Some of the scariest cars ever made.
i couldn't wait for halloween
If you're expecting a list filled with modern musclecars like the 700+ hp Dodge Challenger Hellcat or blisteringly fast hypercars like the Mclaren P1 then im gonna have to dissapoint you. Yes they are fast but they're also modern wich means they are filled to the brim with all sorts of tech to keep you safe.
Yes Clarkson once called the P1 the widowmaker but that cars is made up of one big strong monocoque chassis that will prevent you from going home in a body bag in the events of a high speed crash. You wont be that lucky with these cars. even seeing some is already enough to seal your fate.
Citroen Traction Avant
Which brings us to my first example: The gorgeous Citroen Traction Avant. This French beauty was the first front wheel drive car and like the mclaren P1 i mentioned before it also had a monocoque chassis. Not too bad for a car from 1934. During the war Citroen delivered over 700 Traction Avant's to the French military but when France surrendered they ended up in the wrong hands, the Gestapo for example.
If you were a Jew, resistance member or friends with the allies then you wouldn't want to see a black Traction Avant heading your way. After the war trouble didnt stop. The Citroen was favoured by criminals and outlaws thanks to its 4 wheel independent suspension wich made it the perfect getaway car.
Tatra T87
Keeping in the spirit of German army folks using local cars, back when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938 many Tatra t87's were used as staff cars. Thanks to its aerodynamic body the funny little Tatra was actually one of the fastest cars of its time, reaching speeds of nearly 160kph or 100mph. Some of you might see a tad of Beetle in the car and you're not wrong. Ferdinand Porsche even got sued by Tatra for stealing their aerodynamic design and engine layout. Volkswagen eventually ended up paying a good amount of money for copyright infringement.
One thing Ferdinand Porsche unwillingly copied over from the Tatra to his now famous 911 sportscars was the catastrophic oversteer. If you think flat sixes are bad for weight distribution then imagine what it's like driving the Tatra with a 2.9L v8 behind the wheels. Since all of the high ranking officers that ended up using the Tatra as their personal staff car weren't familiar yet with it's unique handling characteristics many ended up wrapped around a tree or somewhere in a ditch.
Official orders came in from higher up forbidding every German officer to ever drive a Tatra T87 out of fear that more might get hurt or killed. The Allies later dubbed the Tatra "the Czech secret weapon"
TVR Griffith 200
Jack Griffith was a long island stationed ford dealer, amateur autocrosser and even stored some cars from a friend of his that were on their way to become V8 monsters. Those cars were AC Ace's and the friend was Carrol Shelby. After seeing the succes of Shelby's Cobra's he decided to bet his good friend that he could also turn a rather tame small British sportscar into a firebreathing monster. His car of choice: The TVR Grantura
The Grantura came fitted with a tiny little four cylinder but in true 'Murican fashion that engine was swiftly removed and swapped with a massive 289 Ford V8 (Thats 4.7L for us metric people). There was only one problem: it wouldn't fit. Or atleast the starter didn't. To solve the problem they used the Clarkson-approved method of hammering the chassis with a sledgehammer until the damn thing fitted.
The first TVR Griffith was born. 220 horsepower in a car that only weighed about 850 kilogram and a wheelbase of just over 2 metres and no upgraded suspenion, tires or brakes. Cobra too tame for you? Get a Griffith.
Ferrari 250 GTE
If normal Italian police cars are called "pantera's" or panthers then this is it's alpha male. The full black Ferrari 250 GTE of officer Maresciallo Spatafore. Today's exotic Italian police car that almost all of you may know is the Lamborghini Huracan. But that is a more specialized vehicle used for quick transport of vital organs and simple publicity.
The Ferrari however wasn't such a one trick pony. It served a full 6 years of active duty in Rome. The story goes that one day the prime minister asked the police force what they wanted and one officer jokingly said "a Ferrari!" The prime minister then went to Enzo Ferrari himself and asked if he could give them a Ferrari. Enzo saw the marketing potential and ended up donating 2 250 GTE's
The first one was allmost immediately destroyed in an accident but the second one still lives on today in a museum. Before The Ferrari was let loose to prowl in the streets of Rome some officers were invited over to Ferrari's testtrack Fiorano to try the car out. One officer stood out above the rest and got the attention of Enzo Ferrari himself: Maresciallo Spatafore. Spatafore even got invited by Enzo Ferrari to drive for him in actual Grands Prix but Spatafore declined saying "I am a police officer, i only drive police cars."
Spatafore and the Ferrari quickly became Roman legends. The most recurring story is of him driving down the famous Spanish steps in a hot pursuit. Local authorities never acknowledged the story but also never denied it. One thing was for certain. Criminals feared the day they would see Spatafore and his "pantera" show up in their rear view mirror.
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Comments (13)
Wow didn't know about the Spatafore story! Loved it! 😊
Awesome article! A great read!
Nice work Stijn!
Hi congratulations - your post has been selected by DriveTribe Classics Ambassador for promotion on the DriveTribe homepage.
As a Frenchman, the Traction still looks scary for me, even though I was born in the 90s! Fascinating how a reputation can stick with a car for so long. Great post!
Thanks!