These Are Your Favorite Cars From Obscure Brands

Every once in a while a car company will crop up seemingly out of nowhere and deliver a truly unique vehicle that nobody else could have dreamed up. We love it when that happens, even if it's fairly rare. Earlier this week we asked all of you for your nominations for best car from a brand that never ascended to mainstream acceptance, and you did not disappoint. There are so many phenomenal cars on this list, some that many of you have probably never heard of. It's a great exercise in stepping outside of your normal boundaries. We don't all have to drive Toyotas or whatever. Maybe try a Pegaso, or a TVR.

So here they are, the fifteen best responses to the prompt. Click through to see the best of the best, and if there's one we missed, be sure to drop it in the comments below. We're always looking for more obscure cars that haven't gotten their due.

Peerless/Warwick GT

Suggested by fluffy_black_dog

the 1964-1966 Imperial, a very handsome and stately redesign from the overwrought 1961-1963 models, in response to the Lincoln Continental.

Suggested by Earthbound Misfit I

After Ferrari's "Palace Revolt", head engineer Giotto Bizzarinni kind of turned into Italy's Carroll Shelby, in that he designed a new car featuring a sleek Italian styled body, but powered it with proven American pushrod power.

Using the Chevrolet 327 (The "5300" in the name) it produced 365 HP. The engine was intentionally placed as far back over the front axle as possible, to improve weight distribution and handling. The car could accelerate 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in less than 7 seconds, and attained a top speed of 280 km/h (174 mph).

The Giorgetto Giugiaro influenced Bertone styled aluminum body, was striking in its day and still looks amazing today!

It even made for a decent race car, as in 1965, a Bizzarrini won its class at Le Mans and finished ninth overall.

Suggested by Knyte

I don't know how "obscure" they are, but certainly not mainstream. The Caterham 7 is a car distilled down to driving perfection in my opinion. A buddy of mine campaigns one in autocross and riding along in the Cosworth-engined beast was the only time I've ever gotten really car sick just from the g-forces. The acceleration, deceleration, and handling of that car is just unreal.

Suggested by SantaCruzin6

Anything from Marcos Engineering, but the Mantis and Mantara are my votes. Fairly obscure brand. Unique styling, powerful yet reliable engines

Suggested by Nathan Vogt

The Ultima GTR has a special place in my heart. It's gorgeous.

Suggested by Dafaros

Obscure to normal people? Or obscure to car enthusiasts?

AMS Murtaya. Japanese powertrain, British design, American specs, Italian-sounding name. Also the size of a Miata, but has AWD with front and rear LSDs, driver controlled center dif, 6-speed manual, and turbocharged boxer engine (300-400hp usually).

After AMS folded, MSC built them, and then ALS. Just under fifty exist out there in the wild.

It separates the car enthusiasts from the normal people: normal people usually dismiss it as a Miata with a body kit or a Lotus (especially from the back), whereas the enthusiasts know their cars well enough that they have no clue what it is.

Suggested by Hiryu

The Allard J2X

Suggested by AllardRegister

Anything by Pegaso, but the Z-102 Thrill is especially nice.

Suggested by Garland – Last Top Comment on Splinter

The (Bill Thomas) Cheetah back in the Sixties. Basically an engine surrounded by fiberglass where thanks to its Chevy 327 mated to a Corvette trans, it hit 215mph and it crushed the Shelby Cobra at the quarter mile. But Chevy lost interest after a very short production run, so it's ultra, ultra rare.

Suggested by the1969DodgeChargerFan

I'm going to go with the Noble M12, a passion project, mid-engined sports car running a Ford V6 engine that received rave reviews in its day:

Suggested by Serolf Divad

If you know, you know.

Suggested by Stephen

I always liked the Scammell Scarab. It was like a Reliant, but done right. It didn't topple in the corners, and it actually could haul shit.

Suggested by plant_daily

My two obscure faves are the MVS Venturi, from France's homegrown super car maker and the Unipower GT, a mid engine sports car with a Mini Cooper drive train from a forklift company.

Suggested by Slow Crow Joe

I had such hopes for this car (Mosler) when I was in my late teens/early 20 a million years ago.

Suggested by 4jim