These American Cars Were Only Produced For One Year
These American Cars Were Only Produced For One Year
Some cars have fantastic longevity, well outlasting their original creators' lifespan and even the predictions of car enthusiasts and automakers themselves. Unfortunately, not all cars are like that. These vehicles didn't spend long on the roads at all. Some were recalled almost immediately for safety reasons, others just didn't connect with buyers and were deemed failures.
Here are some cars of the past with the shortest production runs in history.
2021 McLaren Elva
The McLaren Elva is a British supercar that could do it all—except sell on the American market. With a top speed of 203 mph and going from 0-60 in just 2.8 seconds, you'd need to drive in a straight line with haste to make it worth your while. Oh, and it was a $1.7 million car. It was on sale for just one year in the United States. Ouch.
1955 Chrysler C300
Back in 1955, Chrysler developed a sedan-style C300. With a top speed of 155 mph, it pushed out 300 horsepower from a 5.4L V8 and was sold as Chrysler's segue to NASCAR racing. Unfortunately, it was only produced for one year and only 1,725 were built.
.jpg){kind=link}
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z06
The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z06 is the OG model of the Corvettes we know and love today, and was part-road, part-racecar right out of the showroom. It pulled 360 horsepower from a fuel-injected V8 engine, offered as both a coupe and convertible. The original Z06 was only sold for one year with a spectacular floppy sales figure of 199 units sold.
.jpg){kind=link}
1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt
Ford went all-in on the Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt—making only 100 of them to compete in drag racing. Such was their confidence in the Fairlane Thunderbolt's ability to draw attention that they sold each of them for $1.00 (one dollar, that's right), to professional drag racers. Under the hood was a 7.0-liter V8 capable of producing nearly 600 horsepower.
It won the National Hot Rod Association Manufacturer's Cup for Ford and cemented them as a racing team. Gamble = paid off.
