Why Did These 10 American Performance Cars Fail Badly?

The excitement around many American performance cars is palpable. We think the next big thing is about to arrive, and then it fails.

In fact, some of the cars we anticipated for a long time failed so miserably that they took down their car brands with them. At least, that’s the rumor behind some o the massive flops found in the performance models. Sometimes it’s a matter of timing; other times, it’s just not the right car with the right stuff. Regardless, we’ve got ten cars for you that should have been more popular than they were.

The Chevrolet SSR Was Too Much in One Package

What the hell was the Chevrolet SSR? This thing looked strange from the start and was certainly a tragic tale of GM trying to be too cute with something. The SSR was a truck, it could be had with a convertible cabin, and it sat low to the ground. The style was a bit retro, but not retro enough. Too bad, the 6.0-liter V8 engine pumped out 400 horsepower, and the SSR had good handling.

The Pontiac G8 is Popular Now, but Not Then

The Pontiac brand is no longer in the automotive world, but some of the most impressive American performance cars came from this brand. The G8 was a good car with the qualities desired, but when it was new, no one wanted to buy it. This car was released in 2008 at just the wrong time. In fact, Pontiac closed down with 11,000 models in inventory. This car gave drivers a 6.0-liter V8 engine with 415 horsepower, which was awesome for a performance sedan.

The Cadillac XLR Was Ahead of its Time

If Cadillac brought the XLR to the market today, it would fit right into the mix. This was the first Caddy with radar-assisted cruise control, heated and cooled seats, and a mix of amazing high-tech features. This car delivered the power with a 4.6-liter V8 engine that pumped out 443 horsepower in the V model. Unfortunately, this car was a sales flop wot only 15,460 models sold in ten years. This caused the demise of the XLR, which left the market with its proverbial tail between its legs.

The Saturn Sky Redline Should Have Been a Big Hit

The change from the Pontiac Solstice look to what Saturn gave us with the Sky Redline was an important change from one car to the other. This car brought the appeal of a British roadster to one of the American performance cars that should have been the cornerstone of the brand. Unfortunately, it never got to prove what it could do because Saturn shut its doors. The Sky delivered good power at 260 horsepower and incredible performance.

The Vector W8 was Too Rare to Get Off the Ground

The Vector W8 was one of the boutique supercars we wish would have been offered in greater numbers. Unfortunately, this car was only built 17 times in the four years it was offered. This car gave an amazing drive, had an impressive 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that made 625 horsepower, and it was a cutting-edge machine. Unfortunately, the sales were too few for this amazing car to survive. The M12 that followed didn’t fare any better.

The Fisker Karma Would be Better Now

A car that was absolutely ahead of its time was the Fisker Karma. This was one of the most impressive American performance cars, but it was offered in 2012 instead of 2022. That one decade makes a difference in the acceptance of a PHEV model. This car used a 2.0-liter Ecotec engine and two 120-kW battery-powered motors to give it more than 400 horsepower. This car was made to drive more than 230 miles and hit 125 mph. Too bad this Fisker wasn’t offered today; we’d fall in love with it.

Plymouth Gave the Prowler the Wrong Engine

Plymouth tried to resurrect the hot rod days with the Prowler. This car had style; it had the personality, but what it lacked was the right engine. With a car this cool, you need a massive V8 powering the drive; nothing else will do. Unfortunately, Plymouth put a 3.5-liter V6 under the hood, which gave the Prowler only 214 horsepower. This retro classic car could have been so much better than the paltry 11,000 that were sold.

The DeLorean DMC-12 Should Have Been More Popular Before it was a Time Machine

The DeLorean DMC-12 was an incredible car and certainly ahead of its time, but the engine made it sluggish. The stainless steel body was one of the coolest things we’ve ever seen. This was one of the American performance cars that could have taken off and done extremely well if it weren’t for that engine. We’re still not sure why John DeLorean didn’t offer something stronger than a 2.85-liter V6 that produced 135 horsepower into this car. He certainly knew better.

The AMC AMX Should have Done a Lot Better than it Did

If you want to see one of the best muscle cars of the time, the AMC AMX should be near the top of your list. This car was capable of 340 horsepower and offered some serious speed. Unfortunately, this car coming from a small program combined with the oil crisis of the 1970s meant the end and the demise of the AMX. The AMC name did much better with the Javelin, but the AMX should have fared much better.

The 2004 Pontiac GTO Didn’t Look the Part

Take off the mild-mannered coupe body, and you’ve got a car that screams performance. The GTO brought 350 horsepower from the 5.7-liter V8 in 2004 and then 400 horsepower in 2005 from an upgraded 6.0-liter V8 engine. Unfortunately, this was another one of the American performance cars that met an untimely demise. This was an affordable muscle car, but it needed a lot more personality and style for it to become a big hit so many years after the classic GTO name.

Do you remember these American performance cars? Which one of them was your favorite?