25 of the Most Peculiar, Oddball Cars Ever Built

The Alfa Romeo SZ was nicknamed "The Monster" after its debut, and one look will tell you why. Just over 1000 were built, and like the Milano, it's powered by a sonorous V-6.

Ferrari, makers of some truly fantastic exotic mid-engine sports cars, isn't really known for practical cars. The FF is a different story. It can seat four comfortably, and thanks to a wacky all-wheel-drive system, can cut through any sort of inclement weather. Plus, it's a shooting brake with a V-12 engine. How can you not love it? This one is painted in a lovely shade of blue, and you can own it.

See the Toyota Sera driving down the street, and you might not think twice about it. It's only when you see the doors go up do you understand why it's on this list. These swing-up butterfly doors provided inspiration for McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray. This one can be yours today.

Is it a truck? Is it a convertible sports car? Is it both? We may never know. But there is one thing we know for sure: The SSR is one weird vehicle. Sporting a retractable hardtop, retro looks, and a V-8 engine under the hood, it certainly stands out. Here's one with a manual transmission you can own today.

The Pulsar NX's modular rear section was designed so you could swap out the shooting brake hatch (shown above) with a more traditional coupe-like trunk, depending on the owner's mood. Why don't more manufacturers do this?

At first glance, the Envoy XUV might look like any other mid-2000s SUV. But get to the back and you'll discover a surprisingly useful feature: The roof over the trunk section can retract into the car, creating an opening for larger items that might not otherwise fit. It might look a bit awkward, but it works. This one's up for grabs on eBay now.

The Z1 wasn't sold in America when it was new, and that's a shame. A unique pointy-nose look and ultra-cool drop-down doors made it one of the coolest cars to come out of Germany in the late '80s. Because they were built in such small numbers, low-mileage examples like this one demand a big premium.

Originally designed for military applications, the LM002 doesn't really remind you of any other Lamborghini of the era. Perhaps the coolest part about it is what's under the hood: The same V-12 engine found in the Countach.

Subaru's little 4x4 ute was unique in more ways than one. In addition to the cool decals and pickup bodystyle, it had rear-facing seats mounted on the exterior inside the bed. Here's one in fair condition that can be yours for just under $10,000.

It was kind of strange to see a full-on sports car from Chrysler like the Crossfire. Even stranger is the car's sloping roof design and Sebring-like face. The most interesting part? The car was based heavily on the Mercedes-Benz SLK. This manual model is for sale on eBay.

The 50 Lincoln Blackwoods Neiman Marcus ordered for its 2001 spring catalog cost nearly $60,000 each—insane money for what was essentially a dressed-up F-150 at the time. Nonetheless, they sold out in just hours.

The VehiCROSS might look like a joke, but it's abilities are anything but. Big, meaty tires, four-wheel-drive, and a short wheelbase means it can get almost anywhere. This one is extremely clean, and it's for sale right now.

The first generation Toyota Previa lineup included a supercharged version. And the engine didn't just sit in the front like in most vans. No, it was mid-mounted and you could get it with all-wheel-drive. Then you could tell everybody that your car was basically a Lamborghini and watch their their faces when you pull up. Here's one in great condition up for grabs on eBay now.

The Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6x6 is not something you'd think a real, actual car manufacturer would produce and sell. Yet, here it is. Meant to send off the decades-old G-Class bodystyle, it remains one of AMG's most insane creations.

Some people consider the early 2000s Fiat Multipla the ugliest car ever made. Now that 15 years has passed since its unveiling, they're cheap enough to be quirky, fun beater cars. These guys even took one to the Nurburgring. Either way, that headlight setup is unlike anything else.

Alfa Romeo has built some of the most beautiful cars ever made, but it also built this—the Alfa Romeo SZ. It's certainly different, and you'll never have to worry about the SZ blending in with the crowd, though we can't necessarily call it beautiful. Maybe interesting is a better word.

To a lot of people the Citroen SM looks fantastic. We're not going to argue, and we'll even admit we have a serious soft spot for it. But we also won't pretend it wasn't designed by someone who had any intention of imitating other cars on the road. The SM is a car that's beautiful in its own special way. This shell is in need of a restoration, and it can be yours.

The launch of Ford's Edsel sub-brand has gone down in history as one of the biggest disasters in the history of the automobile. And while there were plenty of cars from the late 1950s that look more graceful, we can't help but appreciate Edsels for their distinct appearance, and for being ahead of their time.

The Helicron is a propeller-driven car built by a French company in the Thrities, with rear-wheel steering. No, it's not the most practical thing around, but it's pretty awesome to see move down the road.

Ferraris have historically been some of the best-looking cars on the road, but that doesn't mean there haven't been some design misses. And yet even if the design of the Berlinetta Boxer is a little off, it's still a great car. It's too bad Ferrari never saw fit to sell the BB in the U.S.

The Lancia Fulvia is a great car, especially in coupe form. But if you want your Fulvia with better aerodynamics and a lower chance of losing it in the parking lot, you pick the Zagato-styled Fulvia Sport. It's not as traditionally beautiful as the Coupe, but we love it anyways.

The Lotus Europa was simple, light, and one of the best-handling cars you could buy at the time. Its styling was also a bit... peculiar. Reducing drag meant leaving conventional standards of automotive beauty at the door, and while there isn't much that you'd confuse the Europa with, we'd still love to get behind the wheel of one. This blue-painted model can be yours for $25,000.

The second-generation Valiant is usually the car to have, but if you really want to stand out from the crowd you go with the first-generation car. Most of its major design cues haven't aged nearly as well as Plymouth probably hoped, and yet, it's a classic car we'd still happily own and drive. Here's one up for bidding right now.

Back when the Renault Alpine GTA came out, you could have also gotten the much more practical Porsche 944. But why get the more-practical Porsche when Renault was selling a competitor made out of plastic and fiberglass? The Alpine GTA is much cooler. And French.

Why the rear-engine, V-8-powered minivan never took off, we aren't quite sure. Yes, there's the lack of rear visibility, but the Stout Scarab is so roomy and so weird-looking, it's just about perfect. Packing tons of innovations beneath its aerodynamic bodywork, the Scarab is still impossibly cool, even today.

Okay, the SVX isn't exactly a "performance" car, but we still think it belongs on this list. Despite the wild Giorgetto Giugiaro design, it's not exactly the most popular Nineties JDM car out there. But make no mistake, it's a seriously cool piece of machinery. This one's up for grabs on eBay right now.