7 Terrible Versions Of Amazing Cars

1. Porsche 996 911 Cabriolet

There are obviously many good things to say about the Porsche 911, but if you’re an enthusiast you’re probably going to want to stay away from this particular 996.

As it’s the convertible version it’s not quite as dynamically capable as its hard-top equivalent. Couple that with the fact it’s packing a Tiptronic automatic gearbox and you have a rather uninspiring 911 combination - automatic gearboxes aren’t inherently bad, but the Tiptronic is an old-fashioned slushbox rather than a whipcrack-fast double-clutcher.

2. Toyota Supra

In full fat twin-turbocharged mode, the Supra is an absolute animal. It’s a tuner’s dream project, as the 2JZ engine is ripe for more horsepower. The car also came with an entry-level model, which utilised a naturally-aspirated version of the 2JZ inline-six making a fairly healthy 220bhp, but in a relatively heavy car that made it rather gutless.

The Supra also came with a four-speed automatic gearbox option. Couple this to the N/A engine and you’ve got yourself a cheap-to-run, if wholly unexciting, JDM legend.

3. Second-generation Ford Mustang

With the late 60s new car market leaning towards smaller cars, the Mustang was in need of a new look, and it got it thanks to the Ford Pinto. The second-gen Mustang was based on the Blue Oval’s then-new compact car, and some of its uninspiring styling transferred over.

The Mustang has a rich and glorious history, but the second-gen was certainly a bit of a blip - as CTzen Constandinos Zantis pointed out, it “didn’t even have a V8 for several years”, instead packing an inline-four and V6 initially.

4. BMW E46 M3 Cabriolet

I’ve written about my experiences testing the M3’s different gearboxes before, and the general gist of it is that the SMG is pretty rubbish unless you’re on track, at which point it comes alive. On the flip side, the manual is pretty rubbish unless you’re driving normally. Basically they’re both a bit of a let-down, but I’d be inclined to side with the manual since the vast majority of driving is ‘normal’ driving.

So if the SMG is only good for track use, it wouldn’t make sense to pair it with the less engaging, less lap time-oriented cabriolet variant, right? Exactly, and that’s why the E46 M3 Cabriolet with SMG gearbox is the rubbish variant of an otherwise decent machine.

5. Nissan 240SX

There are few cars more legendary in the drift scene than Nissan’s S-chassis. In America, dubbed 240SX, a variant was offered that had an automatic gearbox and an open differential, two things you probably want to avoid when you’re looking to do mad skids.

6. Mazda RX-7

The appeal of the Mazda RX-7 is in its lightweight, hardcore, driver-focused approach to driving, and as such it has a lovely manual gearbox. The fizzy rotary engine loves to be revved, and in manual form it’s a joy to smash gears home as you tear up a track.

A four-speed automatic was also offered, and sucked all of the urgency out of proceedings. You’ll still have fun in an auto Rex, but you’ll always feel like the car’s a bit more reluctant to go nuts than its manually shifting companion.

7. Toyota GT86

It might seem like we’re hating on automatics here, but we’re not. What we are doing is hating on rubbish autos that aren’t worthy of the brilliant cars they’re placed in. The GT86 is a perfect example of this. It’s one of the last remaining routes to affordable rear-wheel drive performance, and its manual shifter is an absolute delight to use - it almost feels as if the shifter is sucked home at the merest suggestion of a gear change.

Unfortunately the auto isn’t quite as good. It takes an age to change gear, is slow to react to your paddle inputs, and if you leave it to its own devices it’ll hold on to gears far longer than can ever be deemed sensible.

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