Halloween fright: 27 cars with a sinister side

Cars that can bite back

Today we like to think of cars as being relatively benign, with risk and danger engineered out of them. But that hasn’t always been the case. Here, we’ve profiled 27 cars that will keep you on your toes, either through challenging dynamics or inherent safety flaws.

1975 Porsche 930 911 Turbo

Let’s start with a car that is notorious for its on-the-limit handling. With an engine mounted behind the rear axle, the Porsche 911 already had a reputation for unexpected pendulum swings.

However, adding a 3.0-litre 256hp turbocharged engine, which delivered power in one solid hit, created the circumstances to easily catch out unwary drivers. Later versions had even more horsepower, and kept yuppie stockbrokers on edge throughout the 1980s.

1984 Peugeot 205 GTI

This is another legend of the 1980s, but one that was slightly more affordable at the time. Today a cherished Peugeot 205 GTI will command considerable sums at auction, and self-inflicted rarity may be partly responsible. The front-wheel-drive layout, snappy throttle response and sports suspension created the perfect recipe for lift-off oversteer.

Although especially pronounced in the wet, even dry tarmac could see a 205 GTi end up on its roof, or disappearing backwards through a hedge. They’re still wonderful, though.

BMW X6 Vantablack

The BMW X6 is horrific at the best of times. But this one-off special edition in ‘Vantablack’ paint is scarier still. ‘VANTA’ is an acronym for Vertically Aligned Nano Tube Array, and its billions of tiny tubes eliminate reflections and absorb up to 99.965 percent of light. The result is the ‘world’s blackest black’ – and a car that seems to disappear into darkness.

Peel P50

The Peel P50 holds the Guinness World Record for being the smallest road-legal car. You may remember Jeremy Clarkson driving one around BBC Television Centre on Top Gear. Our Tim Pitt sampled this modern replica, built by London’s P50 Cars. It uses a Honda moped engine and tops out at 30mph.

But trust us, that’s quite scary enough.

Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake

You don’t earn the nickname ‘widow maker’ for nothing. It takes skill and nerves of steel to tame an AC Cobra. It’s loud and it’s a proper handful. The Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake is in a different league, with an 800hp V8 engine and absolutely no driver aids. Only two were made. The other was destroyed, killing its driver.

Renaultsport Clio V6

Wedging a 3.0-litre V6 engine into the space occupied by the rear seats in a Renault Clio is not something you would catch any car manufacturer doing today. With the looks of a miniature supercar, the Mk1 Clio V6 inherited the knife-edge dynamics of an exotic machine, too.

A short wheelbase, with a relatively heavy V6 engine in the middle of it, meant the Clio V6 would happily swap ends mid-corner. The later Mk2 version was successful in addressing many of the issues, but still demands care in the wet.

Alfa Romeo 166

Wait, what’s so scary about the Alfa Romeo 166? It was named the worst depreciating car in the UK, retaining a tiny 14.4 percent of its original price after three years. That’s a scary amount of depreciation. Still, at least 166 owners could console themselves with the knowledge that they had one of the world’s nicest interiors.

Renault Fluence

A similar study named the Renault Fluence electric vehicle as the worst first-year depreciator. After 12 months and 12,000 miles, the Fluence would be worth up to £6,000. Its original price was £22,000. A nightmare for owners, but good news for second-hand buyers.

Caparo T1

The Caparo T1 looks like some kind of primeval insect, but that’s not the reason for its inclusion. Everybody’s favourite BTCC driver with a name that sounds like ‘potato’, Jason Plato, was driving a T1 at Bruntingthorpe when, in his words, it “spontaneously erupted into a ball of flame”. Cars that want to hurt you. Scary stuff.

Reliant Robin

What could possibly be scary about a plastic three-wheeler made in the Midlands? Not a huge amount, until you attempt a corner. At which point it might decide to topple over. Well, not quite, because Jeremy Clarkson admitted that the Top Gear scenes were faked in the name of entertainment.

Maybach Exelero

The one-off Maybach Exelero looks dark, mysterious and very sinister. The grille is pure Hannibal Lecter, while the eyes have an evil look of intent. If the Exelero had a job, it would be as a hitman. And a deadly one at that.

Plymouth Fury

Just look at it: a classic slice of 1950s Americana. Mom’s apple pie wouldn’t melt in its mouth. But as anyone who has seen the film Christine will testify, this is one terrifying vehicle. She’ll possess you. Then destroy you. She’s death on wheels. She’s sounding remarkably like Liam Neeson.

Hyundai Santa Fe Zombie Survival Machine

The Hyundai Santa Fe Zombie Survival Machine was designed for ‘effective undead annihilation’. It features knife blades, an automatic crossbow, razor-wired windows, three machine guns, a samurai sword, aluminium armour and a muffler silencer. Available at your friendly local Hyundai dealer with an unlimited warranty.

Reva G-Wiz

At one point the G-Wiz was the best-selling electric car in the world, helped by low purchase prices and even lower running costs. However, being classed as a heavy quadricycle, rather than as a car, meant the G-Wiz could neatly sidestep safety legislation.

A crash test conducted by the Department for Transport found that drivers of the G-Wiz could suffer serious injuries at just 35mph. Top Gear undertook a separate similar test, finding major chances of severe or life-threatening injury at just 40mph.

Rover 100

Pity the Rover 100. Introduced by British Leyland as the Austin Metro in 1980, it was made to continue until 1998, fighting against more modern superminis and safety standards. It was the introduction of the Euro NCAP tests in 1997 that sounded the death knell for the plucky 100.

Being awarded just one star by Euro NCAP was seen as dismal, with a standard driver’s airbag doing little when the steering wheel was pushed back some 300mm in a frontal impact. Proof of how far technology had come, the 100 was quietly dropped in 1998.

Buick Electra

At best, the Buick Electra looks like a really stern school headmistress wearing sharp-angled spectacles. At worst it looks like a serial killer. Move away, children. Please move away.

Chevrolet Nova

The Death Proof Chevy Nova is a properly sinister looking machine. That bonnet ornament is a replica of the ‘Rubber Duck’ first seen on Kris Kristofferson’s truck in Convoy. Don’t be fooled. It’s a very angry duck.

Lamborghini Countach

The simple act of reversing a Lamborghini Countach can be an unnerving experience. Rearward visibility is terrible, the rear-view mirror is as useful as a chocolate teapot and the only sure-fire way of seeing behind you is to use the famed door-sill seating position. Not one for the faint-hearted.

A hearse

What could be scarier than a hearse? Especially one that looks as dark and moody as this Goth creation. That said, a hearse is likely to be the final car we’ll travel in, before heading to the other world.

TVR Cerbera Speed 12

How the 804hp TVR Cerbera Speed 12 managed to transfer its power to the road is a mystery. But then that’s the whole point. TVR boss Peter Wheeler declared the car too wide and too fast for the road. Only one production car was built, which EVO magazine described as ‘terrifying’. Quite.

Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet

The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet isn’t scary in the slasher horror movie kind of way, but it has been giving children nightmares ever since it was unleashed. It’s wrong on so many levels.

Peterbilt 281 petrol tanker

What could be scary about a Peterbilt 281 petrol tanker? Just ask David Mann, played by Dennis Weaver in the 1971 film, Duel. When the headlights of a truck become the eyes of a psychopath.

Saab 9-3 Viggen

Once upon a time, the Saab 9-3 Viggen was the fastest Saab ever made. With 230hp on tap, it was also a seriously powerful front-wheel-drive car, from a time when sending so much power through the front wheels wasn’t a wise thing to do. It has become famous for near-uncontrollable torque steer, although Saab specialists can tame the beast.

TVR Sagaris

Could this be the scariest looking British sports car? The TVR Sagaris featured slatted wing tops, bonnet vents and a rear end that looks quite unlike anything else on the road. And look at the bottom of the headlights. There’s a definite hint of Satan’s tail there.

A panel van

Of course, we’re not saying The Mystery Machine is in any way scary. Indeed, its pesky occupants were pretty good at foiling life’s ne’er-do-wells. But if you see a battered panel van in your neighbourhood, you can’t help but feel a little worried. Lock your front door.

Volkswagen Phaeton

Here’s another scary depreciation story. New, you’d have paid upwards of £45,000 for Volkswagen’s posh saloon. But used examples start from less than £3,000. If you bought one from the showroom, we hope the nightmares aren’t too terrifying.

1957 Aurora

The Aurora was an 18-foot prototype created by a Catholic priest. It took three years to build and, had it reached production, would have cost $12,000, making it almost as expensive as a Cadillac Eldorado (America’s most expensive vehicle at the time). It’s one of the most frightening cars ever created.

Mercedes-Benz 600

There’s just something about the Mercedes-Benz 600. There’s no denying it’s an elegant and, in a unique way, beautiful machine. But thanks to the number of crazed dictators and despots who rode around in them, the car has developed a certain character. Put it this way, you probably wouldn’t mess with the chap in the back seat.