Taking a Look Back at 20 of the Weirdest Cars Ever Produced in History

Ever since the early 1900’s; when cars came on to the main stream several manufacturers have attempted to design unique vehicles to capture the attention of consumers. We have seen some amazing cars with amazing designs but there have been some experiments which didn’t turn out to look that great(actually they looked plain weird if you ask me). So whilst going through the history books of auto manufacturing we picked the 20 Weirdest Cars Ever Produced . What makes these cars weird is not just their shape but also the weird functions the cars were produced with. So, without further ado lets take a look at the weirdest cars history has ever seen.

RINSPEED SQUBA

Ever wondered if you could take your car underwater?

Well what if I told you there is a car that allows you to that. Yes you read it right! The Rinspeed sQuba is a concept car manufactured by Rinspeed(a Swiss car manufacturer) which has a zero emission rating and has amphibious capabilities.The Rinspeed sQuba has the ability to glide under water like a submarine; and that too at impressive speeds upwards of 80km/h.Rinspeed based their sQuba concept car on the Lotus Elise body.What makes the car rank among the weirdest cars produced in history is that the occupants of a Rinspeed sQuba can breathe air from cars interior mounted scuba-style diving regulators. If the occupants leave the vehicle, the Rinspeed sQuba automatically resurfaces.

1961 Amphicar

The Amphicar was launched in Germany in 1961 and remained in production till 1967. The cars unique design and weird functionality made it the most popular non military amphibious production vehicle in history. It also makes the 1961 Amphicar one of the weirdest cars ever produced. The Amphicar can drive on land and float on water like a boat. Its uses twin propellers at the back to navigate through water while the front wheels act as rudders.The weird aspects of the car gave it fame when unfortunately the cars handling and high price hindered it from becoming a widely sold vehicle.Only 4000 Amphicars were produced from 1961 till 1967.

2018 Hennessey VelociRaptor 6×6

It was not just the early era of cars which saw the production of weird and unique vehicles.Even till today car manufacturers are coming out with weird unseen designs for their production cars. In Hennessey launched a souped up version of the 2018 Ford F150. This is no ordinary customized vehicle, the Hennessey VelicoRaptor 6×6 by is a behemoth 6 wheeled truck with an impressive 602 HP motor under the hood.

What makes the Hennessey VelociRaptor rank among the weirdest cars in history is the fact that it is a production vehicle with fully functional 6×6 off-road capability. But at a staggering price of  $350k the VelociRaptor is no ordinary production offroad vehicle, it is rather a unique(read weird) off-road toy for the rich and famous.

1974 Vanguard-Sebring CitiCar

Okay people its Pop Quiz time! What was the First Fully Electric Production Car Sold in the US?

Ans: *crickets chirping*

Oh okay no worries if you didn’t know the answer. Most people don’t anyway. The first fully electric production car sold in the US was the Vanguard-Sebring CitiCar. The CitiCar is easily one of the weirdest looking vehicles ever produced , it sort of looks like an upside down triangle on wheels.The electric motor in the 1974 Vanguard-Sebring CitiCar produced a wig splitting 3.5 HP(jeez this thing would’ve given my lawnmower a run for its money).When fully charged the Vanguard-Sebring CitiCar could go up to 40 miles.Later on the manufacturers of the CitiCar gave it a Vin Diesel style performance upgrade of an additional 3HP which helped the CitiCar accelerate to land record speeds of 45mph.

TERRAFUGIA TRANSITION

Ever since the 50’s, people have been dreaming about flying cars. Back in the day it was a popular opinion that all cars would have the ability to hover and fly in the future.Well the dream became a reality in 2006 when Terrafugia launched the first ever flying car known as the Terrafugia Transition.You can call the Terrafugia Transition both a flying car or a roadable aircraft. Whatever that you call it; it still remains an extremely weird looking contraption.Whilst driving on the road, The flying cars wings fold up while they unfold into full sized wings when the driver(or pilot) wishes to take flight.Each two-seater Terrafugia Transition unit costs around $280,000. Terrafugia will delivering their first completed Transition production model to clients in the start of 2019. What I am confused about is whether to call it ‘one of the weirdest cars ever produced’ OR ‘one of the weirdest aircraft’s ever produced’.I leave it up to all you lovely car geeks to decide.

2018 Smart ForTwo Brabus Ultimate 125

Brabus has been known to turn subtle luxury sedans into fire breathing 9 second quarter mile running beasts. But Brabus is not just keen on building high performance sedans, they recently got their hands on the Smart ForTwo. What they turned it into is amazing yet weird.They ended up creating a high performance aggressive looking midget. The Smart ForTwo Brabus Ultimate 125 has a tuned 123HP engine with a beefier exhaust, a Brabus aerodynamics package and it can go from 0-62 in a heart stopping 9.2 Seconds(Imagine Jeremy Clarksons Face in the Ariel Atom episode). And with Brabus ForTwo being almost the epitome of ‘weirdest car ever’, the price had to match up to the overall weirdness.Yes! it costs upwards of 50,000$.

SUPERBUS

Almost all car geeks grow up fantasizing about a super car and almost 60% of us have a nice little poster up in our rooms of that particular super car(Ferrari F40 in my case). But todays generation also has the privilege to dream about Super-buses, as Dutch Astronaut Wubbo Ockels along with the help of the Deift University of Technology has developed a SuperBus that is capable of reaching speeds on 250km/h. The SuperBus doesnt have a big old diesel engine , it is actually powered by a high speed electric motor. The SuperBus looks like a stretch limo version of a sports car , but a further inspection shows that it is much larger than any super car , this super coach has gull wing style doors for each compartment.The SuperBus is easily one of the Weirdest Cars/Buses the world has seen.

1962 Peel P50

Small,economical,cute,WEIRD …the Peel P50 has many claims to fame. Produced in 1962, the Peel P50 is the undisputed smallest production car in the world.Many people were not aware that the Peel P50 existed as only 50 were ever originally produced.Recently Jeremy Clarkson(ex. Top Gear host) renewed the interest of car enthusiasts in the Peel P50 when he reviewed it on the famous BBC Series Top Gear.

The Peel P50, apart from being the smallest car in the world is also a top contender in the running for the weirdest cars ever produced.It is a one seater vehicle with a complete fiberglass body , 3 tiny wheels and a 49cc motor(not very safe for the road if you ask me)..but still i would love to own one. Wouldn’t you ?

1935 Stout Scarab

The Stout Scarab launched in 1935 and was the first ever minivan to be produced. The Stout Scarab was a rear-wheel-drive, rear-engined alien looking mini-van with features such as a card table, six seats, polished wooden trim, and a wicker headliner; these features were way ahead of their time. But unfortunately only 9 units of the Stout Scarab were ever produced.Bushnell Stout the designer of the Stout Scarab aimed at designing a futuristic car but ended up making it look plain weird.The weird and luxurious Stout Scarab failed to grab any significant market and that is why production was halted after producing only a mere 9 units.

 1992 Subaru SVX

Speaking of futuristic designs which crossed the weird line; the Subaru SVX 1992 stands out as an excellent specimen.The split window design of the Subaru SVX 1992 was straight out of sci-fi movies and extremely impractical at the same time.It came with a 6 cylinder motor mated to an AWD transmission.The beautifully weird Subaru SVX was designed by renowned car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro(He also designed the DMC-12 Delorean).The car’s unique styling didn’t convert into many sales; from 92-96 only 14000 units were sold in the good ol’ US of A.

 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet

When i first laid eyes on a Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet….i closed my eyes and puked in my mouth a little. This was followed by WHAT THE HELL was Nissan thinking ?

The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet was Nissan’s attempt at creating a compact convertible SUV. Although their intentions were good but their weird design failed to create a huge buzz and production only lasted from 2011-2014.Since the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet was taken off the shelves, second hand ones have become rare and collectible.Lovers of weird looking cars across USA pay a pretty buck for the Murano CrossCabriolet.

 2009 Nissan Cube

Every few years car manufacturers hit us with novelty style cars; and these cars have weird designs on purpose.One such specimen of such a novelty car would be the Nissan Cube 2009. It seems Nissan’s designers are not afraid for their designs to be listed as top contenders for a podium place in the running for the weirdest car designs ever. The 2009 Nissan Cube was designed to be a funky daily driver. Nissan wanted to create an absolute head turner with an unconventional asymmetric window design and large sliding doors.Well a head turner it is; but most heads that turn for the Nissan Cube can be heard uttering “WTF”.Production for the Nissan Cube was halted in 2014.

1999 Fiat Multipla

The Fiat Multipla’s aesthetic features are reminiscent of ….a frog or an alien that has been squashed.You could say the Fiat Multipla has a face only a mother could love.The six-seater minivan phenom was in production from 1999 till 2004 when it received a much needed face-lift to the joy of squeamish car fans.(Praise the lord it never made it to the US Market)

1999 Isuzu VehiCROSS

Isuzu VehiCROSS is another sporty suv which inadvertently crossed the weird line.Isuzu created the VehiCROSS as a sportier two door version of the previously successful off-roader the Isuzu Trooper. Because of the cars bold design it never was considered a beautiful car. It rather looks like someone is pulling on its eyelids.The VehiCROSS made it into the US market in 1999 and failed with a bang. Isuzu tried to recapture the market with other variants of the car (They designed an even uglier convertible version) but ultimately failed rolling their operations back from the US Market.

2014 Mercedes-AMG G63 6×6

The first ever 6×6 production vehicle; of course we are talking about the Mercedes-AMG G63 6×6. i remember when the Mercedes-AMG G63 6×6 was launched; everyone was going crazy on social media. We had never seen anything like it before. Although the design is one of the weirdest car designs we have ever witnessed;yet it is also extremely beautiful and desirable.The G63 6×6 boasts a biturbo V8 from Mercedes-AMG which produces 544 ponies fueled with adrenaline(and gasoline…gasoline is kinda important).It interior is the complete opposite of its rugged and functional exterior. Alcantara headlining, premium diamond stitched leather and a luxurious dash full of electronic controls is what will welcome you as you enter the G63 6×6 AMG biturbo. and the price tag is very reasonable “NOT”, the esteemed Mercedes AMG G63 6×6 will set you back a meagre(j/k) $1.2 million.

1985 Suzuki Mightyboy

Is it a truck ? Is it a Kei car? Is it an inbred child of the Chevrolet El Camino?

Well the answer is Yes, Yes and No(hey but it looks like it). The Suzuki Mightyboy 1985 was Suzuki’s attempt at producing a Kei class pickup.  It is basically an SS80(an iconic Kei car by Suzuki) with its back windows chopped off, or the truck version of the coveted Suzuki SS80 if you may!

The Mightyboy boasted a 550cc engine which produced a great mileage and the simple design meant that people could fix it in their backyards. Suzuki saw hug success with the Mightyboy variants in the Australian market. The Suzuki Mightboy is still a very collectible car for Australian Car Enthusiasts.

1986 Lamborghini LM002

In today’s car market, many luxury car manufacturers can be seen partaking in producing luxury SUV’s.Well the trend was originally started by the Italian Super car Manufacturer Lamborghini. In 1986 Lamborghini launched the ultra weird LM002. The legendary Lamborghini LM002 was a luxury offroad pickup with a V12 monster under the hood courtesy of the Lamborghini Countach. The Rugged looking offroad pickup produced 444HP(which was a weird concept for the time).The cars steep price tag and impracticality hindered it from becoming a roaring success. Only 300 LM002’s were ever produced.

2004 Ssangyong Stavic

The 2004 Stavic was an ugly mothership launched by Korean car manufacturer Ssangyong. The bulky looking 11 seater Ssangyong Stavic is actually a very luxurious MPV. Ssangyong Stavic failed to gain prominence based on its looks (its a widely recognized fact that Ssangyong Stavic is one of the Ugliest/Weirdest cars ever produced). But apart from its look the Ssangyong Stavic is an exceptional vehicle with excellent fuel economy , reliability and luxury. It came out in Petrol and Diesel variants(both motors commissioned by Mercedes-Benz). Okay its Ugly but we cant look at the fact that the Ssangyong Stavic has successfully garnered a fan following because of its practicality and reliability.

1973 Reliant Robin

We all know the Reliant Robin from Jeremy Clarkson’s satirical slandering in the Hit show Top Gear.The Reliant Robin was produced in 1973 by the British car manufacturer Reliant.

What made the car a head turner was its weird three wheeled design; which made it look like a boat from the front and a car from the back. The Reliant Robin hold seating space for 4(barely) and can hit stomach churning speeds of up to 83 MPH.The Robin although being a hideous looking contraption , won the hearts of British consumers and more than 60,000 units were sold during the brief 8 years of production. Another fun fact about the Reliant Robin is that its completely made out of fiberglass.

1956 BMW Isetta

You cannot be called a true car enthusiast if you don’t currently hold or have previously held a soft corner in your heart for the 1956 BMW Isetta. The BMW Isetta holds the title of the “top selling single cylinder vehicle in the world”. During the span of its production an impressive 162,000(approx.) units were sold around the world. The egg shaped, single door, single seater and single cylinder engine BMW Isetta is our pick for the weirdest car ever produced, but still it is beautiful in ways that the untrained eye cannot appreciate. Till today BMW Isetta’s bring in north of $35,000 at auctions around the US.