10 Rarest Sports Sedans In The World Today

The sports sedan is one of those subjective genres that doesn’t really conform to a specific set of rules, other than that the car has four doors, a powerful engine and decent handling. But in these days of four-door coupes and five-door notchbacks, what really constitutes a “sedan?” In this context, and under these parameters, we’re going strictly with three-box performance sedans.

The automotive landscape is getting so muddied that every “best of” list includes a sport sedan of different configurations and sizes, from any company. But once upon a time, sports sedans were rare cars, with many well-known makes and models sometimes limited to just 100s of units.

We managed to dig up examples that are even rarer than those, with a list of 10 of the rarest four-door performance cars, all of which are powered by 300+-hp engines and can handle a twisty bit of pavement with aplomb. We then ranked them in order from least rare, to rarest, based on their original production numbers.

10 2019 Jaguar XE SV Project 8: 300 Produced

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 was designed for one purpose – to claim the title of the world’s fastest sedan. Of course, records are set to be broken, and this one has been a couple of times since 2019, but it’s still one of the quickest, and rarest, of all time. We still have a very good-looking, limited-run fast sedan.

Jaguar XE SV Project 8 Specs

(Source: Jaguar)

Project 8 started off with the 5.0 V8 powered Jaguar XE, then was turned over to the Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), who bolted on a supercharger, made a carbon-fiber body with aerodynamic aids, changed the brake rotors to carbon ceramic, and stood it on 20-inch wheels, ready to take on the Nürburgring.

9 2023 Dodge SRT Charger King Daytona: 300 Produced

Before it rode off into the sunset, another victim of the electrification epidemic, the Dodge Charger staked its claim to the muscle-car throne in the SRT Charger King Daytona. One of the “Last Call” editions, King Daytona starts with the top of the Charger-line Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody.

Dodge SRT Charger King Daytona Specs

(Source: Dodge)

Available only in Go Mango exterior paint, with prominent black-striping identifiers, the Charger King Daytona is mostly about fast quarter-mile times, with an 807-hp version of the 797-hp Hellcat supercharged V8. But it’s also a competent sports sedan, with rigid suspension and Brembo stopping power.

8 1993 Lotus Carlton: 284 Produced

In its drive for worldwide automotive dominance and low-cost efficiency, General Motors leveraged its European brands across several lines, which is how the Lotus Carlton came about. Meant for the British Isles (it was named Lotus Omega in left-hand drive markets), it was a tweaked version of the Vauxhall Carlton/Opel Omega.

Lotus Carlton Specs

(Source: Stellantis)

And man, was it tweaked! So much so, that critics came from all corners, including the motoring press. The main issue was the massaged Opel 3.0-liter straight-six, which Lotus boosted to 3.6 liters and slapped on a couple turbochargers to get nearly 400-hp. But because it was a Lotus, it had plenty of suspension to handle the power.

7 1999 Alpina B12 6.0: 94 Produced

Derived from the E38 BMW 7 Series, the B12 6.0 features all the usual Alpina upgrades, such as leather interior, and understated exterior trim graphics, to give it the aura that there’s something different from the “regular” BMW 7.

Alpina B12 6.0 Specs

(Source: Automobile Catalog)

The 7’s M73 5.4-liter V12 was upgraded to a massive 6.0 liters, then changed pretty much all the interior and peripheral components, resulting in power outputs of 424 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. It was Alpina’s largest and most powerful engine at the time. Suspension and brake upgrades improved the manners of the BMW 7, to handle the engine power.

6 2012 BMW E90 M3 CRT: 67 Produced

Most everybody knows about the M3, but the CRT following the model name stands for Carbon Racing Technology, which is BMW’s way of saying it made the body from carbon-fiber reinforced plastic and reduced the M3 weight by 150 pounds. Just 67 examples were made for the 2012 M3.

BMW E90 M3 CRT Specs

(Source: Classic.com)

Everything about this car seems to be focused on the number 4 – 4.4-liter engine making 444 hp to take the sport sedan to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. The dynamic handler is reportedly a more street-friendly version of the M3 GTS from that year, whose suspension was deemed a bit too harsh.

5 1995 Mercedes-Benz E 60 AMG: 45 Produced

Hammer time! AMG has a long history of performance-tuning Mercedes-Benz models, and is now a Mercedes division. Back in 1994, they took a run-of-the-mill Mercedes-Benz E-Class, specifically the E 500, and turned it into the E 60 AMG. That may be common, but this car is far from ordinary.

Mercedes-Benz E 60 AMG Specs

(Source: Mercedes-AMG)

It starts with replacing the E500’s Porsche-built 5.0-liter V8 with an AMG hand-crafted 6.0 V8, breathing out through an AMG performance exhaust. It then AMG-ized the suspension to give it the handling it deserved, and planted it on EVO-II wheels. Numbers are hard to come by since many E 500s got the AMG treatment, sans engine, but it is believed just 45 are authentic.

4 2009 Pontiac G8 GT SLP Firehawk: 27 Produced

Before General Motors divested itself of most international divisions, it dipped its line into Australian waters to land the Pontiac G8 – a version of the vaunted Holden Commodore – and turned 27 of them into Pontiac G8 GT SLP Firehawks.

G8 GT SLP Firehawk Specs

(Source: Hagerty)

Commodores had a rich touring-car racing heritage, so the G8 GT SLP Firehawk was more than a straight-line burner. The SLP part is credited to parts-maker Street Legal Performance, which contributed to the 500-hp 6.0-liter supercharged V8. The Firehawk name came from a string of SLP-enhanced Firebirds, dating back to 1993.

3 2018 Alpina B7 Canada Edition: 21 Produced

This one is near and dear to me – the Alpina B7 Canada Edition. It was specifically tailored for the North American market, which is often bypassed in the desire to get as high-performing a sports sedan as possible into the hands of drivers who are best able to take advantage of what the machine can offer.

Alpina B7 Canada Edition Specs

(Source: BMW Canada)

The exclusive edition car is basically a bespoke edition of the B7, available in three colors: Frozen Black, Frozen Gray and Black Sapphire Metallic (seven of each color). All are accented in black chrome. The interior is all black leather and wood, with accents stitched in gray.

2 1993 Alpina B11 4.0: 7 Produced

When it came time to replace its rare B11 3.5 from 1987, Alpina kicked both the performance and the rarity up a notch, with the B11 4.0 in 1993, as it always does with each successive Bavarian generation. It was named for its use of the BMW M60 4.0-liter V8, which was one of the new engines available to the BMW 7 Series in its second generation.

Alpina B11 4.0 Specs

(Source: Hemmings)

The engine produced 326 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque in the 740i, but Alpina took it up to 315 and 302, respectively. The F1 engine, not affiliated with the racing series, was Alpina’s first V8 and modified BMW’s M60 with new pistons, cylinder heads, intake system, camshafts, exhaust system and modified engine management.

1 1998 Bugatti EB112: 3 Produced

Bugatti is known for making ultra-exclusive, ultra-expensive, ultra-fast performance coupes, but it did make the EB112 sedan in 1993, when the company was looking to expand its product offerings and stay viable. The EB112 was initially a one-off concept, but when the company’s assets were sold off in 1995, three unfinished cars were among the assets, and subsequently finished and sold.

Bugatti EB112 Specs

(Source: Bugatti)

Power came from a docile (by later Bugatti standards) 454-hp 6.0-liter V12, and the looks of the vehicle were polarizing. When Volkswagen became the Bugatti parent company, it created a follow-up sedan concept and a coupe, but then decided to follow a hyper-car direction.

Sources: Alpina Archive, Automobile Catalog, BMW Canada, Bonhams, Bugatti, Classic.com, Dodge, Hagerty, Hemmings, Jaguar, Mercedes-AMG, Sotheby’s, Stellantis.