There’s certainly no shortage of American performance cars, and we’re not just talking about models from Detroit’s Big Three, either. Smaller and more obscure carmakers have existed in the States since the dawn of the automotive industry, and some of them have built excellent sports cars.
Some models on this list are pure automotive greatness, others are weird, or downright bad. While we have avoided muscle and pony cars, we have included a mix of new sports cars, concepts, and discontinued models. One thing they all have in common is that you’re not likely to see them out on the road.
N2A Motors Anteros
Anteros Coachworks is a California-based sports carmaker. Actually, they don’t build cars from the ground up; it’s more of a modern take on the old art of coachbuilding.
The Anteros sports car is built on a C6 Corvette chassis but features a full carbon fiber body. It certainly doesn’t look like a Corvette, as the styling is heavily influenced by classic Ferraris.
1969 Chevrolet Corvette ZL-1
Chevrolet churned out many amazing Corvettes during the 1960s. The 1963 Sting Ray, with its split window, is one of the most sought-after sports cars ever.
The ’63 Corvette may be rare, but it’s much more common than the 1969 ZL1 version, as Chevy only made two. It was the top-spec ‘Vette and wasn’t cheap when it was new, so prices are just plain silly these days.
Sector111 Drakan Spyder
Sector111 is another California-based company, and everyone was taken by surprise when it launched the Drakan Spyder in 2016. They only built ten cars using a formula similar to the Ariel Atom and BAC Mono, as it’s a lightweight, track-focused, open-top sports car.
The Drakan Spyder became famous after it appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage. It’s powered by an LS3 V8 engine and can reach 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds.
1966 Shelby Cobra Super Snake
Carroll Shelby built two very special Cobras in 1966. He kept one, and the other was for Bill Cosby. It scared Cosby so much that he returned his car to Shelby, and it was later sold and crashed.
Shelby’s car was a barely road-legal version of the Cobra race car, fitted with twin Paxton superchargers. The only Cobra Super Snake in existence is worth millions, so it’s not something the owner will actually drive. Fortunately, plenty of Shelby Cobra replicas are out there for us to drool over.
Shelby Series 1
Decades after the Shelby Cobra, Carroll Shelby was still into fast roadsters, so in 1998, his company, Shelby American, built an all-American supercar. It followed the same recipe as the Cobra from the 1960s and became known as the Shelby Series 1.
The new, open-top sports car had a 4.0-liter V8 engine that churned out 320 thoroughbred stallions. It could reach 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and had a top speed of 170 mph. Shelby planned to build 500 cars, but production ended at 249.
Equus Throwback
Equus became famous when it brought out the Bass 770, combining some of the best classic muscle cars in one retro-styled package. That’s not the only vehicle Equus has built, though.
The American company is also behind the Throwback, a 1,000-horsepower supercar built on the C7 Corvette platform. As its name suggests, the Throwback is another Equus creation with some hefty retro vibes. Only 25 cars were built, with prices starting at $130,000 for the base model.
Hennessey Venom GT
Hennessey Performance Engineering is perhaps best known for tuning performance cars to ridiculous levels. However, the Texas-based tuner has also built some excellent cars of its own, one of them being the limited-production Venom GT.
Based on the Lotus Elise/Exige, Hennessey only built 13 Venom GTs. It has a GM LS7 V8 engine, upgraded to produce 1,244 horsepower. It’s no wonder that the Hennessey Venom GT went on to set multiple official and unofficial speed records.
Hennessey Venom F5
While the Venom GT was loosely based on the Lotus Exige, the Venom F5 was Hennessey’s own creation, built from the ground up. If you thought the GT was impressive, prepare to have your mind blown.
The Hennessey Venom F5 has a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V8 that produces over 1,800 horsepower and nearly 1,200 lb-ft of torque. It’s not as rare as its predecessor, either. A total of 90 cars will be made, each costing a cool $2.1 million.
SSC Tuatara
The SSC Tuatara is an American hypercar and the successor of the SSC Ultimate Aero. Its twin-turbocharged 5.9-liter V8 produces between 1,350 and 2,200 horsepower, depending on the version.
The Tuatara was built specifically to claim the title of the world’s fastest car, but it has yet to break the 300 mph barrier. The best attempt was 295 mph. We doubt any of the 100 Tuataras will ever be driven that fast by their owners.
Falcon F7
If you’ve heard of the Falcon F7, congratulations, you can call yourself a proper gearhead. The Michigan-based carmaker only built seven of these, and they were outrageously fast, too.
Falcon Motorsports built the F7 from carbon fiber and kevlar, so it was both lightweight and strong. It tipped the scales at 2,785 lbs, and thanks to the 1,100 horsepower twin-turbocharged Lingenfelter V8 engine, it could reach 60 mph in 2.7 seconds.
1954 Oldsmobile F-88
The 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 was originally named XP-20, and it was a futuristic concept built on the Corvette’s chassis. Thanks to its flowing curves covered in gold paint, it stole the show when it was displayed at the GM Motorama.
The body was made from fiberglass, and the F-88 had a Rocket 88 5.3-liter V8 engine under its hood. The concept car was sold to private owners and is now displayed at the Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum.
Saleen S7
Saleen got its start in the automotive industry by tuning performance cars (primarily Mustangs) and manufacturing high-performance parts. From there, the company eventually built its own supercar—the S7.
Only 100 S7s were built between 1999 and 2009, all with a 7.0-liter V8 engine. Models built after 2005 also had a pair of turbochargers, increasing power from 550 to 750 horsepower.
Saleen S1
While Saleen has suffered from financial troubles, the company still introduced a new sports car at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show. The plan was to build 1,500 units of the S1, but that didn’t happen.
A couple of months ago, the only functional road-going prototype went up for sale. Saleen also built another three rolling chassis exhibition cars and 20 racecars.
Lucra LC470
American entrepreneur Luke Richards is the man behind the awesome Lucra LC470. Its design combines Euro-inspired retro styling with blue-collar American performance in the form of a V8 engine.
Buyers of the hand-built Lucra LC470 could choose between a 6.3-liter LS3 with 430 horsepower or a 7.0-liter LS7 V8 with 505 horses. It’s estimated that Lucra only built 63 LC470s.
1954 Packard Panther Roadster
The 1954 Packard Panther was a two-seater concept sports car built on the Cavalier’s steel chassis with a fiberglass body. Its engine was a 327 L-head straight-eight unit fitted with a supercharger to produce 275 horsepower.
While it was never a production car, Packard built four units that are now in private hands.
Mosler Consulier GTP
The Mosler Consulier GTP wasn’t a good-looking sports car, nor was it particularly powerful, but it was fast. In fact, it was so fast that IMSA eventually banned it for being too dominant on the racetrack.
The Consulier GTP’s secret was its low weight of just over 2,000 lbs. It didn’t matter that it was fast and had the potential to win every race; Mosler only sold 83 cars from 1985 to 1996.
Panoz Avezzano
Panoz is best known for its racing efforts, but the Avezzano is a road-going sports car. It doesn’t have the aggressive styling of the Panoz Esperante. Instead, it looks calm and collected, only to deliver a swift kick to the head when the driver floors the throttle.
Thanks to its 430-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 engine, the Panoz Avezzano is not to be messed with. If that’s not enough, there’s an even more powerful version with 580 horses.
Bocar XP-5
Bocar was an American sports car manufacturer that built some excellent models between 1957 and 1961. The XP-5 was its most popular car, and its glass-reinforced polyester body covered a space-frame chassis.
It looks more like a European car from the 50s and 60s, and it uses some parts from vehicles made on the old continent. However, its engine was as American as apple pie, coming straight out of the Chevy Corvette. A fire destroyed Bocar’s HQ in 1962, but it’s estimated that 18 XP-5s still exist today.
Rezvani Beast
Rezvani became famous when it unveiled the military-inspired, zombie apocalypse-worthy Tank SUV. As it turns out, that’s not the only vehicle this American company has built.
The Rezvani Beast is a sleek supercar with sharp lines and edges, not to mention a monster of an engine. The base model has 400 horsepower and accelerates to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, but that’s nothing compared to the Blackbird trim. With 700 wild horses, it reaches 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds.
Rossion Q1
Rossion closed its doors in 2021, but the company built the excellent Q1 sports car before that happened. The Q1 is based on the British Noble M400, but Rossion decided to make it better and more luxurious.
The Rossion Q1 has a twin-turbocharged Ford V6 engine mounted behind the driver. Thanks to its 508 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque, 0 to 60 mph only takes 2.8 seconds. Estimates say Rossion only built 89 cars before the company shut down.
Vanderhall Venice
The Vanderhall Venice three-wheeler arrived in 2010. Cars with three wheels tend to have some handling issues, but Vanderhall did it correctly and put the single wheel at the back.
Its 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine produces 200 horsepower, giving it a 0-60 time of roughly 4.5 seconds. While it’s not a limited production model like others here, and it even has an appealing price tag, don’t expect to see them very often. We kinda like that it’s possible to be unique on a budget, though.
Vector W8
Vector was founded in 1989, and the W8 supercar initially showed much promise. It had a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V8 engine with a claimed power output of 625 horsepower and a top speed of 242 mph.
However, it was soon apparent that the angular supercar suffered from some mechanical problems, and its extremely high price tag certainly didn’t help with sales. In the end, only 17 cars found a new home.
VLF Force 1
Most gearheads have never heard of VLF Automotive. If you haven’t, you may be surprised to learn that some big names from the automotive industry were involved. Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villareal founded the company, and Henrik Fisker later joined them as the lead designer.
The VLF Force 1 used the Dodge Viper’s chassis and engine, but the 8.4-liter V10 unit produces 745 horsepower, 105 more than in the Viper. The plan was to build 50 cars, but production ended after VLF had built just five units.
Youabian Puma
We’re not entirely sure how to describe the Youabian Puma. It’s half off-roader, half convertible sports car, with an interior from a Volvo and an LS7 V8 engine that sends 505 horses to the rear wheels, unless you want the AWD version.
Weighing 3.5 tonnes, the Youabian Puma was massive and looked like they designed it using melted cheese. Youabian only made a few Pumas, which is understandable, considering it had an asking price of around $1 million.
