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These Popular Sports Cars Have The Worst Handling

When comparing sports cars, the main thing most gearheads focus on is how fast they can go or how powerful their engines are. We perfectly understand why, as those are the main factors that they can actually quantify.


RELATED: These Cheap Sports Cars Are Incredible Around Corners

However, one key factor that we think should be on top of the lift but is often swept under the rug is handling. Sure, a 1500-hp engine sounds nice, but what’s the point if no one can handle it? With that said, let’s explore ten popular sports cars that would be even better if their manufacturers spent more time on the handling.

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10 Porsche Carrera GT

These Popular Sports Cars Have The Worst Handling
via: Porsche

Porsche was looking to dominate all motorsports competitions it participated in the ’90s, which is why it went all in and developed many advanced technologies for its race cars. Sadly, Porsche decided to quit racing at Le Mans and the GT1 Championship in the late ’90s, leaving multi-million-dollar technologies that seemed like they’d go to waste.

Porsche Carrera GT rear third quarter view
Via: Porsche

Fortunately, Porsche decided to use some of the technologies in a crazy road-legal car, resulting in the Carrera GT. The Carrera GT was powered by a masterpiece of an engine – a 603-hp 5.7-liter V10 that Porsche had built for a Le Mans prototype. With a 0-60 of just over 3 seconds and a top speed of 208 mph, the Carrera GT was among the fastest 2000s sports cars. Unfortunately, its lack of key driving aids made it incredibly difficult to control.

9 Shelby 427 A/C Cobra

Shelby Cobra Roadster 427 - Front Quarter
Via Mecum Auctions

The renowned Carroll Shelby gave us many automotive gems during his lifetime, and the Shelby Cobra is arguably the most iconic. The Cobra is one of the coolest collaborations between European and American automakers, as it was essentially a British roadster body with a monstrous American V8 under the hood.

A Shelby Cobra 427.
Via: Shelby American

There were several engine options available for the production Cobra, with the most powerful being a gigantic 7.0-liter V8 rated at over 425 hp. The Cobra 427 was insanely fast, but since it was a roadster with primitive brakes and no driving aids, only professionals could handle its immense power.

8 Pagani Zonda

1999 Pagani Zonda C12
via: Pagani

In the early ’90s, Horacio Pagani fulfilled his childhood dream when he established a sports car manufacturing company in his own name. By the end of the decade, Pagani had already developed its first-ever car – the Zonda.

Pagani Zonda C12
 via: Pagani

The Zonda stunned everyone with its design, sheer luxury, incredibly powerful Mercedes-Benz V12 engine, and eye-watering price tag. There was almost no way to tell that the Zonda was the first Pagani until you drove it. The Zonda was extremely hard to handle even for professional drivers like Lewis Hamilton, who said it was among the worst handling cars he’d ever driven. Thankfully, later versions of the Zonda got better.

7 1990 Dodge Viper

1999 Dodge Viper RT:10
via Mecum

The Viper sent shockwaves throughout the auto industry when it debuted in the ’90s. For once, the American auto industry had produced a supercar that could compete with the Europeans in both looks and performance.

RELATED: 10 Reasons Why The Dodge Viper Was A Success

Dodge Viper RT10 - Rear
Via Mecum Auctions

Dodge equipped the Viper with the largest engine they had at the time – a humongous 8.0-liter V10 making over 400 hp. However, Dodge engineers forgot to add key driving aids like anti-lock brakes and traction control, creating the perfect recipe for disaster. It’s no surprise that the Viper was nicknamed ‘the widow maker’

6 Noble M600

Red 2010 Noble M600 side
Via: Noble

Little-known British automaker Noble doesn’t build many memorable cars, but gearheads will always remember the M600. The M600 was Noble’s attempt at joining the supercar market, and it was almost successful.

Noble M600
Via: Wikipedia

The M600 had all the elements of a modern supercar – a superb design and a monstrous 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 cranking out 650 ponies. The Noble was so impressive that it earned great reviews from Jeremy Clarkson on a Top Gear episode. However, in an attempt to make the M600 as driver-focused as possible, Noble ended up making it dangerous as it didn’t have key modern driving aids.

5 Toyota MR2

1985 first-gen Toyota MR2 in blue front third quarter view
Via: Bring a Trailer

Japanese automakers dominated the ’80s sports car market with their cheap, reliable, and fuel-efficient sports cars, and the Toyota MR2 was one of the best. The MR2 was loved for its European-rivaling design, powerful engines, and mid-engined layout that made it incredibly fun to drive.

Red 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo on the driveway
Via BringaTrailer

However, the MR2 had a problem. Due to its mid-engined layout, it soon gained a reputation for snap oversteer.

4 Koenigsegg CCX

Silver Koenigsegg CCX Parked On A Hill
via: Koenigsegg

Koenigsegg has a similar story to the aforementioned Pagani, as it was established in the ’90s to build supercars. Koenigsegg’s third model – the CCX showed that the Swedish brand meant business, as it had an in-house built engine that could compete with anything on the market at the time.

Koenigsegg CCX's Back View
Via Koenigsegg

The engine in question was a revolutionary all-aluminum twin-supercharged V8 dishing out 806 hp, giving the CCX incredible performance. However, the CCX didn’t have nearly enough downforce to control its power until Koenigsegg added a rear wing.

3 Porsche 911 Turbo (930)

Porsche 930 turbo - Front
Via Mecum Auctions

In the late ’70s, Porsche needed to build a faster version of the popular 911 that could face off against the top European sports cars of the day. But since using bigger engines wasn’t an option as a result of the strict emission restrictions of the day, Porsche decided to build its first-ever turbocharged 911 – the 930 Turbo.

RELATED: Here’s What Made The 1970s Porsche 930 Turbo So Fast

Porsxhe-930-Turbo---Rear-1
Via Mecum Auctions

Porsche’s idea worked like a charm, as the 930 Turbo was the fastest German production car at the time of its introduction. Sadly, since turbocharging technology was still new, the 930 has massive turbo lag that made it difficult to control at times.

2 Ferrari 348 TS

Mid-Engined 1990 Ferrari 348 TS In Blu Chiaro Shade
Via: BringaTrailer

Ferrari has a long history of building world-class sports cars, but even they have built a few bad cars in the past. One such car is the 348 TS – or ‘baby Testarossa’, as it’s commonly referred to as.

Ferrari 348 - Rear
Via Mecum Auctions

The 348 TS had a superb wedge-shaped design and a 3.4-liter V8 under the hood generating just under 300 hp, giving it superb performance. However, unlike other ’80s Ferraris, the 348 TS didn’t handle its power well. It had a strange suspension system that made it hard to go around corners. It’s no surprise that the 348 TS is among the cheapest Ferraris one can buy.

1 TVR Sagaris

TVR Sagaris
Via TVRCarClub

TVR may not get the same respect as the likes of Aston Martin, McLaren, and Jaguar, but it has also built some iconic British sports cars that many gearheads love. One of them is the 2000s Sagaris, which Jeremy Clarkson called ‘the best TVR ever made’.

TVR-Sagaris-2004-1024-03
TVR

The Sagaris had a 400-hp six-cylinder engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission, giving it a 0-60 of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph. However, the Sagaris is probably left to professional drivers as it doesn’t have driving aids like electronic stability control and traction control.

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