7 Supercar One Hit Wonders

Cizeta Moroder V16T

If you gave a bunch of 13-year-old boys the opportunity to design their ideal supercar, the Cizeta Moroder V16T is what you’d end up with. Built from 1991 to 1995, the V16T was a highly innovative machine. Designed by a group of ex-Lamborghini employees, no expense was spared in the production of this limited-run supercar.

The Moroder’s V16 was formed by sticking two Lamborghini Urraco flat-plane V8s together in a single block. This engine produced an impressive (at the time) 560bhp and 398lb-ft of torque, giving the car a 0-62mph time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 203mph. Unfortunately, the car’s bold design and lack of pedigree resulted in poor sales. Only ten vehicles were delivered between its debut in 1991 and the company’s demise in 1995.

Saleen S7

As CTzen Wouter Grob put it, “who thought a brand specialised in tuning Mustangs would be able to deliver this?” We hear you Wouter, but a little detail often overlooked is the fact that the car was actually designed and built in the UK by Motorsport engineering company Ray Mallock Ltd. So America’s ‘first mid-engined supercar’ was technically British…

Now, the S7 wasn’t the most handsome machine, but it featured some very innovative tech. The body was made entirely from carbonfibre, the chassis used a space frame construction, and the standard 7.0-litre pushrod V8 was good for 550bhp. The car received updates over the years, with a twin turbo variant being released in 2005. Unfortunately poor sales brought production to an end in 2009. There are currently no plans for a replacement.

Gumpert Apollo

Roland Gumpert was the head of Audi’s World Rally Championship team in the early 1980s, and under his leadership the team won a whopping 25 rallies and an overall championship title. So when he turned his hand to supercar production back in 2005, the automotive press went into a collective frenzy.

Weighing just 1200kg and packing a 641bhp twin-turbo V8 the Apollo - the company’s first and only supercar - was properly rapid. 0-62mph could be achieved in three seconds dead and the car would go on to a dizzying 225mph. Faster versions were released over the years, but there was very little market for such an extreme machine. Unsurprisingly, the company went bust back in 2013.

However, with backing from new investors, the company is back, under the much improved name of Apollo Automobili. Its new supercar, the Arrow, looks absolutely phenomenal, so perhaps the Apollo won’t be a one hit wonder after all. Time will tell…

Dome Zero

The Zero was a prototype supercar from legendary race car manufacturers Dome Co. Ltd. Company founder, and amateur racer, Minoru Hayashi wanted to design a small volume sports car which could take on the best that Europe had to offer.

The car was designed in 1976 and made its debut at the 48th Geneva Motor Show in 1978. Sporting a lightweight construction, a powerful Datsun-sourced inline-six and futuristic aesthetics, the car was the star of the show. With orders flooding in, Dome developed the Zero to production specification, but the Japanese Ministry of Transport refused to homologate the car. Dome eventually conceded defeat and turned its focus back onto racing.

Light Car Company Rocket

The Light Car Company (LCC), founded in 1993 by Gordon Murray and Chris Craft, produced the brilliant single-seater Rocket. It was 130kg lighter than the Caterham Seven Superlight, featured a tubular frame chassis, and had the performance to shame full-blown supercars.

Unfortunately, the car was released just before the track-day boom of the noughties. It was, in other words, way ahead of its time. As a result the company only managed to sell 33 Rockets, and in 1998, LCC closed its doors. Famous comedian and car lover Jay Leno has owned one for over 15 years, and has stated that its one of his ‘favourite cars’. High praise indeed.

DeLorean DMC-12

With its gullwing doors, stainless steel body and its role in the Back To The Future Trilogy, the DMC-12 is one of the coolest cars of all time. Shame then that the finished product was so poorly executed. Appalling build quality and terrible reliability turned potential buyers away, as did the rear-mounted 150bhp 2.85-litre V6. Performance was best described as sedate, with a 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds and a top speed of 109mph.

The company came to a bizarre end when founder John Delorean was arrested on drug trafficking charges; he allegedly conspired to smuggle $24 million worth of cocaine into the ‘States. The charges were eventually dropped, but his reputation was forever tarnished and the company quickly went bankrupt.

Gillet Vertigo.5 Spirit

Developed in Belgium by ex-racing driver Tony Gillet, the Vertigo is a blend of old school aesthetics and modern day racing technology. Designed for the FIA GT Championship, the Gillet is an impressive piece of engineering.

Under the bonnet you’ll find a dry-sumped 420bhp 4.2-litre Maserati V8 connected to a sequential six-speed gearbox. Granted, in a world of 1000bhp GT-Rs, 420bhp doesn’t sound that powerful, but you have to consider that the Vertigo only weighs weighs 950kg. This gives the car a 0-62mph time of 3.2 seconds and a top speed north of 180mph.

A Carbon Nomex monocoque shell, race-derived pushrod style suspension and AP racing brakes ensures that the car is ‘track ready’, but we’ve yet to find anyone who’s actually been behind the wheel. As far was we know the company is still in business, but who knows for how long.

So guys, these are our ‘automotive one-hit’ wonders. Do you agree with the selection? If you’ve got any suggestions let us know in the comments below! You can also find our original community question here.