18 Banned Supercars in the World
Most of the time, we desire what we cannot have. For instance, if we have the money to buy anything, we want those supercars that are so powerful and scary that they’ve been banned to be driven on the streets. Yes, that’s right—there are cars that aren’t street legal. You can have them, but you’ll never be able to drive them on US roads and almost any road, for that matter.
The top reason why these cars are banned is that they’re super fast. Underneath these mean machines are huge engines that supply them with great power. Hence, these super fast cars can cause accidents because the driver may easily lose control, especially when going at full speed. This may cause fatalities and massive traffic problems. Therefore, to simply avoid these mishaps, authorities banned these supercars.
Still, anyone can dream, right? Although these supercars aren’t allowed for driving, you can still own them and just marvel at their beauty. Let’s take a look some of the beautiful banned supercars even if the truth is that we’d love to test them out if we had our way. Maybe, we can just rent a runway so just we can zoom away with these supercars.
18 Lamborghini Sesto Elemento
The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento or Sixth Element is a limited-edition supercar from the luxury carmaker. This supercar is known for its lightweight built, hence the name, which refers to the sixth element in the table of chemical elements: carbon. The reason behind this is the massive use of carbon fiber in building this supercar, which allowed it to be extremely lightweight compared to other supercars.
With its great speed, the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento is banned on the streets. Apparently, it’s one of the supercars considered to be unsafe when driven on the open road.
17 Lamborghini Strosek Diablo
Another Lamborghini on the banned supercars list is the Lamborghini Strosek Diablo. This supercar sports a massive engine that allows it to hit a top speed of more than 200 mph. Due to this, and even with modifications added to it to tame the beast down, the Lamborghini Strosek Diablo is banned in the United States. Apparently, the supercar is found to be unsafe for US roads.
In 2001, production for this supercar ended, and it was replaced by the Lamborghini Murcielago. Apparently, supercars on the banned list can be removed 25 years after production for them has ended. So, we may soon see old variants of the Lamborghini Strosek Diablo on the streets. They may be older and slower, but we can still expect them to be very capable.
16 TVR Tuscan
The TVR Tuscan is a supercar produced in the United Kingdom between 1999 and 2006. It’s an iconic car known for its appearance in the 2003 film Looney Tunes: Back in Action. It also appeared in John Travolta’s movie Swordfish.
Although iconic, which is why many people like it, the TVR Tuscan is a banned supercar. This is because this car is equipped with mind-blowing acceleration that makes it scary to drive in public. Moreover, it misses airbags and antilock brakes, which make it even scarier to drive on the streets. Hence, it would really take a lot of money and modifications to get a TVR Tuscan to become street legal in the United States.
15 TVR Sagaris
Another TVR on the banned supercars list is the TVR Sagaris. This supercar was introduced at the 2003 MPH03 Auto Show. On the following year, its production unit was unveiled at the Birmingham Motor Show. It was only in 2005 that its production model was sold in the market. Unfortunately, even if it was made available to the public, the TVR Sagaris is a banned supercar. So, you can’t really get one to drive every day. The reason is that this supercar was designed with endurance racing in mind.
14 TVR Cerbera
TVR just keeps on producing powerful supercars that are banned. The TVR Cerbera is another highly sought-after supercar that’s not street legal. This car is a hardtop convertible that comes in two variations: Griffith and Chimaera. Although it wasn’t that popular and widespread because it was banned, the TVR Cerbera marks an important part of the carmaker’s history. This is the first supercar that runs on the TVR-developed engine. In the past, TVR cars ran on engines that came from Ford, Triumph, and Range Rover.
A thing of beauty, the TVR Cerbera is a mean beast on the road. If you want to have a street-legal one, you have to customize a lot of the car to make it fit for daily public road driving.
13 Morgan Le Mans ’62 Prototype
The Morgan Le Mans ’62 prototype is a limited-edition vintage supercar that was banned in most parts of the world. In 2002, the company behind this iconic car produced 80 units to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the win of the Morgan Race Car at the 1962 Le Mans.
Among the 80 units made, 40 units were powered by a 3,900 cc V8 engine, while the remaining units had a 1,800 cc engine. Upon launch in 2002, all 80 units were sold out instantly.
Even if the car has absolutely mimicked the original Morgan Le Mans ’62 and even if there were modifications put in place to ensure that it was safe, the prototype was banned in most countries. Hence, it just became a part of car collections but was never driven on the open road.
12 Jaguar XJ220-S
The Jaguar XJ220-S is a limited-edition super coupe that was built only between 1992 and 1994. The car was a product of a partnership between Jaguar and race engineering firm Tom Walkinshaw Racing.
Built for its speed, the Jaguar XJ220-S has a top speed of 212.3 mph, making it the fastest car during its time.
This was possible because they equipped the supercar with a V12 engine. Moreover, it came with many engineering works that allowed it to perform at optimum. Due to its mind-blowing speed, the Jaguar XJ220-S was declared illegal in the United States. However, if you live elsewhere, there may still be a chance that you can legally drive it on the road. Just check with your local authorities first.
11 Porsche 964 RS
The Porsche 964 RS is a super lightweight sports car that was produced specifically for the European market. The car is characterized by a compact and sporty look but has an engine underneath with a powerful output. However, it was a fast car that was declared not street legal.
Aside from speed, the Porsche 964 RS is essentially just bones. Often, its interior has no power windows, rear seats, entertainment system, cruise control, and air-conditioning system. Apparently, it’s just fitted with new racing bucket front seats for the driver and a sole passenger. This setup made it even more susceptible to getting banned on the roads.
10 Porsche Carrera 4 Lightweight
The Porsche Carrera 4 Lightweight is another chic supercar that’s banned on the streets. Although it’s a beautiful car that’s full of potential, it really didn’t take off because it was immediately banned. Hence, Porsche only produced a small number of this car. Reports say that they only released about 20 units of the Porsche Carrera 4 Lightweight.
The limited-edition Porsche Carrera 4 Lightweight would’ve been an awesome car to drive. However, due to its unexpected power and several safety issues, it never really saw a lot of action on the streets.
However, Porsche learned a lot in producing this car, so they became more careful and ensured that they followed standards on their next releases to avoid getting banned.
9 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R
A legendary car from the Japanese car manufacturer, the Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R has made a lot of heads turn in the automotive scene. With its sporty look and top-of-the-line performance, this supercar caught the attention of many. Sadly, it also caught the attention of authorities, which is why it’s one of the banned supercars in the world that we’ll never stop dreaming of driving one day.
The Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R can reach a top speed of around 200 mph, which is why it’s considered a banned supercar. Despite all the technologies it’s equipped with, the Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R is street illegal in the US. That’s sad because the manufacturer had big dreams for it and never thought that it would land on the banned-cars list.
8 Audi RS2 Avant
The Audi RS2 Avant aka the Audi 80 RS2 is a high-performance car that came in a limited number. The car was produced for a single year only between 1994 and 1995. From the looks of it, the Audi RS2 Avant doesn’t seem like a dangerous car, so you might wonder why it’s a banned car. Apparently, this car used the most powerful turbocharged internal combustion engine developed by Audi.
Although the car has a cult following all over the globe, it wasn’t widespread since it was banned in most countries. Still, even if it was banned and wasn’t seen often outside, it marked an important part in Audi’s history. The Audi RS2 Avant made Audi known as a maker of high-performance cars that are practical and reliable.
7 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Roadster
The Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Roadster is a limited-edition sports car. Only 500 units of this car were made, so getting your hands on one is extremely difficult. More than that challenge, even if you own one, it’s illegal to drive one on the streets.
This banned supercar can be owned but only as part of a collection or to be driven in a closed racing circuit.
The Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Roadster is the epitome of speed and power. Aside from speed and power, this supercar is banned because it can be super noisy on the road. So, if you want to boast of one, you can’t because it’s not street legal.
6 Aston Martin Virage Volante
The Aston Martin Virage Volante came out on the market in 1990. It was introduced at the Birmingham Motor Show back then. Later on, in the following year, it was internationally launched at the Geneva Motor Show. The next year after that, production started. According to reports, more than 200 units but less than 300 units were produced. Then, the lineup ended its production in 1996.
For that period of time, the Aston Martin Virage Volante was a banned supercar. It’s known to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds. Moreover, it has a maximum speed of 160 mph. However, since it was a blast of a car, it was banned to be driven on the streets. Hence, you may be able to own one, but you won’t be able to drive it freely.
5 Koenigsegg Agera R
The Koenigsegg Agera R is one beautiful mean machine, which unfortunately is also a banned supercar. This supercar was introduced in March 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show. It caught the eyes of supercar enthusiasts with its “Speed Racer livery” and custom-made Michelin tires.
As a mean machine, the Koenigsegg Agera R can rocket from a standstill to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds. It boasts a theoretical top speed of 439 kph, which is one the reasons why it’s not street legal.
During a test run, the Koenigsegg Agera R broke six world land-speed records. Hence, it became a scarier supercar to be allowed for city driving. You can purchase this car, though, as it still runs on production, but you’ll need to make huge modifications for it to be accepted as street legal.
4 Lotus Elise S1
The Lotus Elise S1 is a two-seat super roadster that was launched in 1996. Its concept was originally designed in 1994, and it took a couple of years for it to become a reality. This super roadster is built using hand-finished fiberglass bonded to an aluminum chassis, making it ultra-lightweight. Aside from being lightweight, the use of these materials allowed production to be kept at a decent cost. Unfortunately, the Lotus Elise S1 was too good to be true.
It’s fast and budget-friendly, but it’s considered a banned supercar. This legendary roadster can hit a top speed of 150 mph and more, which authorities already consider dangerous on the road. Sadly, this means that even if you own a Lotus Elise S1, you won’t be able to drive it outside unless in a closed and secured track.
3 LaFerrari FXX-K
The LaFerrari FXX-K is a banned supercar, but you can still own it and drive it for track only. This means that you can still drive it on an enclosed track but not on open streets. Still, even if the LaFerrari FXX-K is a banned supercar, it easily got sold out when it was launched.
The automaker built only 40 units of this limited-edition high-performance supercar. Only a few of the rich and able car enthusiasts got their hands on one of these.
The LaFerrari FXX-K is a beast on the road. With its 1,036-horsepower engine under the hood, you’ll be blown away by how fast it is. Therefore, authorities need to keep it locked on track, so it’s virtually impossible to drive this supercar to work anytime soon.
2 Lotus 340R
The Lotus 340R isn’t like your average supercar. It looks like it was stripped of all unnecessary parts to make it lightweight and faster. Barebones, the Lotus 340R looks like a skeleton of a supercar. This limited-edition supercar has no doors, windows, and roof. It’s built for racers to attain max speed, which is why all unnecessary parts were removed. Due to this, US authorities declared the Lotus 340R a banned supercar.
Although banned, this supercar can still be driven on the track. Since it’s made for racing, the Lotus 340R only has two bucket seats for the driver and rarely a passenger inside. It quickly zooms away when the ignition is turned on.
1 Pagani Huayra
The Pagani Huayra is a million-dollar banned supercar. This Italian sports vehicle is a successor of the famed Zonda. The Pagani Huayra was named after Wayra Tata, who is a Quechua wind god. Hence, you can be sure that this supercar can run like the wind when you let it loose on the speedway.
Unfortunately, the Pagani Huayra isn’t street legal in the United States. If you’re in the US, you can’t even buy this genius of a car due to the strict safety guidelines. One thing that prevents it from becoming street legal is that it doesn’t have airbags that meet the set standards, yet it flies from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. That’s scary fast for it not to have reliable airbags!
Source – hotcars, wikipedia.com; mozomotors.com; cheatsheet.com.
