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Affordable Dreams: Exotic Cars That Won’t Break the Bank

Vukasin Herbez February 9, 2023

SAAB Sonett

Even though SAAB was always famous for sedans or convertibles with turbo engines, they produced a sports coupe during the ’60s and early ’70s. As people expected, it was strange, quirky, and obscure, just like the rest of the range. There were three generations of the SAAB Sonett sports car (via Top Gear).

The first one was a racing prototype from the ’50s, but the second and third were regular production models. They designed it on a box chassis and fitted it with a fiberglass body. Initially, they equipped the Sonett with SAAB’s tiny three-cylinder two-stroke engine delivering just 60 HP. As you can expect, customers were disappointed with its poor performance. But soon the company fitted it with a 1.7-liter V4 borrowed from Ford’s European division. Even though that was an improvement, it wasn’t enough to save the model. Due to disappointing sales numbers and the 1973 oil crisis, Saab ceased production in 1974.

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Ariel Atom

This is maybe the craziest car on sale today on which you can actually put license plates. The Ariel Atom 500 V8 weighs 1200 pounds and has 500 hp from a V8 engine mounted directly behind the driver. The car is basically a Go-Kart with a spoiler, some place for two people, no trunk, no body panels, and no fenders. Just a naked chassis, a screaming V8 behind you with 500 angry horses, a seven-speed sequential gearbox, and four tires (via Arielna).

If this description doesn’t scare you, the performance will. The Ariel Atom 500 V8 is capable of jumping to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds and beating the Bugatti Veyron, which was the world’s fastest-accelerating passenger car at one point. We can only imagine how it feels being catapulted to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds in a vehicle that has no body or roof with the engine just inches away from your head. It must be fantastic, yet deadly.

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Lancia Scorpion

You’re looking for a limited-production Italian sports car from the ’70s, but only have $20,000 to spare. Sound impossible? It isn’t. There is a solution to your problem and it’s called the Lancia Scorpion. In 1976, Lancia presented the Scorpion, a US-spec version of its Beta Montecarlo model. The Montecarlo name couldn’t be used for the American market since Chevrolet already had the Monte Carlo, so Lancia decided to go with the aggressive Scorpion nameplate (via Motor Trend).

However, despite the car’s modern looks and technical layout, the Scorpion could have been a better performer. Its four-cylinder engine delivered only 81 HP in US spec. The Scorpion was on sale for two years (1976 and 1977) and sold around 1,800 examples in America. Today, these Lancias are rare but not exactly expensive and most of them now have engine transplants in the form of Fiat’s 2.0-liter engines. These engines produce more power and give the Scorpion the performance it deserves.

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Rossion Q1

Only a few people know about an American supercar manufacturer called Rossion. Established in 2006, Rossion Automotive bought the rights for Noble M400 supercar from the British company Noble. The Rossion took the M400 to America, completely redesigned and re-engineered the car, and introduced it as the Q1 in 2008 (via Car and Driver).

The heart of the Q1 is Ford’s 3.0-liter V6 engine equipped with twin turbochargers. This combo is not only light but also powerful, and the Q1 has 508 HP sent to its rear wheels over a six-speed manual transmission. The performance figures are equally interesting, and a 0 to 60 mph sprint is possible in just 2.9 seconds, with a top speed of 195 mph.

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Ferrari Mondial

If you thought you couldn’t get a Ferrari for Toyota Camry money, you’re wrong. Introduced in 1980, the Mondial was the successor of the 308 GT4. It was a compact Grand Turismo sports car with a 2+2 seating configuration and mid-engine layout, which meant it offered more space than 308 and 328 GTB models (via Ferrari). Even though the Mondial was more practical and somewhat cheaper, it wasn’t particularly popular. Today, it is one of the rare poorly regarded models in the Ferrari community.

The design could have been more dynamic and its performance figures were slower than the rest of the Ferrari lineup. The company responded by offering a 3.2-liter V8 and Turbo version, but it still needed to improve its reputation. The production ended in 1993 after close to 5000 examples were made. Today, this is one of the cheapest ways into Ferrari ownership as a decent example will only set you back around $45,000.

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TVR Sagaris

Introduced in the early 2000s, the Sagaris was an exciting and innovative design from a company known for brutally fast and sleek sports cars. Propelled by TVR’s own 4.0-liter high-revving six-cylinder engine with 406 HP, the Sagaris was lightning quick, taking only 3.7 seconds to 60 mph with a 185 mph top speed (via Top Speed).

But the coolest thing about this crazy sports car was its design. Named after a battle axe from Greek mythology, the Sagaris was simply hard to describe. There are very few cars that have such an aggressive design but still managed to look elegant and fast even when standing still. TVR’s management was under scrutiny for not equipping the car with standard safety features like ABS, stability control, or even airbags, which caused problems with buyers in several European markets.

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DeLorean DMC 12

Started by John Z. DeLorean in the late ’70s, DeLorean was briefly marketed as the next big thing in the sports car world. For a short time, it looked that America got a sports car brand that could rival Europe’s finest. DeLorean presented an exciting sports car concept with Gullwing doors, a modern wedge-shaped design, a mid-mounted V6 engine, and a stainless steel body (via Hemmings).

However, production was late, and when the car was finally revealed, it turned out to be slow, underpowered, and riddled with quality problems. Due to its prominent appearance in the ‘Back to the Future’ movies and numerous music videos, the DMC 12 is still a popular car and one of the automotive symbols of the ’80s.

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Matra Bagheera

French company Matra is one of the most attractive automotive design and development outfits. For decades, this firm has delivered innovative solutions and new technologies. In fact, they work with some of the biggest names in the industry. In the early ’70s, in cooperation with Simca, Matra decided to produce a small sports car for the European market. They called it the Bagheera and introduced this cool-looking three-seater in 1973 (via Hagerty).

Yes, the Bagheera had three seats up front. So even though it was compact and small, three people could sit comfortably next to each other. Unfortunately, the power came from a diminutive 1.2 or 1.4-liter engine that didn’t provide an exhilarating performance. However, the Bagheera was a moderate success with three seats and its French charm.

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Audi R8

The sports car world was very surprised when Audi presented the first-generation R8. Nobody expected such a bold move from Audi or such a great sports car. The R8 is a supercar with its mid-mounted V8 engine and design but at sports car prices that make it available to a broader audience (via Supercar Nostalgia).

The engine itself is an actual piece of art, a naturally aspirated 4.2 liter V8 and 420 HP. Packed in a lightweight body and mated to a perfect dual-clutch gearbox, the R8 V8 was capable of attacking some Italian exotics with no problem.

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Chevrolet Corvette C8

The 2021+ Corvette C8 is one of the most controversial cars of our era. It’s the long-awaited eighth-generation model and the freshest Corvette ever. That’s not only for its design but for a host of technical solutions, features, and advancements. First of all, the C8 is a mid-engined sports car that some consider sacrilegious. The Corvette was a front-engined sports car since 1953. Still, GM’s engineers realized that they needed to switch the position of the engine if they wanted to keep Corvette competitive and give it the handling it deserved (via Chevrolet).

Apart from the all-new chassis and design, the C8 kept the small block V8 engine in the form of a modern LT2 6.2-liter V8 with 490 HP. This engine comes only with automatic transmission, which is another controversy, but the results are astonishing. The stock C8 can accelerate to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds and top 200 mph. The customers recognized how historically significant this model is and the C8 is a hot commodity at the moment. And the best thing is its base price of less than $70k, which makes it very affordable.

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Panoz Roadster

Younger enthusiasts don’t remember the name Panoz. But back in the ’90s, this company was one of the best-known limited-production American brands. Successful in racing, Panoz was one of those brands that offered a lot of racing technologies in street-legal vehicles, which made them favorites with fans of performance driving. The Roadster model was introduced in the early ’90s and represented the modern-day version of the legendary Shelby Cobra (via Motor Biscuit).

It was a stripped-down open-top two-seater built of aluminum. which kept the weight down. Panoz used a lot of Ford Mustang SN95 components including the engine, drivetrain, and suspension. That meant the Roadster had 300 HP and brutal performance. Panoz received a lot of criticism for copying the layout of the legendary Shelby Cobra. However, its determination to make this car and sell it to power-hungry clients remained the same.

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Lamborghini Urraco

You might be surprised to find a proper Lamborghini on this list but just look at the spec of this ’70s wonder. The mid-mounted 2.0-liter V8 with 180 HP is capable of reaching 60 mph in 7.5 seconds. Compared to later models and well-known Lamborghini supercars, this is not good but still a performer by ’70s standards (via Lamborghini).

Urraco was produced in dark times as a performance car and was also rumored to be assembled poorly. Lamborghini managed to produce over 700 of them and many drivers think those little, wedge-shaped cars deserve a better look.

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Lotus Esprit V8

The Esprit was produced from the early ’70s up to the early 2000s. It was always a fantastic supercar despite the fact it had smaller engines than the competitors. The last and best version was the V8, which featured 350 HP and a lightweight body that could outrun many competitors while retaining that classic wedge look (via Supercars).

2004 Lotus Esprit - 2002 Lotus Esprit — Photo Credit: Auto WP

This was a bona fide exotic car, but current prices are relatively affordable. However, you should snap this piece of classic British engineering right now. For the price of a new mid-size SUV, you will get a Ferrari-beating performance and exclusivity. However, maintenance can be tricky, but it’s worth the time and investment.

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Alpine 610/GTA

If you think France didn’t produce any relevant sports cars in the last 30 years, think again. The Alpine A610 started in 1991 as a replacement for the Alpine GTA and old A310 from the late ’70s. The fiberglass-bodied coupe featured several exciting features like the futuristic interior, rear-mounted turbocharged V6 engine from Renault, and vivid performance (via Autocar).

The 3.0-liter V6 produced 247 HP, enough to launch this lightweight coupe from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and close to 170 mph top speed. The Alpine cars have a small cult following but are mostly unknown to American enthusiasts, even though some models were sold here.

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Ferrari 348

Introduced in 1989, Ferrari 348 was a modern-looking machine and a successor to the popular 308/328 range. It featured a new platform, engine, and three body styles – coupe, Targa, and convertible with a wide rear track and a hint of Testarossa design. It was a handsome machine with good performance from the 3.4-liter V8 engine. The 348 was well received by the press as well as the customers. Ferrari managed to sell over 8,000 examples until 1995 when the F355 replaced it (via Ferrari).

However, the quality could have been better in early examples. Its 348 owners reported massive maintenance costs since the car required extensive work to be fully functional. That is why Ferrari 348 costs just over $70,000 on today’s market, with the best examples going for around $90,000. The car is still great to drive. And if you get the convertible, you can fully enjoy the glorious V8 soundtrack. Still, beware of its high maintenance costs.

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Affordable Dreams: Exotic Cars That Won’t Break the Bank

SAAB Sonett

Ariel Atom

Lancia Scorpion

Rossion Q1

Ferrari Mondial

TVR Sagaris

DeLorean DMC 12

Matra Bagheera

Audi R8

Chevrolet Corvette C8

Panoz Roadster

Lamborghini Urraco

Lotus Esprit V8

Alpine 610/GTA

Ferrari 348

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