Here are the rarest American sports cars! Which one is your favorite?
American car culture means roaring engines and raw power. This explains why muscle cars like the Mustang and Challenger have such an important place in automotive history. But American performance is more than drag strips, and we are here to tell you more about some of the rarest American sports cars.
At some point, the American car industry produced a marvelous collection of sports cars that were actually able to rival the European elite. And they were not bulky beasts. These American sports cars were meticulously crafted machines that were designed to be agile, reach unimaginable speeds, and also be elegant while doing that.
So, buckle up! It’s time to explore this era and discover some of the rarest American sports cars that made history!
1. Hennessey Venom GT (13 units produced)
We all know about the Hennessey Venom F5 and how that car managed to break all the records, but today we go back in time and discuss the Venom GT. Before the Venom F5 stole the spotlight, this car was the real OG.
It’s an ultra-rare hypercar, and one of the fascinating things about it is that it’s something like a Frankenstein of American sports cars merging two beasts at once: the agility of the Lotus Elise and the monstrous power of a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 engine.
This American supercar has an insane power-to-weight ratio. Just imagine 2,400 lbs of metal that keeps an over 1,200 horsepower engine under the hood. Amazing right?
Maybe the silhouette of the Venom GT resembles the Elise, but this is where the similarities end. This is an extensively modified car, and Hennessey took care to replace the classic chassis with a lightweight carbon-fiber tube and also added a modified suspension and drivetrain.
At first, Hennessey planned to build 29 of these American sports cars, but by the end of production in 2017, only 13 cars had been built. This is why the Venom GT is so rare and, as you can imagine, the dream car of many collectors.
2. 2010 Dodge Viper ACR Voodoo Edition (31 units produced)
2010 was the year that marked the end of the second-generation Viper’s production run, and because of this, only 500 Vipers were produced that year. Indeed, it was a limited batch, but there was an even more exclusive model hidden there, and we are talking about the ACR Voodoo Edition, one of the rarest American sports cars, with only 31 units that reached showrooms.
But this Dodge was so special because it marks the 25th anniversary of the Viper and also because it is a car that was built with performance in mind.
The Voodoo Edition was inspired by another one of the American sports cars, the ACR (American Club Racer) model. Dodge then used a black and red paint scheme that matched perfectly with the car’s aggressive carbon-fiber aerodynamic profile.
Combine all of this with razor-sharp handling, track-tuned suspension, Brembo brakes, and StopTech rotors, and you get one of the most performant sports cars to ever exist. For many, the 2010 Dodge Viper ACR Voodoo Edition is a car made for pure track dominance.
3. 1971 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Coupe (8 units produced)
With only 8 units produced, this Chevrolet Corvette is for sure one of the rarest American sports cars ever built. The ZR1 Coupe is the predecessor of the modern C8 Corvette Z06, but compared to any other car in the ZR series, this one is so rare that it has a collector’s item status.
Ok, so we now know for sure that this car is an ultra-exclusive model, but what else should we know? Well, with a 350-cubic-inch LT1 V8 engine that has 370 horsepower, this is by far a much more powerful car compared to any standard Corvette.
Also, consider the stiffer springs and sway bars for sharper handling, heavy-duty brakes for superior stopping power, and a lightweight flywheel for quicker revs. All of these performance-oriented upgrades make this car a beast.
Combine them with aesthetic upgrades such as the removable rear window, the luggage rack, and the body-colored roof panels, and let’s not forget about the rally wheels, and you get the full package.
4. Vector W8 (19 units produced)
When people think of American sports cars, they mostly think of Mustangs and Corvettes, but the Vector W8 is a hidden gem that was born in the 1990s. Besides the outstanding performance, what makes it so special is the fact that only 19 were produced.
But, unlike the mass-produced American sports cars, the Vector W8 is a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive beast that was created to compete with the Lamborghini Countach. This rivalry birthed the amazing W8, which was the American alternative to a flamboyant car.
This is a technological marvel, and we can easily see that just by looking at its chassis, which is made using aerospace-grade materials like aluminum honeycomb, carbon fiber, and Kevlar. This combination of materials makes the Vector W8 an incredibly light car that is also extremely strong.
The heart of the W8 is, for sure, its twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V8 engine, which offers unbeatable performance. The estimates suggest this engine could propel the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds! This makes the W8 a strong rival for the Italian supercars of that era.
Surprisingly enough, despite its impressive features, the Vector W8 struggled to gain mainstream recognition. This is how this vehicle ended up becoming a collector’s item.
5. Falcon F7 (7 units produced)
No one mentions this one of the modern American sports cars, but its ferocious V8 and all the carbon fiber combined with the sharp design make the F7 an engineering marble that amazed all of us. Imagine it like this: the Falcon F7 walked so the mid-engined Corvette could run.
When founder Jeff Lemke thought about a design, he wasn’t shy, and he decided to pay homage to classics like the C6 Corvette, Ford GT, and Ferrari 288 GTO. The result? A sleek, aggressive design that screamed American muscle but also had a slight touch of the well-known European flair.
But the F7 is not just about looks, as this car has a rear-mounted V8 engine under that sculpted carbon fiber body that makes all the heads turn around. The engine is borrowed from the C6 Corvette Z06, but Lingenfelter Performance Engineering modified it and boosted it to 620 hp while also equipping it with a carbon fiber intake system.
But this was not the ultimate form of the F7. You were also able to purchase an optional twin-turbo package, which increased the power of the engine to 1,100 hp!
Even though the reign of the Falcon F7 was short-lived, it is still one of the most iconic cars produced in the United States and also one of the rarest American sports cars.
Learning more about the history of sports cars can be fascinating, and this book is perfect for anyone who wants to find out more about this topic: 50 Ultimate Sports Cars: 1910s to Present
If you are a fan of sports cars, then you might be interested in finding out which ones of them are the most reliable. For this, we have a special article for you: 8 Reliable Sports Cars That Guarantee a Lifetime of Thrills
