There are more American car models than most people know, especially if you don’t just focus on Detroit’s Big Three. That’s right, there are also many smaller and more obscure manufacturers.
Some of those cars are pure automotive awesomeness, while others are weird or bad and best avoided.
We scoured the internet to dig up some American cars that even proper gearheads have never heard of.
Rossion Q1
Rossion closed its doors in 2021, but before that, the company built the excellent Q1 sports car. It’s 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 ponies and 521 lb-ft of torque, 0 to 60 mph only takes 2.8 seconds. It’s estimated that only 89 cars were made before the company shut down.
Lucra LC470
Luke Richards, an American entrepreneur, wanted to build a Euro-inspired, retro-styled sports car powered by a healthy dose of American muscle.
His Lucra LC470 is handbuilt and it’s as rare as it is stunning. It’s estimated that only 63 cars have been made, and buyers could choose between two V8 powerplants — a 6.3-liter LS3 with 430 hp or a 7.0-liter LS7 V8 with 505 horses.
Shelby Series 1
Several decades after he’d built his last Cobra, Carroll Shelby still had a thing for fast roadsters. In 1998, he decided that his company, Shelby American, should make another all-American supercar. Known as the Shelby Series 1, it pretty much used the same recipe as the Cobra from the 1960s but in a more modern wrapping.
This new open-top Shelby sports car was powered by a 4.0-liter V8 engine producing 320 ponies. It accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and topped out at 170 mph. Initially, Shelby had planned to make 500 Series 1 cars, but production ended at 249 units.
Drakan Spyder
Car enthusiasts were taken by surprise when California-based Drakan launched its Spyder sports car back in 2016. It became an overnight sensation after making an appearance on Jay Leno’s Garage, but they only made ten of them.
Built using a similar formula to the Ariel Atom and the BAC Mono, the Drakan Spyder is a lightweight, track-focused, open-top sports car, but unlike the other two, it’s powered by an all-American LS3 V8 engine.
7Fifteen Motorworks Troy Indy Special
John Kendall and his father wanted to recreate the 1959 Troy Roadster, a classic hot rod, resulting in the 7Fifteen Motorworks Troy Indy Special. It looks like they took all the best aspects of a vintage IndyCar racer, a Shelby Cobra, and a Lotus Super 7, and they offer it as a turnkey model.
The Troy Indy Special only weighs 2,200 lbs, and is powered by a GM LS3 V8 — even the base model has 495 hp. If that’s not wild enough, it’s possible to get one that generates 525 ponies. Luckily, they installed Wilwood brakes and independent inboard pushrod coilover suspension all around to keep it under control.
Falcon F7
Only proper gearheads know about the Falcon F7, so if that’s you, go ahead and give yourself a big pat on the back. Only seven of these were made, and they were ridiculously fast, scrambling to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds.
The source of the Falcon F7’s speed was a twin-turbocharged Lingenfelter V8 engine churning out a whopping 1,100 wild horses. Since the F7 was built using carbon fiber and kevlar, it was both strong and lightweight, tipping the scales at a mere 2,785 lbs.
Equus Throwback
You mave have heard about the Equus Bass 770, a modern-day vehicle that combines some of the best classic muscle cars in a cool, retro-styled package. However, Equus has another awesome machine in its portfolio.
The American car manufacturer also makes the Throwback; as its name suggests, it has a whiff of retro. It also has a 1,000 hp V8 engine, making it a proper supercar. If you think the Throwback’s overall shape looks familiar, it’s because it’s based on the C7 Corvette platform. Unfortunately, Equus only built 25 Throwbacks, and prices for the base model started at $130,000.
Mosler MT900
Warren Mosler founded Mosler Automotive in 1985. It was called Consulier back then, and built one of the most controversial American sports car ever — the Consulier GTP.
In 2001, Mosler Automotive launched another sports car, the MT900. Like the old Consulier GTP, the MT900 was a lightweight model. In fact, due to extensive use of carbon fiber, it made its predecessor look obese, weighing in at a mere 1,984 lbs. Coupled with a 5.7-liter LS1 V8 or a 7.0-liter LS7, it was a ballistic missile for the road. Unfortunately, Mosler closed its doors in 2013.
Vanderhall Venice
Vanderhall launched its Venice three-wheeler in 2010. Every car enthusiast will tell you that three-wheeled cars usually don’t have the best handling, but at least Vanderhall placed the single wheel at the rear end, which does help a little.
The Venice’s 1.4-liter engine produces 194 hp, which doesn’t sound like much, but it’s enough to send it to 60 mph in roughly 4.5 seconds. While it’s no supercar, we like the idea of a fun and unique car with an appealing price tag.
Anteros
Anteros Coachworks is a California-based sports carmaker. Well, actually, they don’t really 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 it features a full carbon fiber body. It certainly doesn’t look like a Corvette, though, as the styling is heavily influenced by classic Ferraris.
Panoz Avezzano
Panoz is arguably best known for racing, but they’ve also built road-going sports cars, such as the Avezzano. Thankfully, it doesn’t have the in-your-face styling of the Panoz Esperante race car. Instead, it looks a bit like something British carmakers TVR could’ve created. Much like a TVR, the Avezzano also packs a serious punch.
Its long, curved hood hides a 6.2-liter V8 engine that churns out a very respectable 430 hp. Those who want even more, can opt for the top-of-the-line model with 580 hp.
Rezvani Beast Alpha
Years ago, Rezvani introduced the Tank SUV, which looked like the perfect vehicle for a zombie apocalypse. That’s not the company’s only vehicle, though.
They’ve also built the Rezvani Beast Alpha, which may be the manliest car name we’ve ever heard. It’s pretty much the exact opposite of the SUV, as this is a supercar with a knife-sharp design and a beast of an engine. Regular people would be happy with the 400-hp base model, as it’ll get to 60 mph in a fairly swift 3.5 seconds. If you’re a total maniac, you’ll want the Blackbird trim and its 700 stampeding horses.
VLF Force 1
If you’ve never heard of VLF Automotive, 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 later, Henrik Fisker joined them as the lead designer.
The VLF Force 1 was built on the iconic Dodge Viper’s chassis and used the same 8.4-liter V10 engine. They didn’t leave it stock, though. After some tweaks, it produced 745 hp, 105 more than the Viper had. The VLF team also had racing driver and Viper enthusiast Ben Keating design the Force 1’s active suspension, which provides much better traction and ride quality than the Viper. While the plan was to build 50 cars, production ended after just five cars were completed.
Author: Andre Nalin
Expertise: Automotive
