Photo – B Engineering Edonis | Credits – autoevolution
Oh, the 2000s! If the 1990s were the era that birthed automotive legends, then the early 2000s were when the car industry threw caution to the wind. Sports cars and hypercars weren’t just machines—they were downright crazy, weird, and undeniably cool. The 2000s gifted the auto world some absolute gems like the Audi R8 and the Lamborghini Murciélago, pushing the boundaries of design and performance.
But let’s not get caught up with the usual headliners—we’re here to dig into the unsung heroes. The obscure, the underrated, the “wait, that actually existed?” kind of cars that made the 2000s an automotive treasure trove. Buckle up, because we’re about to take a wild ride through the coolest sports cars you’ve probably never heard of from that unforgettable decade.
1. Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina
If you think money can’t buy happiness, you might be right, but it certainly can buy you a personalized, one-off Ferrari based on none other than the Ferrari Enzo. Enter the Ferrari P4/5, a one-off sports car made for stock-exchange billionaire Seth Glickenhaus’ son, movie director James Glickenhaus.
The Ferrari P4/5 is powered by a slightly tuned V12 of the Enzo and can hit 62 mph in just 3.8 seconds (0.14 seconds quicker than the Enzo). The car is also 590 lbs lighter than the Enzo. Since it was a special commission, James Glickenhaus reportedly paid $4 million back in 2006 for the car. I bet it was worth every penny.
2. Lotec Sirius
Another lesser-known name on the list is Lotec. Hailing from Germany, Lotec tried to make waves in the performance car world with the C1000 in 1995, but it didn’t really do much for the brand. However, they decided to give it another go with a sports car, the Sirius. And boy, did it cost some serious money—$400,000 to be precise.
Powering the Sirius was the same Mercedes-Benz sourced 6.0L V12 found in the Pagani Zonda, but with twin turbos. With a kerb weight of just 3,064 lbs, the Sirius, with its 850 hp, had a claimed top speed of 242 mph—though this remains unverified.
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Initially, five per year were supposed to be made, but the Lotec Sirius never reached that level of production. As a result, the 2001 model remains a one-off example.
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3. Panoz Esperante
The Panoz Esperante was the second car from the American automobile manufacturer Panoz, following their Roadster. First showcased at the 2000 New York Motor Show, the Esperante was quite interesting considering there was no welding involved; the entire car was just bolted and bonded together.
The original Esperante was powered by Ford’s Modular V8, producing 305 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque. The base Esperante could sprint from 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds and had a top speed of around 150 mph.
Although the car is rather unique, you can find one used for $40-60k. Not bad for a quirky and rare ride, eh?
4. Mosler MT900
The Mosler MT900 is yet another forgotten American sports car made by the now-defunct Mosler Automotive. The ‘900’ in the name was supposed to represent its weight, but the original MT900 weighed more than that (1,175 kg). Still, it could sprint to 62 mph in just 3.5 seconds and complete a 1/4 mile in 12 seconds.
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The original 2001 MT900 was powered by a 5.7L LS6 V8, producing 350 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, and had a listing price of $164,000. Only one prototype was produced.
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5. Artega GT
The Artega, hailing from Germany, decided to give their shot at the automobile market in 2007 with the Artega GT. The GT was powered by Volkswagen’s 3.6L VR6, producing 296 bhp and 260 lb-ft of torque—nothing to write home about, but thanks to its carbon fibre chassis and a relatively light weight of 2,460 lbs, the car could sprint to 62 mph in just 4.6 seconds.
The Artega GT was priced at €75,000 (~$77,000). Only 153 of these were made before the brand filed for bankruptcy, leaving behind a rather interesting and rare German sports car.
6. Ascari KZ-1
Don’t get fooled by the Peugeot headlamps—the Ascari KZ-1 was a piece of art hailing from England. Apparently, each car was handcrafted by the Ascari ‘craftsmen’ and took 340 hours to complete.
The KZ-1 was powered by a BMW S62 4.9L naturally aspirated V8, which was tuned to produce 500 bhp at 7,000 rpm and 550 lb-ft of torque, sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds. Oh, and it had an MSRP of £235,000, which definitely didn’t help in the sales of this rather unknown brand.
Sadly, due to low sales, Ascari Cars suffered major financial losses and filed for bankruptcy in 2011.
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7. SSC Ultimate Aero
The SSC Ultimate Aero is probably the most famous car on the list. This American beast held the title of the fastest production car ever made before it was dethroned by the mighty Bugatti Veyron SuperSport in 2010.
The Ultimate Aero’s final prototype, which was introduced back in 2006, was powered by a supercharged Corvette C5R V8 and made 1,046 hp and 821 lb-ft of torque. It weighed only 2,646 lbs and had a claimed top speed of 249 mph, which is insane even by today’s standards.
Surprisingly with such extreme power, the car didn’t come with ABS and traction control system as the car was solely supposed to be a ‘pure driver’s car‘.
8. B Engineering Edonis
Founded by former Bugatti employees, B Engineering’s Edonis remains an icon in the realm of unknown supercars.
This one is quite interesting because, from the outside, the styling of the Edonis screams ‘2000s weird supercar’ with a sort of depressing and sad face, but under the hood, it had the DNA of the legendary EB 110. The Edonis was basically a reimagined EB 110. While the styling was not everyone’s cup of tea, the upgraded performance of the already mighty V12 of the EB 110 received praise. Nicola Materazzi and other engineers involved in the project improved the 3.5L quad-turbo V12 by increasing its displacement to 3.8L and replacing the quad turbos with two big turbos.
The project never really made it to final production due to financial constraints, and the Edonis never became a production car reality.
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9. Gumpert Apollo
Another interesting sports car hailing from Germany, and a rather well-known one, is the Gumpert Apollo. The Apollo was envisioned in 2000 by VW-Audi’s head of sales at the time, Roland Gumpert. A lot went into the development of the Apollo, with Audi, the Technical University of Munich, and the Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences all involved in the project.
Powering the Apollo was a 4.2L twin-turbo Audi V8, with the base variant making 650 hp and reaching 0-100 km/h in just 3.1 seconds, thanks to its commendable weight of just 2,400 lbs. This powertrain was mated to a 6-speed sequential manual transmission.
Launched in 2005, the car received praise for its driving and cornering abilities. The Gumpert Apollo had a launch price of around $400,000 and only 150 units were made in a production run of 7 years. Sadly, as with many in this list, Gumpert filed for bankruptcy in 2011, thus ending the production of this incredibly quick yet street-legal race car.
10. Mitsuoka Orochi
When you think of Japanese sports cars, you think of the Mazda RX-7, the Supra, or the beloved GT-R. But there exists a black sheep in the otherwise praised Japanese car culture – the Mitsuoka Orochi.
The Mitsuoka Orochi is most likely the most infamous car on the list, not because it broke any records, but because of its unfortunate appearance. The car is regarded as one of the ugliest cars ever made (thanks, Jalopnik), and other than its obnoxious looks, it has no right to be called a sports car considering the powertrain was nothing special either. It was powered by a Toyota-sourced 3.3L V6 mated to a 5-speed automatic, making 300 hp.
Mitsuoka has a tradition of reimagining cars in a unique and interesting fashion. They have been around for over 50 years. The Orochi, till date, remains a very interesting automobile.
That’s it for the list folks! Let me know your favorite one down in the comments below!
