Written by Oleksandr Lugovyi, instagram: @oleks_lugovyi
Since the launch of the automobile all the way back in 1886 by the infamous Karl Benz and his creation of the Benz Motorwagon, we have as a species pushed the edges of the technological envelope. Pushing the edges of human and engineering development that may have on occasion created some of the most dangerous and lethal sports cars in the world, sit back and find out about our topmost dangerous sports cars in the world. If you think that there are other contenders for this list, do share it with us.
10. Noble M600
Starting off the list is the stunning, yet simplistic, Noble M600. It may have the V8 engine from a Volvo XC90, but it surely isn’t a slouch. If you want the experience of a pure-bred race car then this is a good starting point, it has no ABS, no traction control and no airbags or safety features. This is probably as close as you can come to experiencing a modern-day race car on the road, but you better be awake as the 4.4 litre V8 develops 650 bhp and 819 Nm torque being sent to the rear wheels alone. The car itself only weighs 1,250 kg making it very light, very agile and can be very tail-happy if the driver is not experienced.
9. Caparo T1
The Caparo T1 is a definite rival for one of the most dangerous sports cars in the world, its development alone has seen many difficulties and hardships, with mechanical failures, incidents, and fires. Back in the day when Fifth Gear was popular one of the presenters Jason Plato was involved in an accident in which the car caught fire at around 160 mph, the presenter sustained some burns and injuries. Other incidents involved a Dutch journalist testing the car when the front suspension came adrift, and during its run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the throttle was stuck open. As amazing as the engineering is building this behemoth it is also just as dangerous, there is an old episode of Top Gear where Jeremy Clarkson reviewed it and that alone should suffice as evidence as he too was concerned and worried about test-driving it to the point a full-on medical team was called in that could deal with a “medium-sized aeroplane crash”. Fair to say that anyone who owns one probably will need to take precautions if they wish to come out of it in one piece and alive.
8. First Generation Pagani Zonda
It is no surprise that Pagani makes some of the world’s most iconic and breathtaking cars, they are alongside Lamborghini as the ultimate bedroom poster poser cars. However, the first generation Pagani Zonda, the C12, was quite the animal with snap oversteer, unpredictable understeer and a traction control system with a mind of its own making it a challenging car to handle. Unsurprisingly even Lewis Hamilton said that the Zonda “was the worst handling car he’d ever driven”. But the Mercedes AMG soundtrack is truly to die for, a spectacular engine and sound it emits would make you forget about all the dangers associated with it, albeit until you come to a corner that is.
7. First Generation Dodge Viper
Much like the Zonda mentioned earlier the first-generation Dodge Viper was also quite a problem child, it came as a roadster variant with no roof, no safety features, no ABS and no traction control and with over 400 bhp being sent to the rear wheels from its mighty V10 engine its no wonder it was nicknamed the Windowmaker. Unfortunately, the Viper was involved in many accidents that witnessed its drivers and some passengers falling victim to the car’s dangerous pedigree and shortcomings.
6. Koenigsegg CCX
Koenigsegg has basically become a household name, it’s up there with the likes of Bugatti, Hennessey and McLaren for the title of World’s Fastest Cars. However, it was a mighty powerful and fast car developing over 800+ horsepower and on biofuel, it would develop over 840 bhp this meant it was fast, very fast, to this day it holds the highest speeding ticket ever given at 242 mph. However, all that speed came with a price, and not just in money, but downforce too, it was unpredictable with its steering so much so that the Stig on Top Gear crashed it, Top gear advised that the car be modified with a rear wing for downforce which Koenigsegg applied but the car is still notorious for its difficulty in the corners.
5. 1964-1973 “Early” Porsche 911
As we all know, Porsche is the staple for luxury and performance however when the first generation 911 came out back in the 60s it was everything but. The early air-cooled 911s were notorious for being quite a ruthless and unforgiving car with oversteer, placing the engine all the way behind the rear axle meant that the weight was imbalanced causing drastic handling issues. However, things started to pick up from the 70s onwards with improved suspension settings, traction control systems and overall technological advancements turning the 911 into the platform we all know and love.
4. Shelby Cobra Super Snake
Some of us may remember the Shelby Cobra was in the movie Bad Boys, at the end it was raced against Will Smith and his partner in the Porsche chasing down the baddy in the Cobra which faced an untimely end with a concrete barrier. In reality, the Shelby Cobra Super Snake was more powerful, uprated and a pretty chaotic car. Remember that this monster was birthed in the 60s and only two were ever created, one for Carol Shelby and one for his friend, this special edition version had 825 bhp on tap and naturally safety features and driver aids were quite limited if not non-existent. However, only one now remains as the other was driven off a cliff in an unfortunate accident.
3. 1953-56 Porsche 550 Spyder
The Porsche 550 Spyder has a dark and troubling past, some may even say a curse, the late James Dean died whilst behind the wheel, he named it “the Little Bastard” and died whilst on the way to a race. The car was also featured in an episode of Supernatural, and since the car was conceived at a time when car and driver safety were not a concern there was no roll cage, no abs or traction control which meant that it had quite the danger factor associated with it.
2. TVR Cerbera Speed 12
TVR is notorious for creating some whacky and funky cars, but they are also known for developing some of the most dangerous and outrageous cars too. The Cerbera Speed 12 was so dangerous in the prototype stage that the brand itself decided to cancel manufacturing it. A one-off-road legal version of it was sold at auction for an astounding £650,000. The reason why it was so dangerous is due to the fact that much like the other contenders it has no driver aids whatsoever, but we know that TVR has a habit of turning the dial up to 11 so if an insane brand like TVR point blanked refused to put one into production then it definitely is for a good reason.
1. Porsche Carrera GT
It’s no surprise that the Carrera GT is first on the list, any fans of the Fast and Furious franchise will know about the accident which involved a red Carrera GT that crashed and killed Paul Walker and his friend who was behind the wheel at the time. The Carrera GT was inspired by the FIA GT1 Championship back in the 90s, it had a race-inspired 5.5. litre V10 engine that sounds heavenly and it is probably the only car engine that can rival the almighty Lexus LFA. However, with over 600 bhp on tap and with no driver aids, safety, rear wheel drive and a manual gearbox it means that a lot of owners have unfortunately faced an untimely end or brought their cars to theirs too.
Sources:
https://www.hotcars.com/most-dangerous-sports-cars-ever-made/#porsche-carrera-gt
Bleeding Edge Digital 