13 of the Most Unusual Cars We’ve Ever Seen

Whether on the road or at an auto show, car geeks can’t help but gawk at odd jobs. However, our judgmental adoration isn’t reserved just for custom builds.

Some of the weirdest cars we’ve seen have been classic factory models. Whether it’s useless parts or experimental shapes that make them strange, here are 13 of the weirdest cars ever seen.

Nash Metropolitan

The UK-based Austin automotive manufacturer designed the Nash Metropolitan and sold it in the states under multiple monikers. While the Metropolitan looks weird by today’s standards, it stayed in production for eight straight years.

The Metropolitan hit the States in 1954 and was a smaller build than anything seen at that point. That said, its steady production run shows that while Americans are quick to snap on compact cars, we’ve always been in the market for them.

Renault Sport Spider

Renault built their reputation by making solid, practical cars. But the 1990 launch of the Renault Sport Spider turned that rep upside down–even the name is strange. (What’s a sport spider?)

We’ll tell you. The Sport Spider was Renault’s answer to the Lotus Elise. It coupled a composite body with an aluminum chassis to create a bold and sporty experience–albeit a little weird.

Isuzu VehiCROSS

It may have been due to Isuzu’s conservative reputation at the time, but many car geeks celebrate the VehiCROSS for its unique engineering and surprising performance. It stocked a powerhouse V6 motor and boasted some serious off-road chops.

Still, there’s no doubt the VehiCROSS looks as goofy as its name, making it a weird classic we’d actually love to own.

Dymaxion Car

This is a fun one, and not just because I’m even more of a science nerd than a car geek. Buckminster Fuller was renowned for his theory and insight, but did you know he also designed a car? The Dymaxion Car was an attempt at an agile vehicle that could accommodate multiple passengers with cargo and–wait for it–maybe fly someday.

Fuller attempted a few builds with a Chrysler V8 engine. That said, his originals were unstable and even more unsafe. Still, more than a handful of replicas have been made, and they’re some of the weirdest classic cars we’ve seen.

Fiat 600 Multipla

The 600 Fiat Multipla is a legend in today’s car world, where marketing calls the shots and manufacturers design cars based on what sells the most–cookie-cutter culture. But back in the Multipla’s day, engineers came up with unique solutions to problems the world didn’t know it had.

The Fiat 600 Multipla’s prerogative was to fit more passengers in less space by ditching the hood. Fiat shoved a third row of seats in the space between the driver and the front row, turning a 4-seat-equipped chassis into a 6-seat-equipped toaster oven without adding a square inch of space.

DeLorean DMC-12

If you predicted that you’d see the world’s most famous time machine on the list, well, then it’s time to go back to the future. The DeLorean DMC-12 was designed by a prominent engineer named Giorgetto Giugiaro as a stainless steel sports car.

The DeLorean DMC-12 was so modern that it still looks futuristic 40+ years later. DeLorean cranked out 9,000 DMC-12 models before legal problems and sales issues crashed the company a year later.

Alfa Romeo Disco Volante

Alfa Romeo may have been a well-known innovator in their day, but the Disco Volante, or “flying saucer” car, is a weird classic regardless. In the 1950s, car designs were preoccupied with comfort, luxury, and style–though it seems that wasn’t the case over at Alfa Romeo.

With the Disco Volante, the Alfa Romeo prioritized aerodynamics. All accounts say the “flying saucer” exceeds expectations with driveability that feels like you’re floating through the air.

Tucker 48

In an attempt to update and unload prewar car designs, auto enthusiast Preston Tucker started a car company and presented the Tucker 48. Tucker designed the 48 with safety in mind, hence a third headlight in the center of the grill that moved with the steering wheel. But its Cyclops aesthetic and safety-first pop-out windows looked peculiar even in 1948.

Still, the Tucker 48 was innovative. It stocked a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine based on that of a helicopter, elastomeric suspension instead of steel coils, and disk brakes instead of drums. Only 51 units of this weird classic were ever produced.

Zündapp Janus

We started this list with a classic compact car. Now, let’s get into a classic microcar. Airplane manufacturer Dornier designed the Janus to be one of the weirdest cars on this list.

First, the Janus has no side door. Instead, drivers and passengers crawl in through a “front” or “rear” door that functions like a hood and trunk. Second, its strange seating arrangement forces passengers to face different directions—it’s no wonder it flopped and was discontinued after a year of production.

Chaparral 2J

The Chaparral 2J was a race car designed by Jim Hal, a legendary engineer and pioneer of racing aerodynamics. But of all his builds, the 2J has to be the weirdest.

The 2J stocked a plastic rear side-skirt piece to maintain a 1-inch ground clearance. Hill intended to create excessive down-force in the rear, and the result was 2,200 pounds of it while in motion. The Chaparral 2J was no doubt faster than anything else on the track, but it didn’t last long–its giant fan system pulled in debris and external objects until the 2J self-destructed.

Trojan

The Trojan is a true classic weirdo, dating back to the late 1920s. The Trojan’s parent company is perhaps most famous for crafting cars for the McClaren race team.

The Trojan was designed to be an efficient and dependable option for the everyday driver, and it succeeded. But ‌with a flat engine shoved under the seat, all-rubber tires, and a shape that looks like a diesel-punk-inspired SmartCar, the Trojan is definitely one of the more bizarre cars we’ve seen.

Saab 92

Car geeks love to remind one another that Saab was an airplane company before it built cars, but we tend to forget how weird its first car design was. The Saab 92 was actually the one-and-only Saab car until Saab launched the 99 in 1968.

The Saab 92 featured a shrunken rear window concept and no trunk, with a swooping rear body connecting its round roof to a low rear fender instead. Still, the Saab 92 was a celebrated success, thanks to its manufacturer’s experience in aerospace engineering, making it a weird classic car we’d love to drive.

Stout Scarab

Born in the early 1930s, the Stout Scarab is an art deco marvel to behold. We’ve heard the Scarab called the proto-mini-van, but only a few units survived after the project was scrapped.

The Stout Scarab was shaped like a hot dog bun, probably because the designers modeled it after airplane tech. Still, its weird shape, white wall tires, flush glass, and extended cab all work together to make it look like something out of the Batman Animated Series–in a good way.