Get Hotcars Premium. Start your free trial today

Not all great cars succeed and these impressive British cars are good examples of such an anomaly.

Proudly built in Britain, these gorgeous automotive icons were simply ahead of their time. They are great cars, but they flopped, spectacularly.

Fortunately, Britain's car industry, after decades of neglect, is on the rebound, with McLaren, Lotus, Jaguar, and others standing head and shoulders above the world's finest as a testament to the country's ingenuity and design prowess. However, as good as any car is, the potential to flop is ever present. Overpriced, overrated, or just unwanted; the specter of failure is never far away.

Truth be told, bad cars just don't exist anymore; no car currently on sale or in the past decade should have failed on merit. Those cars that tanked in the sales chart are more likely a human failing rather than one of design. These British sports cars are an example of such.

Related: 5 British Sports Cars We'd Buy Over Any Muscle Car (5 We Wouldn't)

Stunningly pretty, small, agile, and a complete disaster financially, the MGA shifted barely 2,111 cars over seven years. Launched in 1955 to replace MG's prewar-designed MG TF Midget, the MGA used a two-seater sleek body-on chassis design that mimicked a host of British and American sports cars of the time.

Revisions for 1958 included a twin-cam version of MG's B-series 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine turning out 108 hp. Those lofty claims were short-lived, pre-detonation, forcing MG to lower its compression ratio at the expense of power, with later cars making do with 100 hp.

Given Aston Martin's liking for sports coupes with gorgeous curves, you might be tempted to think the long-lived Lagonda hailed from another planet entirely, with curves giving way to razor-sharp edges. The Lagonda existed for the sole purpose of showcasing Aston Martin's newfound slant towards the modern; the company's Bulldog follows a similar trajectory.

Behind the angular bodywork, it was business as usual, Aston Martin's naturally aspirated 5.3-liter V8, bestowing the Lagonda with sportscar levels of performance in a 4,409 lb luxury limo. Burying the throttle in one of these would see 60 mph in 6.2-seconds, going on to a maximum of 149 mph. Over a 15-year life span, Aston despite their best efforts to attract a younger generation of clients, sold just 645 cars.

RELATED: 10 Incredible Facts Everyone Forgot About The Aston Martin Lagonda

Rover's parting gift to the large executive market, the Rover 75, wowed critics and reviewers alike with its bold styling and peerless ride comfort. Undoubtedly a great car, even if it sported a front-mounted front-drive chassis, the 75 was considered to be one of the best luxury cars you could buy.

The bad news for Rover was its reputation; the famous Longbridge-based carmaker had fallen from gearheads grace decades earlier, quality issues, tarnishing the brand's image irreparably. Rover's answer was both simple and genius; turn the 75 limo into a BMW M5 rival. Under the hood of this unassuming luxury sedan, Ford's modular 4.6-liter V8 cranked out 252 hp. Arriving in 2003, the ZT 260 shifted 833 cars over three years.

The Spectre R42 proved that once again Britain could build supercars to rival any foreign exotic, only to shoot itself in the foot by not quite finishing the project off. With a little more time spent on quality control, the R42 could have been a huge success. Spectre by the end of production in 1998, had completed a tiny number of cars.

Originally intended to follow in the GT40s footsteps, taking on the world of endurance racing. The R42 used a composite lightweight body and engine recipe. Under the rear deck, Ford's iconic 4.6-liter modular V8 sent 350 hp to the rear wheels resulting in a top speed of 175 mph.

Ford engines powered another British sports carmaker with track-based ambitions. Ginetta building on their race car experience, rolled out the limited production G60 in 2012. Constructed of a carbon fiber skin over a tubular steel frame chassis with its occupants ensconced in a race-car-style carbon tub, the G60 weighed in at just 2,380 lbs.

Unlike other sports cars in this segment, Ginetta adopted a V6 Cyclone engine mid-mounted for better weight distribution and handling. Built for the road; the G60 was even better on track. Despite an impressive 310 hp, and a top speed of 165 mph Ginetta couldn't find enough buyers, falling short at 40 cars built.

RELATED: 8 Things We Just Learned About Ginetta And Its Cars

Think of the Rocket as Gordon Murray's warm-up project, predating the UK car designers' world-beating McLaren F1 by 12 months. Naturally, the two have some common ideals, both intended to deliver the ultimate driving experience. The Rocket launched to a fanfare of praise, a small two-seater fair weather sports car erring on the side of classic open-wheeled Grand-Prix cars.

Nailing the sweet spot between weight and performance, Gordon Murray chose a steel tube chassis and Yamaha 1-liter motorcycle engine cranking out up to 165 hp. The problem arising not from design or performance, but from production and costings, late delivery, and increased sales prices putting paid to the Rocket.

Dead and buried before production got going. The Lightning GT, had funding been secured, could have been Britain's answer to Tesla. First unveiled in 2008 with customer deliveries scheduled to commence the following year, Lighting produced a single development GT.

Designed in-house, the Lightning GTs low-slung 2-seat coupe body formed from carbon fiber sits atop a honeycomb aluminum chassis powered by two electric motors. Partly funded by government sources, the GT ranked highly among the Zero-Carbon community for its use of lithium-titanate batteries and rapid charging ability. The sole development GT now resides at the British Motor Museum.

A rare Lotus error in judgment? In answer to sports car fans wanting a softer, more user-friendly Elise, Lotus between 2006 and 2010 produced a mere 504 Europas. Gearheads craving the best track day car will suffer the Elise or Exige pared back cockpits and track-focused suspension set-up.

Where does that leave Europa? Forgetting the fastest lap times of its relatives, the Europa in its own right is a proper Lotus sports car capable of mixing it up on a track day and still comfortable for the ride home. Lotus, in sticking with their bonded aluminum chassis coupled with a 2-liter GM Z20LER turbo engine, knew what they were doing even if gearheads stayed away.

RELATED: 10 Reasons Why We Love The Lotus Europa

Zolfe isn't a name most gearheads will have heard of, the little-known UK-based sports car company breaking cover in 2006 only to go out of business ten years later with a sole model to its name. Showcased under Zolfe Orange branding, later adopting a more fitting GTC4 name.

The first Orange used a space-frame chassis clad in composite materials befitting its lightweight design and engine package, motorcycle engines, the first choice. Moving a step closer to production, the GT4C took on a lengthened chassis to accommodate MX-5 transmissions and 300-hp Ford Duratec engines.

Coming soon to a dealer near you, Noble's latest M500 sports car promises to be more user-friendly relative to the insanely powerful and fast M600. Built between 2010 and 2018, Noble's plans to build the M600 in small numbers proved to be a challenge in itself; by its midlife run, barely 20 cars had found buyers.

Criminally overlooked, the M600 is a serious alternative to anything Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini build with a user-controllable boost level delivering anything from 450-650 hp. Rather than self-build, Noble uses a Yamaha 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 to reach a maximum speed of 225 mph.

Raised in a car-obsessed environment from an early age ensured a keen interest in anything car-related. first and foremost an F1 fan, but also an avid follower of other motorsports. Professional background working closely with a well established UK based Supercar manufacturer in recent years.