These Are Some Of The Most Complex Cars Ever Made

Want to get an idea of just how complex and sturdy the W140 generation of S-Class was? Take a look at the Maybach 57 and 62 from the 2000s. Mercedes based both Maybach models on the W140, a car that started its development 21 years prior to the Maybach’s debut.

Mercedes went all in on the engineering of the W140. While its tech wouldn’t look out of place on a luxury car today, for the early 1990s it was wild stuff. This S-Class was one of the brand’s first models to have a CAN bus electrical architecture. The W140 had a self-leveling suspension as well as a hydropneumatic adaptive damping system, and it was also the first Mercedes equipped with GPS navigation and a voice control system. But all this proved to be costly. Costs for the development program of the W140 went so over its budget that it’s said it’s the W140 was the reason Mercedes cheapened out on the W220 S-Class.

One of the most daring Japanese cars from the early 1990s was Subaru’s SVX. Aside from the stuff you can actually see, like its window-in-a-window design that was inspired by aviation, the SVX had complex internals. Its 3.3-liter flat-6 engine was the largest Subaru ever made at the time, with four valves per cylinder, a sequential multi-port fuel-injection system with dual spray injectors, and a computerized management system for its platinum-tipped spark plugs.

Subaru being Subaru, the automaker offered the SVX with two different all-wheel-drive systems. The first, called ACT-4, was an active torque-split system, which is the system used by U.S.-market SVXs. The rest of the world got a more advanced system called VTD (variable torque distribution) that was similar to the ACT system but with an added planetary center diff.

BMW’s use of tech in its models has grown heavier in recent years, but the i8 supercar was on another level. It was the first car offered in the U.S. with laser headlights; not only did they require approval from both the NHTSA and the FDA, but they were a $6,300 option and were 1000 times more bright and intense than LED lights. The i8's tub was made from carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, and it featured BMW’s first application of butterfly doors.

The i8's plug-in-hybrid powertrain was the most complex feature. BMW paired a 228-hp turbocharged inline-3 with two electric motors and a 7.1-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The result was a total of 357 horsepower and 24 miles of EV driving range. Too bad you had to pay nearly $150,000 to drive one of these things.

While every supercar Koenigsegg puts out seems to be extreme, the Regera was Koenigsegg going all-out. Only 80 were ever made, each one going for $1.8 million to start. Power came from a 1,797-hp hybrid setup. A twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8 made the first 1,100 hp, and three electric motors made the remaining 697 hp.

The complexity doesn’t stop there. In addition to adjustable aerodynamic wings and extensive usage of carbon fiber and titanium, Koenigsegg also designed a transmission specifically for the Regera. Called Koenigsegg Direct Drive (KDD), it’s a fixed-gear transmission with a single speed. A hydraulic coupling feature allowed it to couple and decouple from the engine’s driveshaft depending on speeds.

Essentially an FIA homologation special, the 959 was the rolling embodiment of Porsche’s engineering excellence, and it was one of the most technologically advanced road cars of its time.

Aside from its 444-hp twin-turbo flat-six and unique all-wheel-drive system, the 959 had a special six-speed manual transmission with a gear placed above first that was labeled G, or “Gelände,” German for terrain. The most impressive and complex part of the 959, though, were its on-board computers. There were seven in the car, with each one controlling things like the turbos or suspension system. It’s said that each computer cost $10,000.

Aston Martin says it took 2,200 man-hours to build one Lagonda. Aside from the craftsmanship that went into building them, the Lagonda’s complex electronics are a big part of why. When it initially debuted, the Lagonda had touch-sensitive controls — something that’s even loathed in today’s cars — and a digital dashboard. Later models did away with the touchy controls, but the digital dash remained.

It’s strange to think about the complexity that went into the controls when the powertrain, a 5.3-liter V8 and a three-speed automatic borrowed from Chrysler, were rather simple.

The P1 is often considered to be a direct successor to the legendary McLaren F1, and it’s easy to see why. The tech and engineering that went into this hybrid hypercar were flagship-worthy, and it carried on the F1's legacy of boundary-pushing performance.

In addition to its twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8, the P1 also had a 4.7-kWh battery back that allowed for 6.2 miles of electric driving; the hybrid system also acted as an on-board booster for the engine. Aerodynamics was a big part of the P1's performance as well. Taking a page from Formula 1, the P1 had a drag reduction system as well as a complex adjustable rear wing. When all the P1's aero components are engaged, it can generate over 1,300 pounds of downforce at 160 mph.

V12 power with V8 fuel economy is a wild claim to make, but that’s what Lexus touted when it introduced the hybrid version of its flagship LS sedan in 2008. The LS 600h L was the most expensive car sold in Japan at the time, and one of the most complex Lexus models ever introduced.

Using Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive tech, a 221-hp electric motor was attached to the LS’ 5.0-liter V8 for a total of 438 hp. This was made even more complex by a CVT transmission and an all-wheel-drive system with a Torsen center diff. Lexus being Lexus, even the little details were complicated. The headlights were the first LED low beams on the market, and they can cost upwards of $5,200 to replace. Lexus also wanted the car to be so quiet that engineers finished the transmission gear teeth to within micrometers, so even the tiniest of parts made no sound or vibration.

The Allanté only gets an honorable mention here because of how wild its production process was. In late 1985, GM signed a $100-million air cargo deal with Alitalia and Lufthansa Airlines. The reason? So the company could embark on one of the most complex and inefficient assembly processes ever imagined. The whole process was referred to as the “Allanté Airbridge,” and was hailed as the longest production line in the world.

The Allanté was designed and made in Turin, Italy by Pininfarina, who entered into a half-billion-dollar contract with Cadillac to build the convertibles. The bodies were then shipped to Turin’s airport, and from there, specially outfitted 747s carried the unfinished Allantès from Turin to Detroit’s Coleman A. Young International Airport. Once there, trucks would offload and take the Allanté bodies three miles north to GM’s Hamtrack assembly plant, where production was finished. The 747s would depart the airport to go back to Turin, carrying things like steering and climate control systems for use on Allantés that were being built back in Italy.

While the complexity of VW’s Phaeton often gets talked about, the Touareg’s often gets left out of the conversation. Tales of the V10 TDI alone are enough to induce nightmares. From its electronically controlled air suspension and quad-zone climate control to one of its two batteries being located under the driver’s seat, it’s a siren song of a vehicle: tantalizingly tempting, but dangerous.