10 ONE HIT WONDER CARS THAT NEVER RECEIVED A SUCCESSOR
Some cars live for decades, while others are put to pasture after just a year on the market. Some cars are kept around because of their popularity and/or significance to the manufacturer. Some cars are hits when they debut, and sometimes these amazing cars never have a successor or follow-up act despite being awesome.
The cars in this article have been selected because they are considered one-hit wonders and never had a direct successor. The cars are arranged alphabetically based on the manufacturer's name.
BMW M1
Production: 1978–1981
A street-legal race car, the BMW M1 is a one-of-a-kind sports car from BMW's 20th-century catalog and is remembered as the first car produced by BMW's M division, although that part isn't true. It was born because BMW wanted to go racing, but because of the lengthy and arduous development, they were too late to participate in the German Racing Championship.
Only 460 hand-made examples of the BMW M1 were produced as homologation specials to adhere to the Group 4 regulations. The BMW M1 was a striking offering, designed by the legendary designer and founder of Italdesign, Giorgio Giugiaro. At the same time, the power plant that propelled it forward was a 3.5-liter inline-six that allowed it to be the fastest German sports car of the era. BMW also had enough foresight to put this engine under the hood of a 5 Series, and so the BMW M5 was born.
Buick GNX
Production: 1987
The Buick GNX, short for Grand National Experiment, recently returned to the spotlight because of its role in Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show. Still, the hardcore Buick is one of the most iconic American muscle cars ever, and, unfortunately, it never received a follow-up act. The GNX's genesis happened when Buick set its sights on creating the fastest GM coupe ever, which would be so great that it would be remembered as one of the most memorable performance cars ever.
They delivered. Each of the 560 examples produced was powered by a turbocharged V6 engine displacing nearly four liters that drove the rear wheels exclusively. Interestingly, the Buick GNX was quicker and faster than the Ferrari F40 and the Porsche 930.
Cizeta-Moroder V16T
Production: 1991–2003
The Cizeta-Moroder V16T was the product of an ex-Lamborghini employee, Claudio Zampolli. The former Lamborghini employee had a business selling and maintaining high-performance sports cars and partnered with famed Oscar-winning music composer Giorgio Moroder to bring to life the Cizeta-Moroder V16T.
The car was developed by a group of ex-Lamborghini employees, and each of the nine cars (excluding the one prototype) had a list price of roughly $300,000 in 1991. The prototype belonged to Giorgio Moroder and sold for $1.3 million when auctioned off in 2022. There was turmoil between the Zampolli and Moroder, leading to the two splitting and the cars being rebadged as the Cizeta V16T.
Dodge Magnum SRT8
Production: 2007–2008
The Dodge Magnum SRT8 was a high-performance offshoot of the Dodge Magnum station wagon introduced at the 2005 Los Angeles Auto Show. It was based on a concept car that was unveiled two years before the LA Auto Show and went on sale in 2005 for the following model year. It was an impressive machine, blending the practicality of a station wagon with the performance generated by a hulking V8 engine that allowed it to complete a quarter-mile sprint in roughly 13 seconds.
The least boring family car of the 2000s was powered by a Hemi engine, which was one of the performance-focused parts shoehorned into the Magnum's frame, alongside firmer suspension and a larger Brembo braking system, that complemented the handful of exterior design elements visually distinct from the standard Dodge Magnum. Unfortunately, we'd never see the continuation of the performance-focused station wagon.
Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4
Production: 1990–2000
Mitsubishi's 3000GT is one of the more memorable JDM cars and represents an era in which Mitsubishi produced impressive performance cars instead of mundane passenger carriers. It was a grand tourer with a liftback coupe body style, but was also offered in convertible form. A rear-wheel-drive, front-engine platform underpinned it.
It was based on another model from the Japanese automaker's catalog. It utilized a transversely mounted V6 engine that exclusively powered its front axle but could also be configured in four-wheel drive. The Mitsubishi 3000GT features a four-wheel steering system and an adaptive suspension system. It was a technologically advanced JDM car, and we never got a modern rendition of it.
Pontiac Solstice
Production: 2005–2010
The Pontiac Solstice is a convertible sports car that has one of the unique designs of anything from the automaker's 2000s catalog. It was introduced at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, and the production version would be powered by a 2.4-liter EcoTec inline four-cylinder engine that offered the same power as the slightly smaller four-banger used in the Saturn Sky, which it was related to.
It would be nominated for the North American Car of the Year award and the Design of the Year Award for 2006. Production numbers exceeded initial estimates with 7,000 planned, but 10,000 were delivered. After the 2008 economic recession, the Pontiac division closed and, by extension, the Pontiac Solstice's production ended. Interestingly, while the Solstice never had a successor, it nearly had an LS3-powered brother from Britain.
Porsche 928
Production: 1977–1995
In the '70s, Porsche introduced a grand tourer that was positioned and intended to replace the Porsche 911. This model was the Porsche 928 and was configured as a hatchback with a 2+2 seat configuration that, despite being in production for more than a decade, only consisted of a single generation with a facelift introduced during that time. It was meant to be the German automaker's flagship model.
It featured a luxury interior, but more importantly, it was the first production model in Porsche's history to utilize a front-engine V8. Unfortunately, the Porsche 928 would never replace the Porsche 911, and after production ended, a successor would never be introduced.
Saleen S7
Production: 2000–2009
The Saleen S7 is America's first hypercar. It was the product of an American manufacturer, Saleen Automotive, which produced the high-performance sports car between 2000 and 2009. The striking design of the S7 was the handiwork of Steve Saleen and Phil Frank and was the sixth mid-engine American production sports car. The Saleen S7 was characterized as a two-door sports car founded on a space-frame chassis and propelled forward by a massive V8 engine that could complete a quarter-mile sprint in roughly 11.35 seconds and could reach a top speed of 220 mph.
There were different variations of the Saleen S7, with the pinnacle of the model being the Saleen S7 LM, which was put through more wind tunnel testing and had significantly greater performance capabilities. Still, a successor would never be introduced, although we wish that weren't the case.
Subaru SVX
Production: 1991–1996
The Subaru SVX is a lesser-known JDM icon that was produced from 1991 to 1996. It was offered in either front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive and was Subaru's first attempt to break into the upmarket performance segment. Its design was inspired by aviation.
One of the standout characteristics of the SVX was its flat-six-cylinder engine, which offered a commendable power output. The asking price of the Subaru SVX in the North American market ranged from $24,445 for the base model to $28,000 for the range-topping model. Unfortunately, after production ended, Subaru wouldn't reinstate the Subaru SVX.
Vector W8
Production: 1989–1993
The Vector W8 was one of the first American-built high-performance cars, standing alongside monsters like the first-generation Dodge Viper, and serving as the precursor to models like the Saleen S7. It was the product of the Vector Aeromotive Corporation and was produced from 1989 to 1993. Gerald Wiegert designed its striking wedge-shaped exterior, and that stylish physique was paired with a semi-aluminum monocoque chassis bonded to the aluminum honeycomb structure floor pan using epoxy. Even by today's standards, it is an extreme car and is remembered as a thoroughbred performance car that never got a second act.
2025-04-20T10:42:01ZSources:BringATrailer, Subaru, Porsche, Saleen Automotive, Mitsubishi, Dodge, BMW, Buick