Contents
Overview
Germany is known for producing exceptionally well-engineered cars from the initial days like the Porsche 911s, Audi R8s, and many others. But there exist a few classic sports cars produced by German automakers that became a huge fail with the underpowered engines and unreliable mechanisms. Here is a list of 10 classic German sports cars that should be avoided at any cost. This list is sourced by hotcars.com.
1. BMW 320i (E30) Cabriolet
This vehicle gets a 2.5-liter inline-six-cylinder engine that is capable of making a power output of 168 horsepower and 164 pound-feet of torque. This vehicle can accelerate from 0-60mph in 7.1 sec and can cover a 1/4-mile distance in 15.4 sec at a speed of 88 mph.
2. Opel GT
These cars initially made its debut in 1968. The first generation of this vehicle came with two different engine options 1,078 cc OHV I4, 1,897 cc CIH I4 with a power output of 67 hp at 6,000 rpm and 102 hp at 5400 rpm respectively. The engine coupled to a 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic transmission.
3. Borgward Isabella Coupe
This vehicle was in production from 1954 to 1962. It used a 1.4L straight-4 cylinder engine that produced 75hp and the engine coupled to a 4-speed manual transmission. Powering the rear wheels the vehicle has a top speed of 81 mph. And 11,150 units were produced in 1954.
4. Porsche 924
This is a sports car produced by Audi from 1976 until 1988. This vehicle came with different four-cylinder engines like 2.0 L Volkswagen EA831 I4, 2.0 L Turbo Volkswagen EA831 I4, 2.5 L Porsche M44/40 I4. These engines were mated to a 4-speed or 5-speed Getrag manual transmission.
5. BMW Z1
Produced from 1989 this vehicle has a 2.5 L M20B25 I6 engine that is capable of making a power output of 168 hp at 5,800 rpm and 164 lb-ft of torque. The engine mated to a 5-speed GETRAG 260 Manual transmission and the production limited to 8,000 units till 1991.
6. Auto Union 1000 Sp
This Longitudinal Front-engine front-wheel-drive vehicle came into production in 1958. This vehicle has a 981cc two-stroke 3-cylinder engine that is capable of producing a power output of 54 hp. And in a total of 5,000 coupes and 1,640 convertibles produced till 1965. With the four-speed manual transmission, this vehicle accelerates from 0-60mph in 22 sec.
7. VW Karmann Ghia
This vehicle, designed by Carrozzeria Ghia: Luigi Segre and Felice Mario Boano, and others, has a 1.2-liter flat-four cylinder engine making a power output of 36 hp. It has a top speed of 75 mph. 445,238 units produced in Germany from 1955–1974 and 41,689 in Brazil from 1962 to 1975.
8. Melkus RS1000
This sports car produced by Melkus from 1969 to 1979. And equips a mid-mounted straight 3-cylinder 992 cm3 2-stroke engine which produces a maximum power output of 68 hp and a torque of 87 lb-ft. The engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission allows the vehicle to have a top speed of 102mph.
9. NSU Spider
This vehicle came into production from 1964 till 1967 by NSU Motorenwerke AG. Designed by Claus Luthe this vehicle is a 2-door cabriolet with a rear engine and rear-wheel drive layout. This vehicle came with a 498 cc Single rotor Wankel rotary engine that produced 50 hp at 5,500 rpm.
10. Volkswagen Scirocco
This vehicle initially came into production in 1974 and continued till 1992 for two generations. The third generation came in 2008 till 2017. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign first generation of this vehicle used various flat four-cylinder engines with 4/5-speed manual or 3-speed automatic transmission.