The Chevrolet Corvair (1960-1969) beat the 911 to market with a rear-mounted flat-six, but Chevy's engineering gamble came with a steering behavior that made it genuinely dangerous in untrained hands. While Porsche refined the concept into something manageable, the Corvair became a cautionary tale about how good ideas can get weaponized by poor execution.

Hyundai's decision to cheap out on the Theta II engine cost them billions in recalls and lawsuits—a master class in false economy. The engine's metal debris issues and premature failure rates became so widespread that owners started documenting failures before the company admitted the scope. This is what happens when corporate accountants design powerplants instead of engineers.