Some the greatest cars have some pretty pathetic versions that us enthusiasts would like to forget existed.
10.) Ferrari 208
As a workaround for an Italian tax, Ferrari stuck a tiny 2 liter V8 in the otherwise great 308. The mini V8 made a pathetic 155 HP until Ferrari mercifully stuck a turbo on it in 1982, bumping power to 220 HP.
Suggested By: J "oppo" Zeke, Photo Credit: Ferrari
9.) BMW E39 525TD
The E39 5-Series chassis is beloved by enthusiasts everywhere, especially in its blistering M5 form. How do you ruin it? Stick a miserable 2.5 liter diesel making 114 hp under the hood! It managed to be both slow, and inefficient.
Suggested By: Alex87f, Photo Credit: BMW
8.) Base Impreza
Here at Jalopnik we adore the WRX and the WRX STI, but the same can't be said about the base Impreza. A lot of credit is owed to Subaru's engineers, taking a bland car and making it great.
Suggested By: Audistein, Photo Credit: Subaru
7.) Datsun 280ZX
The S30 chassis gave birth to the absolutely brilliant Datusn 240Z, a car that compared favorably with the best of what Europe had to offer. Unfortunately it evolved into the slow, bloated 280ZX, a car that no amount of black gold could save.
Suggested By: DatASSun, Photo Credit: Datsun
6.) BMW E46 M3 SMG Convertible
Many enthusiasts call the E46 M3 "God's chariot," a well earned title, but not for this version. The convertible made the car heavy and wallowy, while the SMG gearbox made it clunky to drive around town. Those two options don't ruin the car on their own, but many people find the combination of the two to be... unpalatable.
Suggested By: Brian Silvestro, Photo Credit: BMW
5.) Pagani Zonda R
"A Zonda on this list? You can't be serious!" Unfortunately, I am. While I'm sure the Zonda R is amazing to drive, it's not road legal and it's too loud to be used at most tracks. What's worse than having a Zonda you can't actually use?
Suggested By: burglar can't heart click anything, Photo Credit: Pagani
4.) 2WD Wrangler
Ah the 2WD Wrangler, the official car of "I care more about looking tough than actually being tough." Why would anyone buy a Wrangler that you can barley off road with? Mercifully, Jeep only made them for a few years.
Suggested By: PatBateman, Photo Credit: Jeep
3.) Yugo
The original Fiat 127 was a great little car. When it became a Yugo it lost all of that greatness and is still the butt of oh so many jokes here in the US.
Suggested By: Jonee, Photo Credit: Yugo
2.) Series III E-Type
When Jaguar unveiled the E-Type back in 1961 it gave the world one of the most beautiful cars ever made. It was as good to drive as it was to look at with a muscular straight-six, and its price greatly undercut that of its competition.
Its fall from grace was so hard you could hear the echo around the world with the hideous V12 Series III. It wasn't entirely Jag's fault, as the car had to be modified to adapt to changing safety standards, but even still, it was a shadow of its former glory.
Suggested By: RedPir8Roberts, Photo Credit: Jaguar
1.) R32 Nissan Skyline GXi
This isn't the V-Spec GT-R you remember from playing Gran Turismo 2. While it sort of looks like that car, this Skyline has to make do with a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder making a whopping 90 HP.
Suggested By: burglar can't heart click anything, Photo Credit: Nissan
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Top Photo Credit: Jaguar