14 Classic Sports Cars That Deserve More Attention

In a market awash with fast, modern, exotic sports cars, gearheads are spoilt for choice. But if you want to stand out from the crowds, these classic sports cars are worth your attention.

Here lies the problem. Not every classic will be reliable, but that’s part of the allure of driving something from yesteryear. Older designs are simple and devoid of complex electronics, making them more straightforward to fix when they go wrong. And they will. 

However, pick a good one, and the lack of driver aids and weight will make you remember why classic cars are a must-have for any gearhead. Classic Porsches are infinitely more attractive, harking back to when Porsche still designed cars. Likewise, there are numerous French sports cars that most onlookers won’t recognize, confusing them about their identity. As for Britain? Britain is the birthplace of the sports car, filled with more innovative classics crying out for attention.

Lotus Europa

Elise, Esprit, and Elan are well known for their performance and handling. Great as they are, there is another Lotus that deserves some respect. The Europa appeared in the 1960s, wearing an odd bread van-style body and hiding an innovative mid-engine layout. 

Beneath the peculiar appearance, the Europa was a thoroughbred Lotus. The signature Lotus backbone chassis and glass fiber build process gave the Europa outstanding handling and performance. Despite a large production run of 9230 cars by Lotus standards, the Europa never attracts the same level of interest as its stablemates.

Porsche 914

Unloved by Porsche fans, the 914 got off to a shaky start thanks to a low-power VW engine. In later years, upgrades included a more potent Porsche flat-six, which righted the previous missteps. However, the 914/4 sold more significantly, shifting 115,646 cars by the end of its life.

Launched as a budget Porsche to bolster the carmaker’s sales figures, 914s were affordable premium-badged sports cars for as little as $3700. They were cheap to buy, but the trade-off was performance. Early production cars shipped with mid-mounted VW Type 4 F4 engines producing a disappointing 79 hp from 1.7 liters. Most fell foul of corrosion issues, and those that survived occupy the lower end of classic car sales.

Renault Alpine GTA/A610

The mention of a rear engine-sports car immediately brings the 911 to mind. Yet, while Porsche was ripping up the autobahn, Renault quietly rolled out the overlooked Alpine GTA/A610. Similarly, the GTA/A610 tamed the unusual handling quirks associated with its layout and boasted a turbocharged engine.

Where the 911 sells in large numbers, Renault failed to reach 900 cars, falling short in its hopes and aspirations. That’s not to say the car was a flop, far from it. In the 1990s, critics praised the car’s power delivery and handling, questioning why it didn’t sell better. Either way, the GTA/A610 deserves more attention.

Venturi Atlantique 300

Atlantique is another French sportscar that failed to make an impact. Venturi produced several variants of the Atlantic, ranging from the base 260 models through the 300 and 400 GT, even including a one-make race series. Despite featuring a mid-engine chassis, success was never forthcoming.

Poor sales marred by an unknown badge resulted in one of the best-kept secrets of the 90s. Kicking off with a lowly 2.6-liter PRV V6, the 260 cranked out 256 hp thanks to the inclusion of a turbocharger. From here onwards, larger engines often adorned with two turbos for an added kick made the Venturi a serious rival to the Lotus Esprit. Lacking the same racing pedigree, Venturis are frequently criminally overlooked.

Ferrari 348

Every prestigious sportscar maker has its bad days, including Ferrari. There have been a few duds rolling out factory gates in Maranello. The 348 is one example of falling foul of less is not more and failing to build on the 308’s success. On appearance, the 348 resembles a shrunken Testarossa; here, the DNA ends.

Bigger, heavier, and barely any more powerful. The 348s Tipo F119 V8 produced 296 hp, struggling to 60 mph in 6 seconds, while its rivals were faster. Ferrari later rolled out a remedy with a power upgrade bump in performance. Despite its early struggles, the 348 is still a proper Ferrari and deserves more attention.

Buick Reatta

Firsts for any carmaker are troublesome. The Reatta is no exception, failing to meet a project 20,000 annual sales target. Buicks first two-seater, the Reatta, rolled off a semi-automated production line and was billed as a halo car for the carmaker. Sadly, those lofty ambitions fell short, with 21,000 vehicles assembled over four years.

The Reatta should have sold better as a cheap, affordable domestic sports car and deserves more respect. Under the skin, it was closely related to Buick’s Riviera minus a second row of seats, but its lighter, shorter chassis makes it a fun drive. Throughout production, Buick LN3 and L27 V6s were the only engines available.

Pontiac Fiero

Pontiac’s Fiero is considered the first American mid-engined sportscar. Unfortunately, the plaudits stop here. Built to a budget and rushed into production, the Fiero suffered from mechanical and electrical faults. In a worst-case scenario, it caught fire.

More than two decades later, any remaining Fiero deserves your respect, having overcome the litany of faults. It might be mid-engine, but Pontiac’s reliance on Iron Duke engines limits its performance. However, if agility, not speed, is your thing, the Fiero is a blast to drive.

BMW Z1

Every BMW sportscar would be a winner, especially if it wears an M-Badge. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always follow suit for the German carmaker’s other sports cars. Take the Z1, for example, built on the solid foundations of the highly successful E30. The two differ in the external panel work. In place of steel, BMW sculpted from plastics and fiberglass to save weight.

Added to its winning recipe is a fine-handling chassis and peppy 2.5-liter straight-six engine cranking out 168 hp. Is it a surefire winner? In reality, BMW struggled to sell 8,000 cars over three years; high pricing and love-it-or-hate-it looks played a part. But, as a classic, the Z1 is worthy of any gearhead’s attention.

Fiat X1/9

All good things come to an end. In the case of the Fiat X1/9, rust drove most examples to the scrap yard. In its heyday, the ‘baby Ferrari’ wowed gearheads and critics alike with a low-profile Bertone-style wedge. Tucked behind the cockpit, the X1/9 shipped with straight-four engines ranging from 1.3 to 1.5 liters. Speed was never a priority; Fiat instead focused on handling it.

The X1/9 still appears in the classifieds despite its past corrosion issues. However, concerns over durability deter buyers in their droves, drastically impacting their values and leaving the Fiat languishing forgotten in used car lots.

Jaguar XJR-S

It’s another unloved classic sportscar that deserves more attention. Admittedly, as a follow-up to the E-type, the Jaguar XJR-S never stood a chance of wooing celebrities with its looks. However, as a driver’s car, the quirky coupe is one of Jaguar’s best-selling cars. 

Where the XJR-S scores highly is its chassis. More so with the advent of high-performance R-badged cars boasting revised suspension and a more powerful 5.3-liter V12. It’s not without faults; high fuel consumption and some pricey repairs will hurt your pocket. Even so, its ride is impeccable, as is Jaguar’s most significant engine’s silky smooth power delivery.

Maserati Biturbo

Italian panache meets turbocharged performance; the Maserati Bi-Turbo could have succeeded enormously. What transpired was a travesty of bad build quality and appalling reliability. Even so, the allure of the trident badge and twin-turbo performance deserves more attention. Any cars still running today are well past the initial build issues that plagued Maserati during the ’80s

Maserati was on the brink of bankruptcy, forcing the famous marque to rush development and production on a tight budget. Times have changed; nowadays, the Biturbo is a bargain often overlooked thanks to its chequered history. Across the lineup, Maserati stuck with a V6 engine format in varying forms ranging from a 2-liter to a 2.8-liter unit good for 275 hp. 

Daimler SP250

England produced dozens of sportscars during the ’60s and ’70s, dominating the niche for decades. Naturally, the lure of the US market influenced both the design and the drivetrain. Daimler was no different, styling the Dart SP250 along the same lines as US sportscars, with big fins and V8 engines. 

While it looks like the part if you can ignore the frog-like front end, few people stateside have heard of Daimler, let alone consider buying one. Then there was the engine, a tiny 2.5-liter V8 producing 140 hp didn’t stand a chance against the Corvette. However, a lightweight body and chassis combination defies the power figures, resulting in a vigorous 0-60 mph time of 8.9 seconds.

De Tomaso Vallelunga

The Pantera is a big-engined V8 muscle car that lived on until 1992, and it’s the car most gearheads associate with the De Tomaso name. However, before the Argentinian-owned Italian sportscar maker ventured into V8 muscle car territory, it enjoyed considerable success with the often-overlooked Vallelunga.

The Vallelunga was smaller, lighter, and more agile. It used a backbone chassis layout and a Ford straight four 1.5-liter engine. It was the first and rarest production car adorned with the De Tomaso name; fewer than 60 cars exist, accounting for its anonymity. Regardless, it’s a piece of classic sports car history that deserves more recognition.

Porsche 924

Despite its VW co-developed design, it is cheap, reliable, and a genuine Porsche. Much like the 914 mentioned above, the 924 was a step toward the more affordable end of the market that suffered from brand snobbery among Porsche fans. Die-hard sportscar fans critiqued the front-engine, rear-drive layout that flew in the face of the brand’s rear-engined success.

Where the engine came in for plenty of criticism through its VW DNA, the car’s chassis and brakes were highly praised. Sadly for Porsche, the 911 retained the glory, leaving the four-cylinder 924 as a poor relative. But get over the car’s budget image, and the 924 will be a solid daily driver that puts a smile on your face.