Every time a big new shiny sports car, sports sedan, supercar, or otherwise performance-oriented machine comes out, it often does so with an array of impressive figures and statistics. What it can’t come with, at least not on paper or in print, is the noise that will accompany those figures. As such, some of the best sports cars have ended up sounding just downright disappointing. Which one is the worst though?
Keep in mind that we’re not solely focused on exhaust noises here. Sometimes a lovely supercharger whine or a turbocharger recirculation valve can really spice up the experience despite a drab exhaust note. We’re wondering which sports car just sounds the worst.
Our lead image might deserve some consideration for two reasons. Firstly, the four-cylinder Porsche 718 is underwhelming in the sound department. Secondly, it still manages to be an incredibly good driver’s car so it makes it all the more frustrating that the audio track ends up being such a letdown. Another four-cylinder car, the Honda Civic Type R, might be high on this list too.
Read: Ferrari Roma Spider Combines Soft Top Fun With A 612 HP Twin-Turbo V8
Most enthusiasts seem to hate fake exhaust noise but it seems to be one thing to pipe in a little complimentary noise when the car is super-well insulated and a whole different thing altogether to pipe it in because the actual exhaust is quite a lot quieter than people expect. That seems to be what happened in the CTR.
Still, there might be a choice that flies a bit under the radar here. The BMW F80 M3 really fell far from the tree that the E90 was. Sure, it made more power than the outgoing V8 but the turbocharged inline-six really does sound a bit overly digital. It lacks the mechanical and raspy nature one expects from such a legendary car.
Still, there are likely a host of other options out there. You tell us. What’s the worst-sounding sports car of all time? Be sure to vote for your favorites as we might put together a follow-up post based on those results.
