Malevolent Motors
By Sam Blier
Forget the so-cute-it-makes-you-puke-a-little-in-your-mouth Volkswagen Beetle and turn the goofy grins on the new Mazdas upside-down; some people like their cars to take things to the darker side of the automotive landscape. In honor of Halloween, here are a few of the meanest looking autos ever made, so turn on your lights, lock your [garage] doors and read on ~ Christine has nothing on these evil rides.
Maybach Exelero The Exelero was conceived by ultra-luxury automaker Maybach and German tire manufacturer Fulda as a high-speed test vehicle to put high performance tires through their paces. This thing looks downright nasty, and with a 700hp V12 engine and a 208 MPH top speed, it has the bite to back up its bark.
Lamborghini Reventon The Reventon is a highly modified, very limited edition (only 20 were ever built, each costing over $1 million) of the standard Murcielago. Named after an infamous bull that killed a matador in 1943, the Reventon’s styling was inspired by stealth fighter jets and it looks every bit as menacing as both its namesake and styling inspiration.
Dodge Viper ACR The legendary Dodge Viper is one mean snake, known for its aggressive styling and brute-force power. The limited-edition ACR package adds race-spec suspension, brakes and aerodynamics to the already potent 600 HP power plant. The ACR’s performance is just as venomous as its looks.
Caparo T1 Equal parts Formula 1 racecar and alien spacecraft, the Caparo T1 is about as close as you can get to the Indy 500 on the streets. This 2 seater has everything you need to go extremely fast and nothing you don’t. How does 0-60 MPH in 2.5 seconds feel? For about $350,000, you and a very brave friend can find out.
1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Jonckheere Aerodynamic Coupe For about as long people have been driving, car owners have wanted to stick out from the crowd. The owner of this Phantom sent the stock auto to the Jonckheere coachbuilders in Belgium for an entirely new look. Considering how absolutely evil it looks today, it must have been mind-blowingly sinister back in the 1930s.
Gemballa Tornado 750 GTS It started its life innocently enough as a Porsche Cayenne SUV, but then German tuning company Gemballa got its sinister hands on it and threw anything innocent right in the trash. The Tornado loses 550 pounds of fat and gains over 200 horsepower. A malicious body kit broadcasts the driver’s intentions, one of which is a 0-60 blast of 4.3 seconds.
1959 Lincoln Continental The first thing you notice when looking at this car head-on is the evil squint it’s giving you. This car just looks mean. The Continental is the kind of car you’d expect “debt collectors” to drive because it’s easy to see that whoever is behind the wheel means business.