Throughout history, there have been some truly exceptional vehicles to leave the continent of Europe, especially sports cars. So, only a handful of these sports cars are well considered to be the cream of the crop by enthusiasts. Porsche 911 for example. This is Germany’s supposed staple sports car, but in reality, there are other sports cars to consider instead of the Porsche 911.
Today, we’re going to look at cars that fit that exact description; exceptional sports cars that stood in the limelight because others stole the show. Some of the sports cars that we’ll mention today you might have heard of, others you might have forgotten about, and some you might never have known existed in the first place.
10/10 Porsche 944 Turbo
-1.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
The Porsche 944 is one of the more peculiar Porsches that ever left Stuttgart’s factory. Why do we say that? See, instead of adopting Porsche’s classic rear-mounted engine configuration, the 944 has its powertrain stuck underneath its front end.
On top of that, turbocharged power played a role in the 944’s layout too, hence the name of course. This specific powerplant was a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that generated 220 hp, and the Turbo S 250 hp. It still sent its power to the rear wheels via a manual gearbox in traditional Porsche fashion, though.
9/10 Alfa Romeo SZ
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
There’s an old saying Jeremy Clarkson popularized that goes as follows, “You can’t be a true petrolhead until you’ve owned an Alfa Romeo”. He might not have directly referred to the Lego brick lookalike dubbed the Alfa Romeo SZ, but the fact of the matter stands.
This bizarre Italian sports car turned heads and did not exist to lust over necessarily. The SZ featured a naturally-aspirated 3.0-liter V6 that churned out 207 hp and 180 hp. Sure, it wasn’t necessarily the fastest car of its time, but it was certainly one of the most daring ones out there.
8/10 Triumph Spitfire
All enthusiasts love lightweight sports cars, especially ones that originate from Britain… even if they might be a bit fragile. The Triumph Spitfire was much like the Mazda Miata we know today, only it was less powerful, weighed less, and had a more posh aura surrounding it.
The most power any Triumph Spitfire put out was a mere 76 hp from its 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine. This happened throughout its third generation, but even then, the little British roadster weighed fewer than 1,600 lbs.
7/10 BMW 635CSi
If the BMW M240i is a light-M car, the BMW 635CSi can theoretically be a light-CS car. There has been quite some talk surrounding Beemers with CS and CSL badges recently, and one of the most talked-about ones is the revived Batmobile, called the M4 3.0 CSL. But we digress.
The BMW E24 6-Series is one of the most timeless Beemers ever to exist and is also nicknamed the Sharknose. Underneath its aggressive hood hid a 3.4-liter straight six that emitted 215 hp and 229 lb-ft of torque.
6/10 BMW Z3 M Coupe
The BMW Z3 M is in essence, the exact polar opposite of the 635CSi. Instead of adopting classic BMW design language, the design team over at BMW decided to sculpt the Z3 M Coupe to look like nothing else on the road. They too took inspiration from the real world which influenced the Z3’s design, but instead of using an animal, or a feeling, they based the Z3 on a clown shoe.
If you were wondering, yes, that’s why it garnered the nickname “Clown Shoe”. That was the only funny thing about this M car though. The Z3 M featured three different engines, the S50, S52, and lastly, the S54. The Z3 M inherited its S54 straight-six from its big brother, the BMW E46 M3
5/10 Mercedes-McLaren SLR
The Mercedes-Benz SLR is one of those vehicles that is the perfect example of an identity crisis. Not only was it a collaboration between two vastly different automakers, Mercedes and McLaren, but it was the perfect blend of hardcore supercar and comfortable touring car. Two mightily different realms.
However, because it didn’t excel in just one particular field, many hypercar fanatics were absolutely appalled by this. That robust supercharged 5.4-liter V8 of its still generated enough disturbance (617 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque) to catapult it to 60 mph from a standstill in 3.8 seconds. Although its powertrain might not have been one of the best V8 engines ever made, it sure did accomplish its task rather well.
4/10 Volvo P1800
Just look at this Volvo. It looks like an Italian-built piece of art, definitely not a Swedish-sculpted piece of automotive brilliance. But that is exactly what the Volvo P1800 was – unorthodox.
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
Not only was it breathtaking though, but it was also near-bulletproof since the Volvo P1800 is one of the most reliable cars ever made. The reason behind the Volvo P1800’s underrated status comes all down to its lack of performance, though. However, that is dismissable considering its reliability and striking stature.
3/10 BMW E82 135i
-1.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
For the untrained eye, the BMW 135i looks like any ordinary old E82 1-Series Coupe. That however could not be further away from the truth. Sure, it might not have been as aggressive-looking as the BMW 1M Coupe, which will cost a fortune soon, but there is much more to the 135i than you would believe.
Underneath its short hood lives either an N54 or N55 engine, both of which are twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engines. Both of these powertrains send 302 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels allowing the E82 135i to do 0-60 mph in as little as 4.8 seconds.
2/10 Spyker C8
Remember how we mentioned in our introduction that some of today’s cars will be vehicles you most likely have never heard about? Well, here it is. The Spyker C8.
The first Spyker C8 left the factory floor in the year 2000. The first few that reached showroom floors weren’t just gorgeous to look at, but since its 4.2-liter V8 engine generated 395 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque, it was as fast and well-sounding as its looks implied.
1/10 BMW Z8
To conclude our list of underappreciated European sports cars we have one of the most absurd BMWs ever built, the BMW Z8. Not only did it conflict with BMW’s design language at the time, but its powertrain did too, as did its overall existence.
Only 5,703 units ever saw the day of light, and they contained the 4.9-liter S62 V8 engine found in the E39 M5. This gargantuan powertrain put out 395 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque.
Sources: porsche.com, ultimatespecs.com