Cars made their first actual appearance in 1855, thanks to Karl Benz and the Benz Patent-Motorwagen. It wouldn’t be long before gearheads realized cars could be raced; the first arranged head-to-head event happened in 1867.

Ever since race cars have gotten faster and more technically advanced. Bigger engines were an early stepping stone, followed by a mid-engined chassis as early as 1924. What followed was a flurry of innovation and boundary-pushing design.

Wings, ground effects, turbines, and extra wheels were all tried, tested, and sometimes banned. Motor Racing and the teams behind the cars don’t always get it right. Downright weird, these 15 bizarre race cars dared to be different.

1. Nissan DeltaWing 

Conventional thinking dictates that four wheels are best, equally split between steering and power delivery. In 2012, Nissan dared to be different. The Deltawing has four wheels in an unusual configuration.

Up front, the steering wheels are much closer together, giving the DeltaWing a smaller frontal area and reducing the drag coefficient. Fortunately, the rear end is more conventional. Two wide-spaced rear tires occupy the corners of a DeltaWing designed to keep the center of gravity as low as possible. Intended to compete in the LMP2 category, Nissan’s wheeled stealth fighter never got beyond the concept stage.

2. Brabham BT46

Innovation plays a massive part in Formula 1, with engineers desperate to outsmart the competition. Enter Gordon Murray, famed McLaren F1 designer, and the brains behind the stunning GMA T50. In the late 1970s, ground effects and aero tricks were all the rage. 

The Brabham BT46 takes innovation to another level. While wings are easy to implement, the  BT46 used a rear-facing fan to suck the chassis to the ground. The idea generated much interest up and down the pit lane, leading to rival teams protesting the car’s legality. A ban followed soon afterward after a single race outing.

3. Tyrrel P34

Sticking with weird F1 cars, the Tyrrel P34 is a prime example of how more is better when taken to extremes. Adding a second set of front wheels served two purposes. Tyrrel designer Derek Gardner argued that smaller tires would reduce the P34’s drag while adding more grip.

In theory, it’s a sound concept. On the track, the P34 contested 30 races, scoring numerous podium finishes, the highest of which was a first-place finish at the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix. Whether extra rubber on the track was the key to success, a large part belongs to Cosworths DFV V8.

4. Marcos Xylon

Any gearhead familiar with British car maker Marcos will know the brand’s odd styling. The Xylon, styled by Frank Costin, is like nothing you have ever seen. The car’s appearance was so bad that it is easy to see how it earned the nickname ‘Ugly Duckling. ‘

The Xylon was a lightweight, low-volume racer for junior Motor Cup events. Under the bizarrely styled bodywork is a wooden chassis responsible for the ultra-low 1091 lbs weight. With such a low mass to shift, Marcos fitted the Xylon with a range of small Ford engines up to 1.5 liters.

5. Chapparal 2J

Racing weirdness is not only found on European race tracks. Little-known Chapparral Cars Inc. is equally guilty. In the early 1970s, just as F1 had gotten to grips with aerodynamic wings, the 2J made its debut wearing a boxy with predominantly straight lines.

However, the 2J’s design had a purpose hiding in plain sight. Similarly to Brabham’s BT46, the 2J was another variant of the fan car theme. Visible at the rear, two tank-derived fans powered by a two-cylinder engine provided a vacuum to suck the 2J to the circuit. Elsewhere, the 2J was more conventional, featuring a Chevrolet 465 big block V8 cranking out 680 hp.

6. Consulier GTP

Race cars are all about aerodynamic efficiency; the better the design, the better at air-flow management. The Consulier GTP bucks this trend, adopting a slab-sided body, peculiar nose, and upright screen layout. It’s not a beauty, but you won’t forget the GTP quickly. 

There are other reasons to remember the GTP. Despite a weight penalty to slow the GTP, success on track would eventually result in a total ban. Consulier first used turbocharged Chrysler 2.2 liter engines to power the flying wedge, eventually swapping to LT1 V8s in later cars.

7. Shelby Can-Am

Different racing categories regularly throw up some creative, if weird, designs. The 1989 Shelby Can-Am never turned a wheel in anger due to the cancellation of the Group 7 series.

There is no mistaking this Shelby for anything else on the track or road, for that matter. Despite the car’s space-age low-profile appearance beneath the skin, it was more conventional, including its drivetrain. A run-of-the-mill 3.3-liter Dodge V6 powers it.

8. Dallara DP-01

Every race car goes through a prototype and testing stage before making it to the track. Enter the Dallara Prototype 01, or DP-01 for short. Spawned in 2008 for the Grand-am Sport car series, securing seven race wins from 131 starts, the concept proved successful.

The overall appearance is less successful. The DP-01 chassis and body are steel and aluminum, and the nose is disturbingly truncated, resembling a snout topped with a steeply raked screen.

9. Lister Knobbly

Nicknamed ‘Knobblies’ referencing the car’s bulges, Listers’ racing cars are some of history’s most famous and successful. Aside from the noticeable bodywork designs, Lister borrowed heavily from the Jaguar D-type, including a race-proven straight-six 3.8-liter XK engine.

Produced from 1957-1959, the Knobbly continued racing into the 1960s. Most notably in the hands of Peter Whitehead, with 29 race wins and over 50 podiums.

10. Nardi Bisiluro

It’s hard to imagine a Le Mans racer sporting anything less than a fire-breathing six—or eight-cylinder engine. However, Nardi had different ideas, fitting the Bisiluro with a four-cylinder unit and displacing 734 cc—yes, you read that correctly, not even 1 liter.

Despite the cubic-inch deficit, the Bisilure has another surprise in store. Designed around the driver, one side of the odd Italian racer was longer than the other. Bridging the two fuselages was a central wing-like section containing the car’s radiator. Unfortunately for Nardi, the Bisiluros’ racing careers lasted just five laps.

11. Piper GTR

Less weight, slippy bodywork, and a small engine can and did work for dozens of small race car designs. Given the freedom to sculpt anything, it’s hard to overlook the Piper GT’s mad front end. Double-stacked headlights on either side of a steeply raked nose would be acceptable if it weren’t for the misplaced connecting wing.

Credit where it was due, the GTR and its bizarre wing arrangement was untested ground in 1969. A lack of testing killed the GTR due to a series of technical issues at Le Mans. Unimpressed, the FIA promptly banned the GTR

12. Panoz Abruzzi

The Panoz Abruzzi treads an uncomfortable line between speed and grip from the road to the rack track. While race cars usually adopt extra wings for more grip, the Abruzzi looked weird and only worsened. 

How many other cars can you name featuring an odd three-tusked nose? The supercharged 6.2 liter LS3 needs tons of cooling to produce its 650 hp. But the odd downward-flowing design continues at the rear, almost mimicking the haunches of an animal.

13. Porsche-Keil

Prototypes are, by and large, experiments exploring the limits of new and often weird ideas. Porsche already had a successful race in their 904, but that didn’t stop William Eichelberger from trying to reinvent the wheel. 

The resulting Porsche Keil dabbled in the dark arts of ground effects, marrying an Elva Mk. VII chassis with Porsches 904 engine and a cheese wedge-shaped body. As odd as the Keil appeared, the wedge-shaped racer set numerous track records during testing before being banned by the FIA.

14. Eagle Aviation Flyer Special

Aviation manufacturer turned Indy 500 race car maker; Eagle Aviation Flyer Special is among the weirdest race cars ever. From any angle, the curious, narrow-bodied, semi-enclosed wheel arrangement set this one apart from its rivals in 1982.

Eagle-eyed gearheads will note the absence of side-pods, replaced by a fully enclosed ground-effect rear end and wing set-up. At least when it came to power, things were more conventional. Hidden away under a large air intake lays a Chevrolet 355 V8 claimed to push Eagles racer to a top speed of 250 mph.

15. Arrows A22

Formula 1 is the most restricted racing series, with technical regulations that test the mettle of even the best engineers. However, that doesn’t stop teams from trying to extract more speed. Straight-line speed is simple: less drag, more power. Cornering is another matter.

Adding more downforce, in turn, adds more grip. Simply bolting on more wings happens all the time. Arrows 2001 A22 racer adopted another front-mounted wing on its nose. The extra appendage may have boosted grip, but its weird placement in the driver’s direct view is a bizarre choice. Arrow’s quirky wing made its only appearance during the 2001 Monaco GP.