10 of the worst supercars ever built

By topgear, 15 April 2020

Weber Faster One (2008)

This Swiss monstrosity promises 9002hp and a top speed in excess of 420km/h. Just two problems: no one’s ever actually driven one, and it looks like a nightmarish Tim Burton interpretation of a BMW Z4. The horror!

DeLorean DMC-12 (1981)

Looked like a supercar, went like a lumbering old Metro. With a 130hp Peugeot V6 instead of the optional flux capacitor, the DMC-12 was woefully slow: catalytic converted models took 10secs to crack 95km/h. And couldn’t fly.

(Click HERE to read about the time the DMC-12 met a MP4-12C)

Vector M12 (1995)

Denounced by one J Clarkson as “the worst car in the entire world”, the M12 was a rebodied Diablo with the sophistication of a mastodon and the build quality of a Glastonbury tent. Made the Lambo look like a sensible, reliable choice. 

Caparo T1 (2007)

Billed as an ‘F1 Car For The Road’, the 575bhp Caparo can do 0-160km/h in five seconds flat. Problem is, most of the time it won’t, preferring to be broken or substantially on fire. Or both. Scorching performance at its worst.

Panther 6 (1977)

Inspired by the Tyrrell P34 (the F1 car that Jody Scheckter called ‘a piece of junk’) the Panther had an 8.2-litre twin-turbo V8 and a claimed top speed in excess of 320km/h, a claim never substantiated. Difficult to understand why.

Ferrari 400 (1976)

Not to be confused with the 400 Superamerica of the 1950s (which was ace), the 400 was a bog-awful pretend GT and the first Ferrari with an auto’ box. Designed to woo lazy Americans, it never went on sale in the States. Oops.

Aston Martin Virage (1989)

Conceived in the booming mid-80s but released in the depression of the early 1990s, the Virage was average to drive, shoddily built and, despite costing that much, had headlights borrowed from an Audi 200.

Mitsuoka Orochi (2005)

Inspired by the Honda NSX but nowhere near as fast, attractive or acceptable, the 230bhp Orochi resembles an aroused bottom feeder trying to suppress wind.

Lamborghini Jalpa (1981)

Not an awful car in its own right, but suffered from its billing as the useable, affordable alternative to the Countach. That’s like trying to make a living as a friendly, vegetarian mako shark. Or a prudish porn star. Or Nickelback

Jaguar XJ220 (1992)

This 350km/h monster was the world’s fastest in its day, but the XJ220 could have been so much more. Customers put down deposits for a 4WD V12 hypercar. They ended up with a RWD V6. Safe to say, some were a bit peeved about this.

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