Citroën C3 Pluriel
The idea of a coupé-cabriolet was well established by the time the Citroën C3 Pluriel tried to reinvent the concept. Why stick with a mere folding roof when you could remove it completely to create a full four-seat convertible or even a pick-up? That’s what the Pluriel offered thanks to its removeable roof rails.
This is also where the Pluriel’s problems set in. First off, removing those rails required a bit of might to lift them clear or reinstall them. Secondly, there was nowhere inside the car to keep them, so when it started to rain when you were out and about, you got wet.
Then there were build quality issues that made themselves known as rattles and leaks, which simply underlined the C3 Pluriel was an over-complex answer to a question that hadn’t been asked.
Bugatti Veyron (2005)
It’s hardly a surprise to learn the Bugatti Veyron is a hugely complex machine when its sole purpose what to hit a 253mph top speed. To do that, it used an 8.0-litre W16 engine with four turbochargers to produce as much as 1183bhp. It also came with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, four-wheel drive and rear spoiler that doubled as an air brake.
As if all of that lot wasn’t enough to give Bugatti’s engineers some head scratching, the vast amount of heat generated required a forest of radiators and coolers. As a result, there were three radiators for the engine alone, plus others for the transmission and differential oil coolers and another for the engine oil. Little wonder a routine service rings the till at $25,000.
Lexus LFA (2010)
The LFA was a wonderful rare moment of exuberance from Lexus and gifted the world one of the most exciting cars ever made. At its carbonfibre core was a 4.8-litre naturally-aspirated V10 producing 550bhp that was developed with help from Yamaha. This motor could rev so quickly that Lexus deemed a digital rev counter necessary as an analogue version couldn’t keep up with the motor.
Always intended as a halo car rather than a long-term production model, only 500 were made and Toyota stated the LFA was built to act as a reference for future sports models for the next 25 years. That explains details like the radiators mounted behind the rear wheels and turbine design of the wheels to draw hot air away from the brakes.
