8 Beautiful Classic Cars You've Probably Never Heard Of

From the best-known brands to the most obscure boutique outfits, there are models from every carmaker that eventually slip into obscurity as the industry moves on and enthusiast numbers dwindle. Often, these cars never sold in high numbers to begin with, and so end up being unceremoniously axed only to be rediscovered decades later by a new generation of car collectors. Who knows, perhaps a few of 2023's discontinued cars might even become desirable classics one day.

Among the hordes of forgotten car models from years past, some stand out as being particularly stunning and undeserving of their overlooked status. In many cases, these head-turning cars also sported groundbreaking performance to match their looks. However, even though they might be desirable among a niche group of collectors who recognize their importance, they remain forgotten about by most enthusiasts. 

To highlight just how many gorgeous classics can be found by combing through the archives, we've highlighted eight of our top picks from years past. A few of these have begun in recent years to see a revival in their fortunes — even if most people have still never heard of them.

Aston Martin and Zagato have a long, storied history stretching all the way back to the DB4 GT Zagato of 1960. It was unveiled at the London Motor Show as a re-bodied, more powerful version of the DB4 GT, with a chassis made in England and then sent off to Italy for the hand-made coachwork to be fitted. Only 19 examples of the car were originally built, but much like the Bizzarrini 5300 GT, the draw of nostalgia became too great, and Aston Martin Works announced another 19 continuation cars would be made in 2019.

The continuations feature even more mechanical upgrades compared to the original car, with around 400 horsepower as opposed to the '60s car's 300 horsepower. Period cars had a 3.7L six-cylinder engine, while the continuations boast a 4.7L replica six-cylinder, built to the design of the original. Their rarity and status as one of the best-looking British cars ever made mean that original cars fetch eye-watering sums on the rare occasion they come up for auction –- at a 2021 RM Sotheby's sale, a one-of-six left-hand drive example sold for $9.52 million.

It's one of the most iconic designs in sports car history, but the Porsche 911 might have looked very different had one Californian dealer got his way. Johnny von Neumann was the owner of a very successful Porsche franchise and a key figure in making the 356 Roadster a success stateside. When the 911 was unveiled, there was a problem — it couldn't be converted into a roadster, something that Californian buyers were very keen to have. Von Neumann talked to Porsche directly about redesigning the 911 into a proper convertible, eventually persuading chairman Ferry Porsche to let Italian styling house Bertone make a single example.

The result was the 911 Roadster Bertone, and it was unveiled at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show alongside Porsche's factory open-top option, the 911 Targa. The Bertone was to be significantly more expensive than the Targa thanks to the complicated manufacturing and import process, which is likely one of the reasons that it never got approved for production. That, and the fact that Ferry Porsche was reportedly not too keen to sell a car designed by the Italians. 

In the end, just one example was built, and it was the Targa that became the sole option for Californians looking for a roofless 911.

Another beautiful but obscure Ferrari is the 400 Superamerica Coupé Aerodinamico, bodied by Pininfarina and with 17 examples originally made. The car represented the very best of what Ferrari had to offer, made for the most discerning clients and with prices significantly higher than anything else in the brand's range. With so few examples existing, it's no surprise that the cars command multi-million dollar price tags whenever they cross the auction block, although they're a fair way off the stratospheric prices that the likes of the 250 GTO have historically achieved.

That's despite the fact that they're rarer than the 250 GTO, were originally sold for more, and arguably look just as stunning as the record-breaking Prancing Horse. Every Coupé Aerodinamico was fitted with a 4.0L Colombo V12, guaranteeing the performance that Pininfarina's original moniker for the design, Superfast III, promised. 

However, the rarity and value of these cars mean that anyone lucky enough to own one is unlikely to be too keen to test out that performance, despite the engine's legendary racing pedigree.

The Norseman show car has one of the strangest backstories of any Chrysler, as despite being hailed as one of the most futuristic, streamlined cars the brand had ever built, very few people ever got to lay eyes on it. Only a few photos of it survive, and those that do show one of the brand's most head-turning designs, with a groundbreaking pillarless roof said to be able to hold several times the weight of the car itself. This was Chrysler's vision of the future, but a tragic accident just a few weeks before its planned unveiling saw it lost forever.

The Norseman was on its way back from testing in Italy when the ship it was being transported on collided with another ship and sank, with 51 lives lost in the disaster. The car sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with the rest of the ship's cargo, where it remains today. A complete one-off, the car was painstakingly hand-built with a reported 50,000 hours of research and development going into its design. Much of that work was lost with the car. 

While many of the key design elements — including the pillarless roof — would end up debuting in later production cars, the Norseman remained a mystery hidden in the depths of the ocean, with the wreck itself becoming a popular location for divers looking to catch a glimpse of this mysterious one-of-a-kind show car.