10 Groundbreaking Cars You've Probably Never Heard Of

Think you know cars? You still might not know the ones on this list, from automakers we're not used to seeing here in the US.

High-end marques like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Ferrari pioneer automotive trends and technology. Features developed for these vehicles trickle down to the auto sales of mass-market machines you’re more likely to have in your own driveway.

But the brands you’ve heard of are not the only ones on the cutting edge. Limited-production automakers execute unique concepts for a niche market.

When their groundbreaking technology proves practical, it also eventually finds its way into more common cars.

See if you can spot any potentially practical car features in this Top 10 list of vehicles so unique, even the best-read auto enthusiast may not have seen them all.

1. GTA Motor / Spano

We don’t hear much about Spanish automobiles on this side of the Atlantic. But the sporty economy cars of Spain's longstanding marque, Seat (pronouced "See-at”), are quite common in Europe.

The Spano, on the other hand, is exceptionally exclusive with only 99 examples being developed for as many very lucky drivers. GTA Motor is an engineering lab that develops technology for Formula 1 racing cars, and it’s quite clear they haven’t cut any corners in developing their first road car.

A strikingly beautiful body of titanium, carbon fiber honeycomb, and Kevlar is wrapped around a colossal 8.3 liter V10 that’s been supercharged to achieve stratospheric output of 820 horsepower.

That time-honored combination of light weight and heavy power sends the Spano to100 kilometers per second (62 miles per hour) in less than three seconds and on to a top speed of “over 217 m.p.h.”

With a panoramic sunroof, carbon-swathed interior, and big swooping exterior lines, the Spano ticks all the boxes for supercar greatness. It stands out without being gaudy, and stands up when the driver puts his foot down. I even like the GTA badge.

2. Savage Rivale / Roadyacht GTS

The Roadyacht GTS is one of the most unique automotive concepts I’ve seen to date. Billing it as an “ultimate luxury lifestyle accessory,” Dutch coachbuilder Savage Rivale has undeniably captured that French Rivera je ne sais quoi and harnessed it to four wheels.

To start, it’s a four-door convertible. If that’s not novel enough, those doors move up and out so the sides end up facing the sky to allow entry, making the vehicle look like some kind of budding flower when completely open.

The interior is beautifully appointed with quilt-stitched seats, touch-screen digital dashboard, a floor that looks like a boat deck, and of course a champagne cooler as a standard feature.

One would think all these toys would make the Roadyacht a slow, porky thing – but they don’t. Despite being burdened with an automatic transmission, the car's V8 engine propels the Roadyacht to 62 m.p.h. in a very impressive 3.4 seconds and affords it a top speed of over 200 m.p.h. 

I’d recommend you skip the expensive hairdo before trying that one out though.

3. Tushek / Renovatio T500

You may have seen homemade replicas of supercars before; anybody can purchase a stylish body and accessories then construct a complete vehicle using the chassis and components from an economy car.

The design of the Renovatio made its first appearance this way – as a kit called the “Attack Roadster” that could be completed essentially on top of a Honda Accord from the early 1990s

However Slovenian racing driver Aljosa Tušek had bigger plans for his vision of the design.

Adding a high-performance suspension system and V8 engine from an Audi RS4, Mr. Tušek has given the Attack body some bite to its bark, and effectively created the first sports car to be built in Slovenia. “We have engineered this joy into our car," he says.

With an acceleration of 0 to 62 m.p.h. in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of nearly 200 m.p.h., the Renovatio now has performance to justify the extreme styling.

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