We're forever being told that cars are deadly weapons, that every time you get behind the wheel you should be humbled by the sheer killing power possessed by your car and drive as cautiously as possible as a result.
This is, however, total crap. Cars, as a rule, are not scary -- it's the drivers you have to watch out for.
However, there are some cars that are so dangerous, ugly or insanely powerful that they have the power to put the fear of god into even the most hardened of petrolheads; and in celebration of Halloween, we've prepared a list of the ten scariest cars ever to haunt the road.
Ford Nucleon
In 1958, at the height of the Atomic Age, the engineers at Ford asked themselves the question: "Why can't cars run on nuclear power?" In theory, they were right -- nuclear power is efficient and clean; however, what the engineers didn't take into account was that every car accident would ultimately end in a Chernobyl-style disaster. Thinking that the American people would get a bit sick of having a nuclear holocaust every fifteen minutes, Ford rightly decided to ditch the Nucleon.
Christine
The car used in the 1983 Stephen King film Christine was, fact fans, a 1958 Plymouth Fury. It was also pure evil, turning its owners into delusional psychopaths and killing pedestrians seemingly at random. If you're buying a second-hand car, be sure to check that the car is not evil beforehand, as this can seriously affect resale values.
DDMWorks Ariel Atom
Let us give you the headline stats: 700bhp, 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds, 675kg kerb weight. Scared yet? Well, you should be.
Ssangyong Rodius
The Ssangyong Rodius is so catastrophically ugly that it has the power to make small children soil their pants. It's the automotive equivalent of Frankenstein's monster -- a car designed by lunatics using bits the found in the spares bin. In fact it's so ugly, it made it onto our list of the ten ugliest cars.
Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto gained its scary reputation in the late 1970s when it was discovered that in a rear-end collision the petrol tank would rupture and the whole car would burst into flames.
Chevrolet Corvair
The Corvair's lethal swing axle rear suspension was so bad that if you cornered with any sort of gusto, you'd find yourself flying off the road and into a tree... backwards. Ralph Nader's 1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed devoted an entire chapter to the Corvair, earning it a reputation as one of the most terrifying cars of all time.
Batmobile
Not only is the Batmobile an enormous and terrifying thing to behold, it's also a sign that you're about to be on the receiving end of some good ol' Batman-apportioned justice. This, surely, is enough to put the fear of god into anyone.
Click here to read our road-test of the Batmobile.
Caparo T1
When Jason Plato from Fifth Gear drove the Caparo T1, it spontaneously burst into flames; then Jeremy Clarkson drove it and it fell apart at high speed. The Caparo T1 is a 575bhp, 205mph euthanasia device.
Mercedes-Benz CLR
The Mercedes CLR was only ever used once -- at the 1999 Le Mans 24 Hours -- and for good reason. During the race, two of the three CLRs racing became airborne and, although nobody was injured, the CLR project was immediately cancelled. When racing drivers are scared of a car, you know it's a pretty terrifying machine.
G-Wiz
Not only is the G-Wiz dangerous (as you can see from the rather poor crash test above), it's also so inherently uncool that if you owned one, nobody would ever speak to you again. For this reason alone, it should be feared.
So, there you go, our list of the top ten scariest cars. Now don't have nightmares.
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