If being ugly were a crime, these cars would receive a life sentence. Despite most of them being so expensive they could break the bank, they are as unsightly as Marilyn Manson in a prom dress. What is it that makes them so repugnant? Perhaps it's a lack of basic symmetry, an over powering cocktail of chrome mixed with revolting colors, or maybe it's a combination of both. It is often said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so you can be the judge.
When you see the Lamborghini LM002 it becomes obvious that the legendary car maker should stick with manufacturing low-slung sports cars like the Countach or Gallardo. The LM002 is a gigantic hulk of steel, designed to be a military vehicle with a 76-gallon fuel tank and 5.2-liter, twelve-cylinder engine, sourced from the Lamborghini Countach. Nicknamed the "Rambo Lambo" for being able to go just about anywhere, it never caught on anywhere outside the Middle East, where they obviously have a much different sense of style.
The Bricklin SV-1 should have required a license for being so ugly. Originally intended to be a safe and economical sports car, it has long been out of production. Created by Malcolm Bricklin, a man with little grasp of the inner workings of the industry, the SV-1 was powered by an AMC-sourced eight-cylinder engine. It performed as bad as it looked, with frequent overheating and cracked body panels. The last plastic-bodied gull-wing horror produced was back in 1975, so don't expect to see one in a neighborhood near you anytime soon.
When you look up the word eye sore in the dictionary, you are likely to find a picture of the Panoz Esperante race car. The most hideous Esperante has to be the GTR-1 with a front end looking like a deformed Batmobile. This monstrosity featured a rear spoiled with large expanses of urethane bumper on each side of the center-mounted exhaust. If you can get passed the exterior, the car has a 4.6-liter, eight-cylinder, Ford-sourced racing engine rated at 305 horsepower. That will get you to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds, letting you blow past any gawkers before they can do a double take.
It is hard to believe anyone would dish out $100,000 for a car so ugly it could crack a mirror. The Japanese Mitsuoka Orochi, named after the mythical eight-headed serpent, is not only ugly but one of the slowest sports cars around. It boasts a sizzling 0-60 time of 7 seconds. This speed demon is the product of its Toyota-sourced 3.3-liter six-cylinder that generates a steady 230 horsepower. If you're a fan of the slow and bizarre, you will be quite happy with this Japanese delight.