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Sports cars are designed to be light and agile, but even on twisty roads, these 10 models fail to keep up with modern muscle cars.
While performance and power refer to how fast a car drives, handling refers to how the car responds through a turn or a twisty road. Its characterized mainly by the car’s suspension, steering, tires, and weight. The best-handling sports cars can drive around a corner at a higher speed without losing traction. Unlike sports cars, which are still popular for their excellent all-round performance, including handling, muscle cars are known for their extreme power and sheer straight-line speed. Enthusiasts who care about driving fun often criticize muscle cars for being poor on twisty roads and on the track.
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But that’s old news; modern muscle cars can match the handling nifty sports cars in their category. And that’s thanks to coming with ingredients needed for sublime handling like a balanced chassis, communicative steering, well-tuned race-inspired suspension, and shedding weight. New-age muscle cars also come with many driver assists and safety features like traction control, anti-lock braking systems, brake assist, electronic stability control, and more. These are handy for inexperienced drivers who find muscle cars’ RWD configurations challenging - they aid in controlling the car when pushed to the limits to avoid losing grip and traction. While some automotive brands handle the ride-handling trade-off way better than others, some popular sports cars can be outmaneuvered by modern muscle cars on a twisty road.
The legendary Shelby Cobra of the 1960s was built when features like airbags and chassis stiffness were regarded as gratuitous luxury items, as they didn’t contribute to the car’s speed. Featuring a thumping 7.0-liter V8 engine and no stability control or ABS, the Cobra was a clumsy beast to handle.
Workers at Shelby were blunt in admitting the less than optimum handling of the little beast. But Ken Miles found out during testing that the handling was disappointing and so poor that the MG 1100 could outrun it on a winding road. Reason? The Cobra's old tubular AC chassis wasn't stiff; it had a worse torsion rigidity than the Ford Model T’s rail frame.
Among the many headlines behind this iconic car, there’s one that tarnishes its name completely; the original widowmaker. The 930 turbo was a disaster waiting to happen. To start with, the rear-engine layout caused dangerous oversteer following the slightest miscalculation.
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Again, it suffered from extreme turbo lag as it was one of the pioneers of turbocharging on a small engine during the 1970s. The car suffered from unpredictable power delivery – about a second or two before the turbo spools. The turbo would sometimes kick in during the worst situations, like mid-way through a corner, sending it off the road.
While it isn’t the most popular brand globally, TVR produced some of England’s best sports cars. The TVR Sagaris with a 406hp 4.0-liter inline-six weighed just 2,376 pounds, thanks to the fiberglass body panels and basic interior. While the Sagaris remains one of the best TVRs to date, the car is no match to modern muscle cars regarding on-the-limit handling.
It had a weight distribution ratio of 53:47, making it prone to oversteer as the rear wheels suffered from insufficient grip. Again, the TVR Sagaris lacked driver aids like ABS or traction control.
The 350Z is the fifth generation of Nissan’s Z-series produced from 2002 to 2009. Regarded as one of the best sports cars, numbers indicate that the 350Z is also one of the most dangerous cars on American roads, with the 2005-2008 model recording over 143 deaths per million registrations.
Like most rear-wheel drive cars, the 350Z is prone to snap oversteer, which is unmanageable for a driver with no pro-driving skills. It has a 53:47 front-to-rear balance that shifts to around 50:50 when entering a corner under hard driving. Pushing it beyond the limit makes the rear lose grip, especially with traction control off.
The M600 is a hand-built sports car produced by Noble Automotive. The sporty design is made from carbon fiber and stainless steel. Hidden under the hood is a twin-turbocharged Volvo-derived V8 engine that produces from 450hp to 650hp.
Riding with an eerie comfort level, it’s not among the best machines to take liberties on a twisty road, especially with traction control disengaged. It features no electronic aids and can be challenging to handle in the wrong hands. The lack of ABS also robs the driver of some confidence when approaching a turn at high speed.
After making headlines at its introduction in the 90s, the Dodge Viper went on to become one of the best American sports cars. While the modern Viper came with a bunch of driver assists and safety features, the 1st-gen model was as bare-bones as it could get.
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It missed basic safety features like ABS, traction control, stability control, roll cage, and airbags. It did have an enormous 400hp 8.0-liter V10 engine but struggled to put all power to the ground with its hilarious 465lb-ft of torque. Though a fantastic ride for skilled sports drivers, it is a deathtrap for inexperienced drivers due to poor handling.
The production model of the Audi TT was introduced as a coupe in 1998, followed by a roadster the following year, based on Volkswagen’s A platform. Undoubtedly, the Quattro all-wheel-drive system was impressive, but all earlier TT models got recalled in 1999 and 2000 following unstable handling on high-speed corners.
A throttle lift-off oversteer caused the problem. Audi countered the oversteer by introducing a rear-wing spoiler for additional downforce and suspension adjustments to increase understeer. Even today, the Audi TT can’t come close to what modern muscle cars can do on a track.
The Toyota MR2 is one of the coolest Toyota classic sports cars. Like many Japanese cars, it’s popular for its affordability and reliability. While sports car gearheads love the MR2 for its performance, all that power and speed made the car more dangerous. Its deadly nature tarnished earlier models’ reputations.
Weighing only 2,750 pounds, the MR2 suffered from snap-oversteer as the mid-engine platform made the rear end heavier than the front. The rear was prone to spin mid-corner following a throttle lift-off, which couldn’t be easily controlled. In response to heavy criticism from fans and reviewers, Toyota redressed the MR2’s suspension in 1992.
This rear-wheel drive sports car resulted from the union between Daimler and Chrysler. Built by Karmann based on the Mercedes-Benz R170 platform, Chrysler sold it from 2004 to 2008. But with it, the American automaker made a big mistake by using the R170 platform. It was outdated having been developed nearly a decade prior.
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No surprise it possessed poor handling characterized by unforgivable stodgy steering. Besides, the hideous design and cheap interior were also a turnoff, not to mention the overall bad road feel. As a result, the Crossfire was a commercial flop that Chrysler could only salvage by selling on websites like Overstock and eBay.
Porsche built 911 F-models between 1963 and 1973; the 2+2 sports car was offered as a Targa, Coupe, or Cabriolet. Under the hood was a choice of a 2.0-liter or 2.4-liter engine producing a respectable 110hp and 190hp. Compared to the Porsche 356 models, they boasted a better build and engine design.
With the standards Porsche has set today, modern drivers have every right to be critical of the wayward handling of these now rare and iconic cars. Featuring very rudimental suspension and period tires, these Porsches easily oversteer. And while modern tires tame the poor handling, in truth, the 911 F-model is quite physical due to the sluggish unassisted steering.
Dennis Kariuki is a tech enthusiast who writes for Hotcars.com. Previously, he wrote for the.car .He likes covering the marriage between technology and cars. Besides that, he is big f1 fan. After working tirelessly through the week, you can be sure that on Sundays he is most likely enjoying and following motorsports events.