low-slung stance, small bonnet scoop and carved lines, the Celica started off in life with just 143bhp from its Yamaha-derived 1.8-litre VVT-I unit. It took 9 seconds to get to 62mph from rest, though would eventually make 127mph when possible. While it wasn’t a drag racer, the Celica handled well and was even considered the best-handling front-wheel drive car on sale in 1999.

Many people often expected the RX-8 to be a speed machine with its funky 2+2 layout, sporty bodywork and a special naturally aspirated high-revving 1.3-litre Wankel rotor engine - an evolution of the RX-7's twin-turbocharged unit. The RX-8 landed with 189bhp but little torque - a characteristic of most rotaries -  at 162lb ft, due to the lack of turbos, which meant 0-62mph in 7.5sec and a quarter-mile time of around 17sec.

When it arrived in 2012, the GT86 was praised for its lightweight body, rear-wheel drive and 50:50 weight distribution. It looked like a bona fide sports car with its aggressive front-led headlights, ground-hugging stance and swooping roofline. The 2.0-litre Boxer engine produced 197bhp, and 151lb ft, which had just 1239kg (2731lbs) to shove along but the GT86 would hit 62mph from rest in 7.7sec and top out at 137mph. However, those who opted for the automatic version would have to put up with a frankly pedestrian 0-62mph time of only 8.2sec.

The man who designed the BMW Z8 and Aston Martin Vantage, Henrik Fisker, gave us the striking Fisker Karma in 2011. Its bonnet was long, it was wider than a Ferrari 360 and its bodywork was sculpted like that of an Aston Martin Rapide, as though it was to fire on to 170mph-plus. However, underneath the makeup was a 260bhp 2.0-litre powerplant and two 201bhp electric motors powering the rear wheels. This meant, on battery power alone, the Karma would scuttle to 62mph in 8.0sec.

In the 1980s, the world was gifted the legendary Ferrari Testarossa and the F40. The Mondial, launched in Geneva in 1980, did have all the Ferrari looks such as an iconic sloped front end, vents to cool the mid-mounted V8 and a supercar presence. Upon its release, 3.0-litre V8 produced just 214bhp (205bhp in US spec), which meant the Mondial slugged its way to 62mph from rest in 8.2sec, although some claims are closer to 10sec. Given enough room, it would hit 140mph, eventually...

DMC-12 was intended to be lighter and a lot more powerful than the production version ended up being, as the firm had a difficult time finding a suitable engine. The prototype had a Ford Cologne V6 but was later swapped for a four-cylinder Citroen engine that was to be turbocharged.

Unfortunately, Citroen didn’t like the idea and asked DeLorean to go elsewhere, and they eventually settled on a 2.85-litre Peugeot V6. It looked like a supercar with its sleek bodywork and gullwing doors, but with a poor 130bhp, and it tipping the scales at 1230kg (2712lbs), the DMC-12 took a tedious 10.5sec to reach 62mph. The top speed was 130mph although other sources claimed only 105mph was achievable. 

When Honda teased the CR-Z, it looked like the possibility of a classic CRX revival was on the cards. The sloped roof line, wide appearance and low centre of gravity were there, but unlike the CRX’s 1.6-litre 8000rpm 160bhp VTEC engine, a 1.4-litre hybrid powertrain with a mere 122bhp was used for the CR-Z. While the CR-Z never offered straight-line thrills, Honda had given it a stiffer front-strut and rear torsion-beam suspension which made it more pleasurable on a B-road. 0-62mph arrived in a lethargic 10.0sec and it would crawl on to 118mph.

The Coupe was handsome with its sleek and sporty profile and it became popular in 2005 when it received a facelift which saw new lights and tweaked bodywork. In base guise, Hyundai was targeting the younger market who perhaps wanted an attractive car without the large insurance premium but the 1.6-litre produced a trivial 103bhp which meant 0-62mph in 11.5sec and it would top out at a risible 115mph.

At the end of the fuel crisis in 1974, Ford decided to introduce a new Mustang that could balance both fuel economy and offer great drivability while keeping the traditional Mustang shape. This led to disappointing figures and owners could either buy it with an 88bhp 2.3-litre four-cylinder or a 105bhp 2.8-litre V6, rather than the 5.0-litre V8s of old. The V6 option meant that 0-60mph would arrive in a Peugeot 504-rivalling 13sec and it could barely hit 100mph.

Previously, the Camaro was offered in either an inline-six or V6, alongside its V8 counterparts. When the third generation came in 1982, it received a 2.5-litre V6. These had supercar-inspired aerodynamic lines and wide muscle car bodywork, but with just 89bhp and 132lb ft from its 2.5-litre V6 engine, the Camaro walked to 62mph in 13.8sec. Top speed was just 106mph.

Hyundai released the Veloster in 2012 to compete with the popular Volkswagen Scirocco. It had a quirky sloping coupe design with a three-door layout. And while the Veloster had very little body roll, a large amount of grip and great handling, this was ruined by the 1.6-litre which only fed 138bhp through the front wheels, seeing 62mph arrive in a lengthy 10sec from rest. Hyundai later released a more powerful turbo guise to make up for the base car's poor performance.

The Eclipse Spider wasn’t as fast as its aerodynamic bodywork or low and wide stance suggested and being a convertible meant it had additional weight at 1589kg (3505lbs). This meant that the mere 147bhp that the 2.4-litre produced could only manage 0-62mph in 8.9sec and cover the quarter mile in 17sec. Those who opted for the automatic gearbox had to endure an even worse 10.4sec to 62mph.

While it was elegant and its fastback-like design was attractive, the 100 Coupe S was powered by a 110bhp 1.9-litre four-cylinder that fed all power through the front wheels via a three-speed automatic gearbox. The 100 Coupe S looked prestige and more expensive than it really was with its sporty silhouette, four headlights, long bonnet and chrome trim. 0-62mph arrived in a leisurely 12.2sec while it would eventually reach 114mph.

Its bodywork was Toyota MR-2-sharp and on paper the Fiero was considered fast; it was small, light and entertaining to drive with its mid-engined layout. Cars were also meant to get a high-revving 1.8-litre engine but due to costs, GM opted for a cheaper 93bhp 2.5-litre unit which gave it a high 11.0sec 0-60mph time and a top speed of 105mph.

Buyers could have the more muscular-sounding 2.8-litre V6 GT variant although this produced just 142bhp and still gave a disappointing 0-62mph time of 8.3sec.

Electric cars usually offer a large dollop of torque in one go and give impressive acceleration. The MX-30 looked the part with its pushed-back cabin, low roofline and aggressive lights and grille, but the power output was a modest 143bhp and 199lb ft. In a car that weighs 1,645kg (3626lbs), this meant 0-62mph took an extensive 10.0sec, top speed was rather dull at 87mph, while range was just 124 miles. 

It’s a choice for many when it comes to a budget sports car or a track day because of its superb handling, thanks to its 50:50 weight distribution, and sharp steering. Cars were, unfortunately, introduced with a naturally aspirated 114bhp which meant 62mph arrived in 9.4sec and Mazda released a 1.8-litre with just 14bhp more. 1.8-litre cars were favoured while 1.6-litre owners have been known to either supercharge or turbocharge their cars in a bid to combat the disappointing straight-line performance.

Brazil was starved of sports cars due to high import taxes and the country had its own called the Puma, based on a Beetle. Volkswagen then developed the SP2 in-house via their Brazilian division to give Brazil another sports car. Inside, it had leather seats and a low driving position, outside was a sleek steel body with cut-out rear vents and a long bonnet.

Although it weighed just 890kg (1962lbs), the SP2 was heavier than the Puma and was powered by a 1.7-litre with a miniscule 75bhp. This resulted in a 95mph top speed and a slothful 0-62mph time of 17sec.

Unlike the desirable 197bhp 2.0-litre V6, the standard FTO’s 1.8-litre produced just 125bhp. Outside, the FTO had all the features of a sports car: large 3000GT-like front lights, aerodynamic bodywork and a nifty spoiler. However, 0-60mph arrived in a lengthy 10.0sec and it would only see 125mph; the similarly priced Fiat Coupe 1.8-litre with 128bhp, although still slow, could manage the 0-62mph dash in just under 10sec and would go onto 128mph.

Amongst the 944 and 968, the 924 was never meant to be a Porsche but was instead intended to be sold as either an Audi or a Volkswagen but Volkswagen killed the project. So, Porsche bought the rights. For some reason, the 924 was equipped with Volkswagen’s 123bhp 2.0-litre van-derived unit which meant a lazy real-world 0-62mph time of 11.0sec and it would eventually hit 124mph if given enough room.

What was originally designed for Fiat, ended up with Lancia. The Montecarlo was for Europe and received a punchy 120bhp variant while the US was given the Scorpion which had a 1.8-litre with just 81bhp due to emission laws. The European car would still struggle to scamper to 62mph in under 9sec while the US car took an even lengthier 13.4sec. Its front was attractive with a long bonnet and aggressive lights, while X1/9 hints were at the rear – the Scorpion was designated originally as an X1/8.

Smart isn’t known to build sports cars, but being under Mercedes’ umbrella, they have been known to release Brabus variants of their for-two and for-four models. In 2003, the quirky 790kg (1741lbs) Coupe hit the streets with its rear glass panel, low-slung driving position and 698cc turbocharged engine.

While the Coupe was chuckable, the 80bhp engine was tied to a lazy three-speed semi-automatic gearbox which meant a 0-62mph time of just over 11sec. A Brabus variant was later introduced which upped the power to 101bhp, but with no manual gearbox available, it was still slow with its 10sec 0-62mph time.

The X1/9 looked quick with its flat Ferrari-like boot lid, carved front end and side-mounted engine ducts but underneath was a 1.3-litre four-cylinder with a puny 75bhp which pushed the 880kg (1940lbs) X1/9 to 62mph in a torpid 12.8sec. Fiat later revisited the X1/9 and equipped it with a more powerful 84bhp 1.5-litre but this didn’t massively improve its performance as 0-62mph took 11.5sec and gave a top speed of just 112mph.

Volkswagen wanted to build a halo car and Porsche needed a car to replace its 912, and in a joint venture, the 914 was conceived. Its design looked aerodynamic with its pop-up headlights, raised wheel arches and ground-hugging suspension. Behind the driver sat a 1.7-litre Volkswagen-derived powerplant with a mere 80bhp, shoving the 914 to 62mph in an unenergetic 13.3sec and it would even struggle to reach its 115mph top speed.

The Caravelle was the late-‘50s response by Renault to try and seize on two apparent opportunities: ape the success of the Volkswagen Beetle (and its associate, the Karmann Ghia) in the American market, and also get a slug of the sales then captured by mostly British-built roadsters in the same market. The low slung and reasonably slinky Caravelle was the response.

With a design by Ghia and based on the floorplan of the rear-engined Dauphine, it never had the motor to deliver on especially the latter objective; its 845cc engine was only good for 37bhp, while even the performance version only put out 40bhp. Even the latter took over 22 seconds to get to 60mph, while 78mph was its top speed. This did nothing for its appeal to American motorists, used to much more powerful cars, at a time when rival Volkswagens were regularly introducing more powerful engines.

With the Beetle selling like hot cakes, VW finally had the resources to do more than just survive – but also to thrive at all. With incomes rising after the austerity of the war and immediate post-war years, people had money to spend on cars that were more just mere tools. The Karmann Ghia was a result, with sporty and modern styling from Ghia.

However, deep down it was a Beetle, and that means sharing that car’s often rather lethargic engines; initially that meant an air-cooled 1.2-litre flat-four good for just 34bhp and a 0-60mph time of a cool 30 seconds. Still it looked great, acquired a cult status that stands today,  and VW sold them by the bucketload – there were 445,000 sales over a 19 year period, 81% of which were couples, the remained being convertibles.

It wasn’t just the likes of Renault who wanted a piece of the compact sports car market – even stodgy old Volvo wanted a piece of the action, and the sensuously beautiful P1800 was the result. But it received a four-cylinder engine more usually at home in the Swedish firm’s staid saloons and station wagons, and good initially for only 100bhp, a 0-60mph time of 13 seconds and a 105mph top speed. It did later receive more powerful engines – and also got small-screen stardom as the wheels of Simon Templar in The Saint, as portrayed by Roger Moore, later a James Bond.

The Nova was a stunning-looking machine that rather astonishingly was firstly built largely by its owners – there were various tax breaks in the Nova's 70s heyday for ‘kit cars’ in the UK – and secondly was essentially a rather more pedestrian VW Beetle underneath. Its canopy opened dramatically (via a hydraulic pump), combining roof and doors in one – and the uninitiated might have thought you were looking at a Ferrari-rival.

Although lighter than its donor, it still featured its engines and usually delivered decidedly Beetle-like performance – complete with treacherous handling inherent from placing a relatively heavy engine right at the back of a lightweight plastic-bodyworked and low slung car.