Most people agree that Italians make the most beautiful European cars. However, the Brits can claim otherwise, as they also produced magnificent cars like the legendary Jaguar E-Type, the McLaren P1 and almost every Aston Martin model ever made.
However, while UK carmakers have proven time and time again that they can make great looking cars, we all know too well that many of these cars have other issues that gearheads may want to avoid. There are many British cars that look great but are slow, unreliable, hard to drive or have other intolerable problems. Let’s discover ten of them.
ten Aston Martin DB7
When Ford acquired Aston Martin in the 90s, its first goal was to build a new entry-level model to appeal to more people and make the brand profitable again. This is how the DB7 was born.
Although the DB7 was far more affordable than any other Aston built before it, it still had the good looks the marque is commonly associated with and a powerful V12 engine. The only reason we wouldn’t recommend buying this car today is that it can be expensive to maintain the V12 engine. It’s no surprise that the DB7 is among the cheapest V12-powered sports cars you can buy today.
9 Jaguar F-Type
The Jaguar E-Type is easily one of the three best British sports cars of all time. However, its spiritual successor, the F-Type, wouldn’t even be mentioned in the same sentence as the icon because it’s terrible.
The F-Type debuted in 2013 and was based on a shortened version of the XK platform. The reason we wouldn’t recommend buying the F-Type is that it has a lot of reliability issues and can be boring to drive if you don’t have the top-end SVR version.
8 Noble M600
Noble Automotive has built several impressive sports cars over the years, but none are as revered as the M600. The M600 debuted in the 2000s and impressed many with its supercar-worthy design, lightweight carbon fiber construction and power.
Equipped with a huge twin-turbo V8 delivering 650 ponies and 604 lb-ft of torque, the M600 could reach a top speed of 225 mph. Despite being so fast, the M600 lacked significant driver aids like electronic stability control and ABS, which made it a bit sketchy, to say the least. say.
seven AC As
AC cars have been quiet for a long time, but gearheads will always remember it for building the AC Ace. The AC Ace isn’t all that great on its own, but its body was used to build one of the most iconic American sports cars of all time; the Shelby Cobra.
However, unlike the Shelby Cobra, which was powered by a powerful V8 engine tuned by the legendary Carroll Shelby, the AC Ace only had a 2.0-liter straight-six producing less than 100 hp.
6 MG Midget
The Midget might have one of the worst model names we’ve ever heard, but no one can deny its good looks. The Midget was designed at a time when British car manufacturers knew how to design beautiful roadsters.
Unfortunately, the Midget lacked the power to match its looks. Equipped with a tiny four-cylinder engine developing a dismal 65 hp, the Midget took nearly 20 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km/h.
5 TVR Sagaris
TVR doesn’t get the same respect as McLaren, Aston Martin or Jaguar, but it has built several incredible sports cars over the years. The 2005 Sagaris is one such car. Her combination of beauty and power has won her many fans. In fact, the Sagaris was so impressive that Jeremy Clarkson said it was the best TVR ever.
The main reason the Sagaris appears on this list is because it can be dangerous to drive. Since it lacks important safety tech like ABS, traction control, and even airbags, you probably won’t want to drive it. Oh, and there’s also the infamous reliability of TVR – or lack thereof.
4 Morgan plus four
Morgan still builds vehicles today, but it’s impossible to tell by looking at its lineup. That’s because Morgan cars look like they were built about a century ago. The Plus Four, which debuted in 2020, is no different.
Like other Morgans, the Plus Four has a vintage design and is built on a wooden frame. Although the Plus Four has a turbocharged inline-four engine that puts out 255 hp, it only has a top speed of 118 mph, which is pretty slow for a car that costs $70,000.
3 Jensen Healey
Jensen is best known for making the Interceptor in the late 60s. However, the company built many other models before going bankrupt, including the Healey. The Healey was a huge success for Jensen in the 70s, as it became the best-selling Jensen model of all time.
The main reason buyers loved the Healey was its beautiful convertible design. However, like many British sports cars produced at the time, the Healey was not fast, as it was powered by a small four-cylinder engine.
2 Lotus Elan M100
The first Lotus Elan is easily one of the greatest classic British sports cars of the 60s. However, the same cannot be said for its successor, the Elan M100. The Elan M100 debuted in 1990 and was meant to rival the popular Mazda MX-5 Miata.
However, the Elan M100 failed miserably. Unlike the rear-drive Elan, the Elan M100 used a front-wheel-drive setup that purists hated.
1 Triumph Spitfire
The Spitfire has arguably the best model name of any classic British sports car. Introduced in the 1960s, the Spitfire is a front-engined RWD convertible that Triumph built in honor of the Spitfire fighter aircraft of World War II.
Every gearhead expects a car called “Spitfire” to be fast enough, but the Spitfire fell short of those expectations. In its 18 years of production, the Spitfire never produced more than 100 hp.