America knows how to build cars. Sometimes they’re so brilliant that the rest of the world ends up copying them.
America knows how to build cars. Sometimes they’re so brilliant that the rest of the world ends up copying them. And sometimes they’re so strange that even their creators later act like they never happened. Today, we’re talking about the second kind.
No, this isn’t another list of weird auto show concepts. These were production cars. They had price tags, sales contracts, insurance policies, and actual owners who drove them. Some are still sitting in garages today, serving as reminders that American engineering imagination can occasionally wander into territory where even Elon Musk might think twice.
Let’s get started.
The name Carroll Shelby is usually associated with muscular Cobras and Mustangs that can turn their rear tires into smoke before you even get through second gear. But in the 1990s, Shelby wanted to build something of his own from the ground up. No Ford. No Chrysler. Just a pure Shelby project.
Year: 1998
Engine: 4.0-liter Oldsmobile Aurora V8, 320 horsepower; supercharged versions made up to 389 hp
Weight: Just over 2,200 pounds
Original price: About $109,000
The Series 1 looked like a dream sports car: an aluminum chassis, Cobra-inspired bodywork and a deep, unmistakable exhaust note. But reality was considerably less glamorous.
For starters, the engine was essentially an Oldsmobile V8. There was no exotic racing-bred powerplant hiding under the hood. And then there was the build quality. Let’s just say one example reportedly had a trunk that could only be opened if the driver lifted it with a knee while the passenger pressed the release button from inside.
Carroll Shelby ultimately built just 249 Series 1 cars before the project came to an end.
Today, the Shelby Series 1 is a genuine collector’s rarity. But if you’ve ever wondered what a midlife crisis looks like in the world of sports cars, this is a pretty good example.
Vanderhall is a small American company that decided traditional sports cars were just a little too… ordinary. Its answer was the Venice, a three-wheeled roadster that is classified as a motorcycle in the U.S., making registration and some regulatory requirements considerably simpler.
Year: 2016–present
Engine: 1.5-liter turbocharged GM four-cylinder, 194 horsepower
Weight: About 1,373 pounds
Original price: From $29,950
The Venice looks like someone blended a retro speedster with a soap dish. You sit low, the steering wheel is almost in your lap, and the two front wheels stick out from the body like something from a go-kart. There’s only one wheel in the back, and it’s responsible for putting all that engine power onto the pavement.
On a twisty road, the Venice can be an absolute blast. The throttle response is immediate, the wind is in your face, and every bump turns into a little adventure.
There is, however, one catch: on wet pavement, the rear end can step out so suddenly that your sunglasses might end up on the shoulder.
Cars like this tend to attract either motorcycle enthusiasts who are tired of riding gear or wealthy buyers who already have a Ferrari and a Harley-Davidson in the garage and simply want something even more unusual.
Late 1980s America. Gerald Wiegert, designer, entrepreneur and dreamer, was convinced that Ferrari and Lamborghini could be beaten on their own turf. His weapon was the Vector W8.
Years: 1989–1993
Engine: 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, rated at 625 horsepower, with substantially higher output possible under increased boost
Weight: About 3,505 pounds
Original price: $448,000 in 1990
The W8 looked like a flying wedge, with a glass canopy and a dashboard full of buttons that seemed more appropriate for a space shuttle. It could reportedly accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in around 3.9 seconds and was claimed to have a top speed approaching 220 mph.
On paper, it looked like an American supercar capable of taking on the Italians.
In practice, things were considerably messier. Overheating, temperamental turbo hardware and a manual transmission that didn’t exactly enjoy being rushed all became part of the Vector experience. In one Road & Track test, the transmission reportedly got stuck in third gear, forcing the journalists to limp the car back to the shop.
Today, surviving Vector W8s can command seven-figure prices at auction. Collectors often regard them as something of an American Bugatti EB110: incredibly rare, notoriously complicated and spectacular enough that it’s sometimes easier to forget the flaws.
In 2016, Henrik Fisker — yes, the same designer associated with the Aston Martin DB9 — teamed up with former GM executive Bob Lutz. With the Dodge Viper nearing the end of its run, they decided to create what amounted to an ultra-exclusive farewell special.
The result was the VLF Force 1.
Year: 2016
Engine: 8.4-liter naturally aspirated V10, 745 horsepower
Weight: About 3,391 pounds
Original price: $268,500
In essence, the Force 1 was a Viper that had undergone a serious makeover and spent some time in the gym. It featured extensive carbon-fiber bodywork, revised suspension tuning and an upscale interior covered in leather and Alcantara. There was even space for two bottles of wine, something Fisker reportedly justified by saying owners of cars like this should enjoy life.
The Force 1 drove exactly as you might expect: brutally fast, incredibly loud and powered by an engine that seemed to run on pure adrenaline.
The problem was the price. At around $268,500, buyers had plenty of other exotic options, including Ferrari's 488. Not surprisingly, very few people chose the VLF.
Only a handful of Force 1s were ultimately built, making it one of the rarest Viper-based machines ever produced.
If you’ve never heard of the Youabian Puma, you’re not alone. The vehicle was unveiled in Los Angeles in 2013, and the internet reacted much like it had just seen photographic evidence of the Chupacabra: “Is this thing actually real?”
Year: 2013
Engine: 7.0-liter GM V8, 505 horsepower
Weight: Around 6,600 pounds
Original price: About $1.1 million
The Puma looked as if someone had crossed an SUV, a yacht and a convertible. It featured enormous 20-inch wheels, a soft top, a fiberglass body and dimensions that made it look almost Hummer H1-sized.
Company founder Dr. Kamal Youabian insisted that it was a vehicle for people who wanted to stand out.
It certainly accomplished that goal.
Top Gear famously mocked the Puma as one of the ugliest cars ever created. And judging by its size and high center of gravity, driving dynamics were probably never going to be its strongest selling point. In corners, the three-ton convertible behaved about as gracefully as a ferry trying to change course in the middle of a storm.
Exactly how many were built remains unclear, but reports suggest the number may have been fewer than three.
And honestly, that might be for the best.
All five of these cars have one thing in common: their creators were remarkably confident in their own ideas.
Sometimes those ideas turned out to be too strange, too expensive or simply too impractical. But unlike the big automakers, these companies and their founders actually pushed their creations far enough to put them into production and sell them to customers.
The Shelby Series 1 showed what can happen when a motorsport legend decides to build his own supercar. The Vanderhall Venice proved that you can still get plenty of fun from an unconventional three-wheeler. The Vector W8 demonstrated that having supercar performance on paper is only half the battle. The VLF Force 1 became a final, nearly forgotten song for the Viper. And the Youabian Puma… well, it proved that sometimes a designer really does need someone willing to say, “Maybe that’s enough.”
You can still encounter any of these cars at U.S. auctions today. They have become collector curiosities and automotive history — the kind of machines that make you wonder what might have happened if their creators had taken a slightly different path.