There are studies that claim the police don’t pull over certain types of cars more than others. However, my very unscientific studies suggest otherwise. Driving a bright yellow Toyota MR2 definitely got me pulled over more than my grey Volvo 240 Turbo.
So, using that logic, sleeper cars should fly below the cops’ radar, so to speak. Sleeper cars have a relatively unassuming exterior, with few, if any, hints towards what’s hiding under the hood.
Here are 18 cars that take a stealthy approach to performance, making them able to fool both other drivers and police officers on the lookout for their next catch.
W211 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG
With a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 engine, the Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG certainly has enough power. According to MotorTrend, it sends 475 hp and 520 lb-ft of torque straight to the rear wheels via a 5-speed automatic gearbox.
The 0 to 60 mph sprint is over in just 4.1 seconds, and from there, the E55 AMG will continue to accelerate to a top speed of 185 mph. This beast is almost 20 years old, looks like a boring sedan, but can still hold its own against modern muscle cars.
Chevrolet Impala SS
Okay, so practically every muscle car enthusiast knows about the Impala SS, but non-gearheads probably won’t have a clue of what this large, four-door sedan is capable of. Exterior-wise, it looks like any other large American sedan from the 1990s, and if kept stock, it won’t attract attention.
Under the hood, the Impala SS had an LT-1 5.7-liter V8 engine, which, according to Hagerty, produced 260 horses and 330 lb-ft of torque. In stock form, it could reach 60 mph in 7 seconds, the top speed was 145 mph, and it dealt with the quarter-mile in 15.4 seconds. Now, that doesn’t sound very impressive today, but since this is an American V8 engine, it also has virtually endless tuning potential.
Chrysler 300 SRT
The Chrysler 300 SRT is a somewhat luxurious American sleeper car, so there are no prizes for guessing that there’s a muscular V8 under the hood. Car and Driver reports that this 6.4-liter 392 mill pumps out 470 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque.
With power like that, even a big, heavy car like the Chrysler 300 can put down some impressive acceleration times. It’ll launch from 0 to 60 mph in the low 4-second range and has a top speed of 175 mph, making it plenty fast before you even start adding performance parts.
Infiniti Q50 Red Sport
The Infiniti Q50 Red Sport certainly isn’t among the most well-known Japanese performance cars. It looks far less aggressive than most sports sedans, and if you get one in a boring color, no one will look twice at it when you roll up to the lights.
Jaws will certainly drop once you floor the pedal, though, as the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 has a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that produces 400 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. All that power is sent to all four wheels via the 7-speed automatic transmission. Car and Driver says it’ll scramble to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, and the top speed is limited to 150 mph, but with the limiter disabled, it can crack the 180 mph barrier.
Ford Taurus SHO
On the outside, there are few clues as to what the Taurus SHO really is. It appears to be just another comfortable sedan, but thanks to its twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, this is a genuine sports car slayer.
With 365 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, the Ford Taurus SHO will sprint to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds. It has a top speed of 162 mph and will run the quarter-mile in 13.7 seconds. That said, people on Reddit are discussing how to make 500+ whp from their Taurus SHOs.
Chevrolet SS
According to Car and Driver, the Chevrolet SS is based on the Australian Holden Commodore, but with different badges. It looks good, but is certainly not the most exciting sedan we’ve ever laid eyes on. That changes as soon as you pop the hood, and the 6.2-liter LS3 V8 from a Corvette shows up to the party.
The Chevrolet SS offers 415 hp and 415 lb-ft, all of which is sent to the rear wheels via a 6-speed transmission. Zero to 60 mph is done in 4.5 seconds, the top speed is limited to 160 mph, and it’ll do a quarter-mile run in 12.9 seconds.
MazdaSpeed6
While Mazda builds some of the best driver’s cars ever, the Japanese carmaker isn’t known for making powerful cars. Lightweight and agility is the name of the game here. Unless it’s a MazdaSpeed model, that is. If that’s the case, then they pack a punch as well.
The MazdaSpeed6 car looks like the first-generation Mazda6, but it’s very different under the unassuming exterior. Its turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine produced 274 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. The MazdaSpeed6 sent its power to all four wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission. Getting to 60 mph took six seconds, and the top speed was 150 mph.
2011 BMW Alpina B5 Biturbo Touring Wagon
To the uninitiated, the Alpina B5 Biturbo Touring looks like your average BMW station wagon. Sure, it’s fancy, and all that, but most people would never guess that this practical family model is actually a supercar — especially if you remove the badges.
Under the hood, there’s a twin-turbo V8 mill generating 507 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. The Alpina B5 Biturbo Touring sprints to 60 mph in a mere 4.6 seconds and tops out at 188 mph. And it’ll do it while carrying the entire family and a week’s worth of groceries.
Volkswagen Passat W8
There aren’t many cars that are sleepier than the W8 Passat wagon. It has one of the most boring exteriors of any car available in the early 2000s, but when fired up, it’s not boring at all!
MotorTrend did a great job at explaining what makes the Passat W8 so great. In short; it has an eight-cylinder engine in W-form, hence W8. It also features 4Motion AWD, so it didn’t waste any of its power spinning the wheels. unique engine produced 275 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, which meant 0 to 60 was dealt with in the 6.2-7.4 range, depending on the spec.
Mercury Marauder
The Mercury Marauder definitely has one of the coolest names in automotive history, and the Marauder’s V8 ensures that it can live up to its name. Still, it does look kind of mundane, and shouldn’t attract much attention.
With 302 hp in stock form, 0 to 60 takes 5.1 seconds, and it has a top speed of 137 mph. It also offers decent handling thanks to various chassis upgrades and a heavy-duty suspension setup. However, once you start throwing performance parts at it, this beast can leave some serious sports cars in its dust.
C6 Audi S6 V10
Thanks to a V10 engine, the C6 generation of Audi’s S6 is pure automotive ridiculousness. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the same V10 used in the Lamborghini Gallardo. This 5.2-liter was developed by Audi and is based on their 4.8-liter V8.
The S6’s screaming V10 produced 430 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque, and not a single horse was lost to wheelspin thanks to the Quattro AWD system. Zero to 60 mph takes 5.1 seconds, and the top speed is limited to 155 mph. Remove the badges, and nobody will look twice at this old wagon.
Dodge Magnum SRT-8
If you want a sleeper wagon, but prefer American muscle, Dodge has you covered. MotorTrend points out that the Magnum SRT-8, a large and luxurious station wagon muscle car, is based on the same platform as the Charger. While it looks docile enough, there’s a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 hiding under its hood. The Magnum SRT-8 never gained the popularity it deserved, making it the perfect sleeper.
Its angry V8 engine pumps out 425 wild stallions and 420 lb-ft of torque. It will scramble to 60 mph from a standstill in just 5.1 seconds and tops out at 170 mph.
10th-Gen Honda Accord Sport
Honda’s 10th-gen Accord looks like any other modern sedan, but it comes with the same K20C engine found in the Civic Type-R, albeit with a smaller turbocharger for improved engine response. In the Accord Sport, this engine produces 252 horsepower, which is sent to the front wheels. It’s not without reason that The Autopian says it’s destined to be a future classic.
Getting to 60 mph only takes 5.8 seconds, and while its top speed is limited to 126 mph, it’ll reach 160 with the limiter removed. That’s not too shabby, considering the Honda offers excellent build quality and is designed to be a daily driver.
Volvo S80 V8
Volvo launched its 2nd-gen S80 in 2006, and its design was certainly a reflection of Scandinavian reservedness. However, under the hood, it was quite a different story. In true Viking rage fashion, the S80 had an angry 4.4-liter V8 engine pumping out 311 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. Alright, so the engine wasn’t actually built by the vikings, it was made by the wizards at Yamaha.
Still, combined with the AWD system, that kind of power meant the Volvo would sprint to 60 mph in just 5.6 seconds, and the top speed was 155 mph. It’s not without reason that this engine has since been used in the Noble M600 supercar, as stated by British motoring magazine, Top Gear.
Lexus GS460
The luxurious Lexus GS460 was built to compete directly with Germany’s finest. Styling-wise, it looks very Japanese, with focus being more on soft curves than in-your-face aggressive lines.
Under the hood of the Lexus GS460, we find one of the most reliable engines ever, the 4.6-liter 1UR-FSE V8. This engine proves that you can have your cake and eat it too, as it’s not just reliable, but fairly powerful, too. CNET reports that it has 342 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque, ensuring that the Lexus GS460 will keep up with any sports sedan from Germany.
1991 Mercedes-Benz 500E
Back in the day, Mercedes-Benz wanted a car that could force BMW and its M5 to eat dust. So they reached out to Porsche and asked them to help build a new supersedan. The Mercedes-Benz 500E was based on the W124 model but received numerous updates for the 5.0-liter V8 to fit.
Once done, the 500E was an absolute beast! It had 322 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque and would sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds. Back in the 1990s, that was supercar-level performance!
2017 Jaguar XJ Supercharged
The Jaguar XJ Supercharged offered a perfect blend of stealth and performance, making it the vehicle of choice for British politicians. As its name suggests, the 5.0-liter V8 engine is, indeed, supercharged, resulting in 510 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque.
The Jag transferred all that power to the rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. While its 4.2-second 0 to 60 mph sprint sounds very impressive, the 186 mph top speed is somehow even more spectacular.
2008 BMW M5
Most gearheads won’t ever think of the BMW M5 as a sleeper car. After all, we’re talking about one of the world’s best-known performance cars here. However, with the badges removed, the E60 M5 looks like a regular 5-series with the M-Sport package.
It’s powered by one of the most exceptional engines ever made — a V10 with 500 horses and 384 lb-ft of torque. Granted, the V10 mill has been known to develop some serious problems, but when it works, it will send the large M5 from 0 to 60 in less than 4.5 seconds.
