10 Classic Cars That Aren’t As Cool As Everyone Thinks

Nostalgia is a powerful thing! It has also become a powerful marketing tool as several brands have had a go at retro designs over the years, with cars that pay homage to different automotive eras.

The cars that actually survive those eras still do far more to evoke that feeling of nostalgia, this is the very foundation of the classic car market. No matter how much people try to justify owning a classic, it certainly isn’t because they are more powerful or safer than the modern equivalent, these cars bring back memories or keep memories alive. Owning a classic car is an emotional choice, but some have now become more popular than ever, sometimes without any real merit.

Some cars just aren’t as cool as people think they are, buying a classic should never revolve around what’s popular, it should be something personal.

10 Ford Mustang


1965-Ford-Mustang-Fastback-001-1536
source: wsupercars

The Mustang II gets a lot of hate already, but the original Mustang is left sitting pretty, perched on some sort of pedestal.


1965-Ford-Mustang-Fastback
source: wsupercars

This should not be the case though, as much as the first pony car may well have altered the course of automotive history, this does not mean it was a great car. If you got an entry level Mustang back in the 60s you would get all-round drum brakes and an underpowered inline-6, not even sporty for the time, let alone now.

9 Citroën SM


Front 3/4 view of a gold SM
motortrend.com

The French are never shy to innovate, but even for them, taking a Maserati engine and plopping it into the front of the SM was a bit of a stretch.


via Mecum

It might well be one of the most beautiful cars ever made, but dealing with all the classic Maserati engine problems and all the French quirks rolled into one car might be a bit much to deal with for most of us.

Related: DS Celebrates Citroën SM’s 50th Year With Design Contest

8 Toyota Celica


White 1979 Toyota Celica Supra
Via: Flickr

Not all Celicas are made equal. This much you will learn quickly, as much as the GT has become more collectable than even the most ardent JDM fans thought possible, there are still many Celicas that are decidedly uncool.


Toyota Celica Supra
Via Pinterest

Simple, reliable, cheap transport for the masses. That is what regular Celicas were intended for, and by all rights, they should keep doing that until they die.


7 DeLorean DMC-12


DeLorean DMC-12
Via: Architectural Digest

One thing there is no denying is that the DMC-12 certainly has a worthy story, a story that is truly stranger than fiction.


1981_DeLorean_DMC12-2-1536
Via: Supercars.net

Design-wise the car has a certain allure with that brushed stainless exterior, but once you get down to it the car handled poorly, was sluggish even for the time and had a nasty habit of falling apart.

Related: Everything You Need To Know About The DeLorean DMC-12 And What It Takes To Own One

6 MGA Twin Cam


via Pinterest

So many people covet these little British sports cars, but unfortunately, they do hide a bit of a maintenance nightmare under the hood.


MGA Twin Cam
Via: Rutger van der Maar, Wikimedia Commons – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0

These high revving little twin-cam engines were ahead of their time, so they didn’t actually gel particularly well with the carbs fitted to them. They would froth the fuel and cause all sorts of problems that could eventually lead to catastrophic failure.


5 Nissan Skyline


Nissan Skyline DR30
Via Bring A Trailer

Once again, not all Skylines are equal, so as much as the GT-R cars have been hero worshiped, the standard cars were at times a little tragic.


Nissan Skyline R31 GTS-R
Via Wikimedia Commons

The 6th generation cars were particularly awful, ruined, like many cars, by the 70s and 80s. These cars were anything but innovative, seemingly copy-paste designs mated with reliable but ultimately underwhelming engines.

Related: How The Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R Got Its Legendary ‘Godzilla’ Nickname

4 Toyota Corolla AE86


ae86 drift
via pinterest

The sporty old Corolla found a new lease on life as a drift car, something that could be modified easily with affordable, readily available parts.


Via: Evo

These days, cars in original condition are worth a mint, mostly because of the enormous fanbase, but getting one in original condition will leave you disappointed. Even back in the 80s this was a sporty car, not a sports car and certainly not a fast car.

3 Ferrari Mondial


1982_Ferrari_Mondial
Via BringaTrailer

For Ferrari fans and even Italian car fans this might seem a touch obvious, but for the vast majority, the simple fact that a Ferrari badge appears on the hood is enough to make this car cool.


1984 Ferrari Mondial Quattrovalvole Sports Car
Via: Mecum

Unfortunately they would be very much mistaken with the old Mondial, with only 200 horsepower it struggled to get off the mark and even contemporary hot-hatches would show it a clean pair of heels.

Related: Here’s Why The Ferrari Mondial Is The Cheapest Ferrari In The World

2 Lotus Esprit


1988-lotus-esprit-turbo-red-color-front
Via: BringATrailer

The newer the Esprit the better in most cases, unfortunately getting the 90s car (pictured) would mean forgoing its cool Giugiaro wedge design.


Lotus Esprit
Via The Market

Getting the cool looking version will entail an even bigger sacrifice, that being any form of reliability with a shoddy Lucas sourced electrical system that will force you into its tightly packed engine bay more often than you would care to admit.

1 Lamborghini Countach


Countach LP5000 QV - Side View
Via Barrett-Jackson

For decades, this was the poster of choice for many bedroom walls. It is arguably the king of all wedges, with many falling in love with the car before ever trying to drive it and shelling out huge sums of money to get a hold of one.


1984-Lamborghini-Countach-2

That might be a mistake, with an infamously heavy clutch, no rear visibility and a seriously temperamental V12, it might well be the car version of “never meet your heroes.”


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