The Mosler MT900 Is The Underrated American Supercar Everyone Forgot Existed
There is no shortage of American super cars on today's market. If you want something new, the C8 Corvette offers mid-engine thrills and Lamborghini looks from a car that is built in Kentucky. If you are willing to shell out six-to-seven figures for a performance car that reps the Red, White, and Blue, Ford has the GT — a car powered by a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 that makes well north of 600 horsepower (depending on the model) for anyone who can write an inordinate number of zeroes on a check. While the once formidable snake is retired, the used market is full of Dodge Vipers willing to shred tires and let its 8-plus liter V10 make every other car on the track or street fear for its life.
The C8 Corvette, GT, and Viper aren't hidden gems by any stretch of the imagination. Those cars have all enjoyed the status of a flagship model for their respective manufacturers, and are hardly at risk of becoming obscure, forgotten, or relegated to YouTube compilations for bygone manufacturers. The same can't be said for the Mosler MT900, a surprisingly competent track car that essentially disappeared into the ether.
Remarkably quick
The Mosler MT900 was the brainchild of financier Warren Mosler, who got his start building cars like the Consulier GTP in the 1980s. The GTP used a turbocharged 2.2-liter engine sourced from Dodge, and for all intents and purposes, mopped the floor with the cars from other manufacturers. The speed and performance were all in Mosler's favor, but the car just wasn't there in the looks department. That led to a sales disaster (via Motortrend).
After more experimenting with everything ranging from EV vans to more track-ready cars, Mosler Automotive debuted the MT900 prototype in 2001. According to Car and Driver, the car was powered by a Corvette 5.7-liter LS V8 planted right in the middle of the car, and borrows several components from Porsche and General Motors. It was practically a proto-C8 Corvette years before GM pulled the trigger on the design.
It boasted a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds, and weighed only 2590 pounds. As it turns out, putting a large V8 in a car that weigh scarcely more than a Miata is a recipe for success. For Mosler, much like DJ Khaled and the Dodge Charger Daytona, the MT900 suffered from its own success and was banned from several racing series for winning too often. To Warren Mosler's surprise, no one bought the car, and only a handful of MT900s were ever produced before Mosler sold off the company in 2013, according to an interview with MotorTrend.
Too good to be true
All told, Mosler's entire run in the automotive manufacturing game sold around 200 models, including 100 of the aforementioned Consulier GTP, and roughly 60 models of the MT900 throughout its production cycle (via Car and Driver). The failure of the car and the company itself could be pinned down on the reality that the car wasn't advertised very well. The company was also essentially a part-time gig for its founder, the cars were less than conventional looking, and the fact there was not very much of a market for six-figure, somewhat street-legal track cars that used Chevy parts were the nails in the coffin.
It's a shame the Mosler MT900 never reached supercar fame in the United States. Despite its looks, the car was genuinely quick and performed with the best automakers from around the world had to offer. It just wasn't ready for prime time. On the bright side, the Mosler MT900S is available to drive (albeit virtually) in Forza Horizon 5.