Ask any gearhead to think of the greatest American sports cars and there are a few names that are sure to come up. The Corvette is an automotive icon that’s been in production since the ’50s, and the Mustang began production only a decade later. The Dodge Viper is well on its way to becoming a bonafide classic, and in recent years, halo cars like the new Ford GT have redefined what American performance can look like. But, those high-profile cars are just the tip of the iceberg, as there are lots of other sports cars that hail from the USA but slip under most enthusiasts’ radars.
The American sports car industry is a lot more diverse than most would give it credit for, as it incorporates everything from BMW-powered kit cars to boutique track day specials and Ferrari-rivaling supercars. Some cars featured here are no longer in production, but equally, several could be commissioned right now, assuming the interested party has the cash to spare of course. So, let’s take a look at ten American sports cars that, despite being very cool, many enthusiasts won’t even know exist.
10 Rezvani Beast
Rezvani is a relative newcomer to the automotive world, having only been founded in 2014 by Iranian-American businessman Ferris Rezvani. But, the company has quickly found its feet, and now produces a range of low-volume sports cars and SUVs to order.
Their signature sports car is called the Beast, and it’s based on the chassis of an Ariel Atom. It borrows the Atom’s 2.4L supercharged inline-4 engine and many other parts like the brakes and suspension. But, it adds a completely new bodyshell to make it more practical (and arguably better looking) than the British car on which it’s based.
9 Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus SCG 004
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus is one of the most exciting up-and-coming manufacturers that most people haven’t heard of yet. The SCG 004 is their upcoming supercar that’s been developed on the Nurburgring, and promises an unusual three-seat layout, the same as the legendary McLaren F1.
The car will be fully road-legal in the US, and hand-built in Danbury, CT in limited numbers. Unlike many startup carmakers who promise big things with their cars and can’t back them up, SCG has proven they can actually deliver. They’ve already built a Le Mans Hypercar, the SCG 007, which currently races in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Plus, they also make the mad SCG Boot, which is possibly the weirdest-yet-coolest American SUV ever built.
8 Falcon F7
Falcon Motorsports was founded in 2009, and its first car, the Falcon F7, was unveiled in production form in 2012. It featured a Lingenfelter-tuned LS V8 engine that delivered up to 680 horsepower to the rear wheels, and reportedly gave the car a 0-60 mph time of just 3.3 seconds.
Only seven examples of the car have been built, and one appeared for auction on Doug DeMuro’s Cars and Bids auction site in 2021. It didn’t reach its reserve price, but bids reached up to $122,000 by the time the auction closed. The company’s website is still live, and it seems like they’re still taking orders, should anyone want to cough up the $250,000 it takes to commission a new F7.
7 Superlite SL-C
Superlite’s SLC is a kit supercar that can either be built by the company or shipped in parts for the buyer to assemble themselves. It’s left up to the customer what engine they choose to power their car, and at least one buyer is known to have picked an S85 BMW V10.
The car’s reported power output was “over 650 horsepower,” and with a car that only weighs 2,500 lbs, that should translate to some terrifyingly quick performance figures. Buyers looking for a true all-American build could of course opt for an LS V8 instead.
6 Sector 111 Drakan Spyder
Channeling the spirit of British racing heavyweights like the Ariel Atom and BAC Mono, the Sector 111 Drakan Spyder is a road-legal track toy that debuted in 2011. It’s powered by a 400-horsepower LS3 V8 and features the bare minimum bodywork to help keep it as light as possible.
It weighs just 2,000 lbs, and according to Yahoo Autos, has a similar power-to-weight ratio to a Bugatti Veyron. Despite its bare-bones construction, Yahoo reports that it’s a surprisingly comfortable car to drive, and can be bought for as little as $100,000 new.
5 Rossion Q1
The Rossion Q1 is based on the chassis of the British-made Noble M400, but its goal was to be a more premium car, featuring luxurious materials inside as opposed to the Noble’s no-nonsense cabin. Production began in 2008 and lasted 10 years, although it’s not known exactly how many units were manufactured during this period.
The car’s body was designed with carbon-kevlar, and featured several technological improvements over the M400, including power windows, a centrally-mounted touchscreen, and built-in WiFi connectivity. It’s a shame that the car never made much of an impact in the sports car market, as its combination of performance, comfort and a low starting price of just $73,000 seemed like all the right ingredients for success.
4 Mosler Raptor
Mosler’s most famous car was the MT900, a car that gained popularity in the ’00s with several prominent fans including Star Wars mastermind George Lucas. But, before the company hit the mainstream, it was an obscure racing manufacturer, and one of its earliest cars was the Raptor.
Based on the successful Consulier GTP, the Raptor refined its predecessor’s winning formula, although unfortunately, it kept its rather unappealing looks. It might not score highly in the beauty department, but the Mosler was very competitive on the track. It won several high-profile national races before being controversially banned from competing for no clear reason other than it was too fast for the rest of the field to catch.
3 Devon GTX
Founded in 2008, Devon Motorworks tried to buy the rights to the second-gen Viper after it ended production and then set about creating its own supercar based on its design. The result was the GTX, which used the same chassis and engine as the Viper, but featured new carbon bodywork and an active suspension system.
Two prototype cars were built, but disagreements with Chrysler over the sale price of the Viper rights meant that the GTX never saw production. Instead, Devon simply ran out of cash and shut up shop in 2013, although not before one GTX prototype had been sold for $220,000.
2 Bocar XP-5
Bocar was a short-lived company based out of Lakewood, Colorado, that manufactured several sports cars between 1957 and 1961. The XP-5 was the most popular of those cars, and it featured a space-frame chassis with a glass-reinforced polyester body.
A 290-horsepower Corvette engine sent power to the rear wheels, and the car featured several borrowed components including VW rear suspension and Jaguar wire wheels. It’s not known exactly how many examples were built, although 18 are known to survive to the present day. Unfortunately, a major fire in 1962 totally destroyed the company’s workshop and forced its closure after just a few years of operation.
1 Equus Bass 770
The Equus Bass 770 was designed and manufactured in Detroit, combining ’60s Mustang styling with a 640-horsepower LS9 V8 taken from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. It’s about as American as it’s possible to get, and it debuted in 2013 with an impressive set of claimed performance figures.
The car reportedly has a top speed of over 200 mph and accelerates to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. It started from $250,000, although it could rise north of $290,000, and that was in 2013, so it’ll probably cost even more today. The car is still listed on Equus’s website, although it’s unclear whether they’re still accepting orders.
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