Over the years, there’s been no shortage of weird cars. Some of them were just horrible and useless and are best avoided.
However, not all weird cars are bad. Some are just fun and quirky, and those are the ones we’ll focus on today as we dive into 24 weird vehicles you’ll never forget. Here they are, in no particular order.
Reliant Robin
The Reliant Robin is a legendary three-wheeler and one of the weirdest cars of all time. Most people know it as the butt of the joke in movies and TV shows, including Mr. Bean and Top Gear. Luckily, it doesn’t roll over as easily as those shows would have us believe.
The British Reliant Robin was in production from the 1980s until 2002. Its compact size made it easy to maneuver on tight city streets. Being lightweight with a small engine, it also returned excellent fuel economy.
Nissan Pao
The Nissan Pao went retro long before that was even a thing. This remarkable, unknown car was manufactured between 1989 and 1991, it had design features that were common on cars from the 1960s.
Under the hood, it had the 1.0-liter unit from the Nissan March/Micra. Its 51 horsepower doesn’t sound like much, but this car would make you smile during a relaxed Sunday cruise.
Nissan S-Cargo
The Nissan S-Cargo is a snail by name and a snail by design – even its speed is more snail’s pace than anything else. Heavily inspired by the Citroën 2CV Fourgonnette delivery van, the S-Cargo is one of the most excellent vans ever!
Powered by a 1.5-liter engine that drives the front wheels through a 3-speed auto gearbox, the S-Cargo isn’t built to haul around heavy items. However, it’s perfect for small deliveries in crowded cities.
Bricklin SV-1
The Bricklin SV-1 isn’t the sportiest of sports cars, but it didn’t mess about when it came to safety. SV-1 stands for Safety Vehicle 1, which explains those massive bumpers and the steel cage construction.
Unfortunately, the gullwing doors tended to fail, so occupants would have to crawl through the rear hatch – that’s hardly safe. It was also slow despite having a 220-horsepower V8 engine. But it looks fantastic to this very day.
Covini C6W
The first thing you’ll notice about the Covini C6W is its six wheels. Clearly, the 1976 Tyrrell P34 Formula One car inspired this Italian 2-seater sports car.
Covini stated that six wheels are safer than four, and while there’s undoubtedly some truth to that, it never really caught on. It would be a conversation starter at your local Cars & Coffee.
Mitsuoka Orochi
The Mitsuoka Orochi is so ugly it’s almost cool. Apart from its fish-like appearance, it does have the makings of a good car. The Orochi uses a Honda/Acura NSX platform, and the engine is a 3.3-liter Toyota V6 unit from the Camry.
All things considered, it should handle like a supercar and offer reliability usually reserved for Toyota’s everyday sedans. Liberty Walk has made a widebody kit for the Orochi, and I’d drive that!
Alfa Romeo SZ
Alfa Romeo has built some achingly beautiful and highly desirable cars. It’s hard to believe that the Italian carmaker is behind the SZ. This creation certainly looks different from your average Alfa.
Then again, while it’s not necessarily beautiful, its weird design does make it cool in its own right. One thing guaranteed is that you’ll undoubtedly stand out in traffic when you’re behind the wheel of the Alfa Romeo SZ.
Aston Martin V8 Sportsman
The Aston Martin V8 Sportsman shooting brake is a bizarre and wonderful creation. Three of these factory-built beauties exist, and it would make for an excellent daily driver for someone with enough cash to tackle the fuel and maintenance costs.
As its name suggests, a V8 engine powers the V8 Sportsman, a 5.3-liter unit, to be exact. The interior is of the same quality as you’d expect from an Aston Martin, so it’s not practical for hauling stuff around.
Toyota Classic
The Toyota Classic certainly lives up to its name. At first glance, you might think this is some 1940s creation, but you’d be wrong. The Toyota Classic is a gem from the ’90s.
It gets weirder than that. It would make sense if Toyota based it on something like the Camry or Corolla, but the Toyota Classic uses the Hilux platform. That should make it rugged and dependable.
AMC Pacer
The 1975 AMC Pacer is a car people either love or hate. With its fishbowl styling, it looked like something the Jetsons would drive. It was certainly different at a time when the “three box designs” were at the height of their popularity.
These days, it would be hard to imagine a small hatchback with a massive V8 under its hood, but that’s exactly what the AMC Pacer was. Come to think of it, someone should bring back a modern version of the Pacer.
Autozam AZ-1
The Autozam AZ-1 is a cute but badass little 2-seater kei sports car. Mazda built it between 1992 and 1994, and the car featured a pair of stylish gullwing doors, just like a proper supercar.
Another thing that hints at the AZ-1’s sportiness is the mid-engine layout. It should be noted that the engine in question is just a tiny, three-cylinder unit that produces 64 hp and 63 lb-ft of torque thanks to a turbocharger. Still, in a 1,587-pound car, that’s enough to make you smile from ear to ear.
Honda Vamos
The Honda Vamos is another Japanese kei car, or in this case, a two-door Kei truck. It was based on the Honda TN360 and saw production between 1970 and 1973. Chances of seeing one outside a museum are minuscule, as it was never a success among the car-buying public.
The Honda Vamos featured MacPherson strut front suspension and De Dion tube with leaf springs in the back. The engine was a tiny 354cc two-cylinder unit, which would hardly scare the occupants when flooring the throttle. Speaking of occupants, buyers could order the Vamos in a two or four-seat configuration.
Daihatsu Midget II
More than two decades after the original Daihatsu Midget was discontinued, the Japanese automaker brought the moniker back. In 1996, the Daihatsu Midget II arrived; as the name suggests, it was a Kei vehicle. The Midget II came in single-seater or two-seater configuration, and its cute design makes it look like a tuk-tuk.
In true kei car fashion, the Midget II uses a 0.7-liter three-cylinder engine. It has no turbo, so it only makes 31 hp and 37 lb-ft of torque. Just about enough to bring home a week’s worth of groceries.
Leyat Helica
The first automobile saw the light of day in 1886, and in 1903, the Wright Brothers took to the skies. It was just a matter of time before someone would combine these two inventions in one vehicle.
Enter Marcel Leyat, the man who created the Helica in 1921. An 18-horsepower engine drove the Helica, and it also featured a massive propellor at the front. To say it would be deadly in traffic is an understatement, but driving while pretending you’re the Red Baron would be fun.
Peel P50
The Peel P50 held the world record for the smallest production car, and this micro car is tons of fun to drive — provided you can actually fit inside it. Jeremy Clarkson once drove one on Top Gear, and it would easily cruise around the BBC HQ corridors.
The Peel P50 wouldn’t be a great daily driver, but it’s guaranteed to get the conversation going, making it perfect for introverts looking to make new friends.
Aixam Mega Track
The Mega Track was an off-road capable sports car featuring some nifty tech and a 6.0-liter Mercedes-Benz V12 engine that produced 389 horses and 420 lb-ft of torque.
It could gain a whopping 13 inches of ground clearance in the highest suspension setting, and it was surprisingly fast for a 5,000-pound behemoth. 0 to 62 mph was dealt with in 5.4 seconds, and it had an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.
Chevrolet SSR
The Chevrolet SSR is one of the most useless vehicles ever made. Even so, it’s still cool. Apparently, SSR stands for Super Sport Roadster, which is a weird name for a pickup truck.
The SSR was useless as a truck, and it could be more sporty, too. However, it’s so weird and wonderful that we’re glad it exists, even if it flopped miserably.
Isuzu Vehicross
Crossovers are everywhere now, but that wasn’t the case when the Isuzu Vehicross first emerged. It differed from the toned-down, everyday crossovers we’re used to seeing on the roads. The styling was loud, and owners couldn’t be afraid to stand out.
The Isuzu Vehicross had a 215 horsepower V6 engine, and it wasn’t built to traverse someone’s gravel driveway — this beast won two off-road rallies.
VW Thing
The VW Thing entered the civilian world in the 1970s. Before that, it had served in the German army, known as the Kubelwagen, in World War 2.
If you roll into a VW show in this thing, you’ll get plenty of attention. Even on the open road, you’re bound to turn a few heads as you roll by. As rugged as it may look, the Thing is best enjoyed as a summer toy since occupants are exposed to the elements.
Mitsuoka Le-Seyde
The Mitsuoka Le-Seyde was a limited-production car from the mid-1990s. Looking at it, it’s hard to believe that it’s based on the Nissan Silvia S13. Mitsuoka only built 500 cars and claims they were sold out within four days.
It’s not pretty, but you will receive plenty of attention, which may or may not be positive.
Toyota Sera
The Toyota Sera arrived on the market in 1990. This 3-door Toyota looks like it packs a decent punch — especially when the butterfly doors are open. However, that’s not the case.
Under the hood, there’s a 1.5-liter engine that produces a rather underwhelming 104 horsepower. Another thing that may deceive you is the available storage space, as the Sera’s interior is much roomier than you think. Who wouldn’t want a spacious, frugal, sporty-looking car with butterfly doors?
Veritas RS III
The Veritas RS III was unveiled in 2001, and it’s safe to say that it looks a bit strange. The front reminds us of an angry cartoon character. The track-focused speedster was initially meant to be powered by a 6.0-liter BMW V12. Many years and updates later, it received a BMW 5.0-liter V10 unit instead.
The car appeared on Top Gear, where Richard Hammond reviewed it. However, just as the automotive world expected it to arrive, they pulled the plug on it, and by 2014, the company was dormant.
Gumpert Apollo
Roland Gumpert decided to build a new generation of sports cars, and it had to be road-legal and ready to go on the racetrack. The result was the Gumpert Apollo, a sports car with what can only be described as questionable styling.
While it wasn’t a beauty, the Apollo most certainly was fast. It weighs around 2,500 lbs, and the mid-mounted 4.2-liter Audi bi-turbo V8 engine produces 650-800 horsepower, depending on spec. The power-to-weight ratio allowed the Apollo to set a 7:11.57 lap time at Nürburgring.
Carver One
We’ve come full circle. The Carver One is a three-wheeler, just like the Reliant Robin, but this one doesn’t tip over in the corners. Well, it kind of does, but as its name implies, that’s how it steers.
While it looks fast, it really isn’t. Power comes from a turbocharged 660cc inline-four engine. With only 65 horsepower, 0 to 60 mph takes 8 seconds, and the top speed is 125 mph. Still, it looks pretty cool and gives non-motorcyclists a taste of how riding a bike on a twisty road feels.
