50 Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years

[KCALB SIRAY]

Defined by Businessweek, here is a list of 50 ugliest cars of the past 50 years. If you think they have one wrong, please share your story if you've owned one or would like to add one to the mix.

1) Chevrolet El Camino
Introduced: 1959

The front end of a car and the back end of a pickup—convenient but unsightly. The El Camino went through several redesigns, each worse than the one before. This 1982 model seemed to be wearing dental braces, and the chrome accents over its wheel housing only draw the eye to mystifying hub caps.
http://www.elcaminosclub.com/Ventura/IMG_0016.JPG

2) Citroën Ami
Introduced: 1961
Design: Flaminio Bertoni

This car has fenders that drop below the tire line and a top that extends from the back like a porch roof. Add some oddly shaped windows and dot-sized brake lights for a uniquely strange-looking vehicle.
http://www.melancolicocitroen.com/imatges/ami6_1.jpg

3) Lightburn Zeta
Introduced: 1963

This Australian car was designed by a maker of cement mixers and washing machines, but that might be obvious. There are two grilles, both in a fence-like pattern, with protruding headlights on either side.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Lightburn_Zeta_sedan_automobile.jpg

4)Wartburg 353
Introduced: 1965

Can you find one thing you like about this East German car?
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/12/2009/09/500x_Survivors-Wartburg_353-1280px.jpg

5) Volkswagen Thing
Introduced: 1969

This is the design philosophy of the Thing: Take the basics of the Beetle—an engine, powertrain, and seats—and plop them in an unfinished metal box. There's no front grille, the bumper is an afterthought, and nobody bothered to round the fenders.
http://media.canada.com/b17a5268-e809-4db2-a84b-06fc4c00d03e/m2x00226_billvance.jpg

6) AMC Gremlin
Introduced: 1970
Design: Richard A. Teague

Introduced on April Fool's Day, the Gremlin was ugly, but it's had its fans. Still, that doesn't excuse the abruptly angled back end, saucer hubcaps, and aborted rear windows. It also came in some nasty colors, like the brown-copper concoction seen here.
http://www.cartype.com/pics/1158/full/gremlin_rs_70.jpg

7) Bond Bug
Introduced: 1970
Design: Ogle Design

No, it has nothing to do with James Bond, and yes, it was legally driven on real roads. The Bug defies car design language with three wheels, a boat-like bottom, and zip windows.
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/nick.wotherspoon/site/pictures/Bug%20front.JPG

8) Ford Pinto
Introduced: 1970
Design: Robert Eidschun

The Pinto doesn't seem so bad—that is, until you remember how sexy Fords (F) from the 1960s were. The design devolved into hexagonal headlight housings, a grille that's only a few inches tall yet wide enough to become the car's focal point, and a rear end that apparently melted from the roof.
http://www.ehuggydesigns.com/1971_ford_pinto.jpg

9) Ford Mustang II
Introduced: Late 1973

Somehow, Ford transformed the classic first-generation Mustang into this. Gone are the sleek lines, side intakes, and close-to-the-road profile. Instead, the Mustang II looks like many cars of the '70s: bloated, heavy, bland, and forgettable.
http://www.tyler.net/moostang/images/mustang/1974-mustang2.jpg

10) Bricklin SV1
Introduced: 1974

This ride has a well-earned reputation for being a complete mechanical clunker—and it looked like one, too. The front end is squared like an awful dress shoe, is wider than the driver's cabin, and rises high before sloping down dramatically, giving it a front-heavy, unstable appearance.
http://estb.msn.com/i/AC/884E962749783CDB1BFB0B390F4D0.jpg

11) Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar
Introduced: 1974
Design: Bob Beaumont

The CitiCar might hold the record for being the most widely produced, street-legal, electric vehicle, but that doesn't make up for its looks. The sloped front end and zip-windows give it the appearance of a rolling tent.
http://www.torq-o.com/files/page1_blog_entry53_1.jpg


Here is the link to the remainder of the cars. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/10/1028_50_ugliest_cars_of_past_50_years/1.htm Feel free to add to the list or share your stories of owning one or of a trip you took when you were young and your parents packed up the old (insert car name)

[tomato]

Hahahaha!!

Of course, this list is highly subjective, you know what they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder ;)

However, I immediately thought of the Pinto, too. I know it's not that bad looking, but compared to the other cars on the road at the time, you couldn't help but think "who designed THAT?!!! :eek: and what where they smoking?"

I remember the AMI, the AMI 6 especially was very popular, but let me tell ya, there was uglier. I learned how to drive on an old beat-up 4L like this one during a vacation trip through Brittany a long time ago. The car was so rusted we were worried we'd fall through the floorboard :laugh:

http://img1.photographersdirect.com/img/20548/wm/pd1252280.jpg

[tomato]

do you really think #10 is ugly?

[Yar Is Word]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

[Yar Is Word]

1959 Edsel

[SilverBack]

1987 Zimmer Golden Spirit
http://www.travellady.com/Issues/August06/images/3493Zimmer029.jpg
http://www.travellady.com/Issues/August06/images/3493Shaqcar.jpg

[SIPNGAS]

This is a GREAT thread!! Don't be hating the Gremlins/Pacers of the world...there are some around here (former home to AMC) that ROCK, I tell you. ;o)

[TLyttle]

I was just cruising through my copy of "The World's Worst Cars" and Gremlin/Pacer are prominent. So is the Wartburg, the Amphicar, the Trabant, some Citroens, the overblown Triumph Mayflower, on and on.

I still don't know why the Pinto is included; it got a bad rap from a engineering error (!), but my buddy had a Runamuck that ran and ran and ran, we couldn't kill it. I've driven a few examples, and it was a predictable car with few bad habits; it's only fault in my mind was that it was too heavy. Mess with that engine, and it was capable of a LOT of power...

[Bob Dog]

Sorry Lisa, but the Gremlin I had ,which I bought for $250 because it had good tires and ran, was the most awful car I have ever owned without any exceptions. I have driven Ford tractors and one ton trucks that steered easier. I think this article could just as easily be called the 50 boldest automotive designs of the 20th century. These cars were for the most part designs which told the status quo to go screw itself, which may be why a conservative magazine like Business Week hates them so much. I personally think that some of the El Caminos,especially the late 60s models, were the most beautiful trucks ever designed.

[Altitude]

What? No '86 Camaro?

[tomato]

OK, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
You tell me.
Sorry about the pix sizes

[SilverBack]

You just reminded of the '54-'62 Hudson/Nash Metropolitan
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Nash_Metropolitan.jpg

Maybe someone will add that to the gay car thread if it's ever made :laugh:

What? No '86 Camaro?

Nope never. Love that car too much :bow:

[tomato]

^ awwww, but that one is cute!! Mine looks like an ancient Honda Fit or something ;)

I'm making fun but I have a *lot* of respect for classic cars, though, especially cars from the 50's and before. :bow: :bow: I DNK, when I see them on the roads, it just feels real good to see them around :thumbsup:

[tomato]

1959 Edsel

I like that one! :headbang:

[Snappy]

Beauty is subjective, but REALLY, the El Camino is their ugliest!?

(Google pictures examples.)

[ZING]

HAHA, the VW Thing is hilarious.

[tk-421]

What? No Pontiac Aztek?
http://talkpower.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/pontiac-aztek.jpg

EDIT: I just saw the original list and it is indeed there...

[SailDesign]

What? No Pontiac Aztek?
http://talkpower.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/pontiac-aztek.jpg

That's "Ass-Tek" to you, buddy! :smile:

[Bob Dog]

I find the VW thing kind of scary. It was an update of a common Nazi military vehicle, with very little stylistic modification

[IllusionX]

althought, there was NO reasons for GM to take this car out of the Californian roads... but it still an ugly car :P


http://www.auto123.com/ArtImages/83123/Saturn-EV1-i001.jpg

[TLyttle]

57 Packard, what a mess... It's hard to believe that it started out as the sensuous 53 Studebaker coupe.

[RedRide]

I acually owned (bought new) both of the Fords pictured.

It's a long story why but, I wiil say that I worked for Ford at the time and got hefty discounts.
The '74 Mustang II was a "Mach One" with a very good, German designed V-6.
The '77 Pinto was acually a pretty good economy car (for its time) that was extremely stable in crosswinds.

[tomato]

:needpics:

[nemelek]

In so far as Toyota's go, I thought the 1978 Celica was ugly.

[Bob Dog]

i owned one. i kind of liked it, but it does look a lot like an aquatic life form..

[KCALB SIRAY]

This is a GREAT thread!! Don't be hating the Gremlins/Pacers of the world...there are some around here (former home to AMC) that ROCK, I tell you. ;o)

I acually owned (bought new) both of the Fords pictured.

It's a long story why but, I wiil say that I worked for Ford at the time and got hefty discounts.
The '74 Mustang II was a "Mach One" with a very good, German designed V-6.
The '77 Pinto was acually a pretty good economy car (for its time) that was extremely stable in crosswinds.

Yes, the stability in the crosswinds held it firmly in place so that the winds could put the fires out after getting hit from behind :bellyroll::evil:

[RedRide]

In so far as Toyota's go, I thought the 1978 Celica was ugly.
I actually took one for a test drive at the dealer. I decided not to buy one because of the styling and due to the fact that it was underpowered for a "sport" type vehicle.

[MadMax]

What, no AMC Pacer?

http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/features/2005/crap-cars/03-large/1975-amc-pacer.jpg

[wooverstone8]

IMHO the citroen 2cv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_7fBjN0TMc&feature=related

[SailDesign]

Hahahaha!!

<snip>

I learned how to drive on an old beat-up 4L like this one during a vacation trip through Brittany a long time ago. The car was so rusted we were worried we'd fall through the floorboard :laugh:

http://img1.photographersdirect.com/img/20548/wm/pd1252280.jpg

Heh! We had a 4L for years. Great driver, although the shifter was counter-intuitive, and the gearbox was on the FRONT of the engine.,...
Finally died when someone pushed me into the car in front. The Renault's bow just disintegrated in a pile of rust. I think the gearbox saved me - not a mark on the other car. :biggrin:

[tomato]

IMHO the citroen 2cv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_7fBjN0TMc&feature=related

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! :eyebulge::eyebulge:

That guy clearly doesn't understand the car!! :thumbdown:

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21449&stc=1&d=1239402066

Is it ugly? arguably
Is it slow? Hell yes
Does it fall apart? Well, it can :biggrin:
Is it a high-end car? Certainly not!!
... but ... it's a CULT car, a total classic!!! :respekt:
You don't destroy a 2CV!!! tsk, tsk, tsk :eek:

Heh! We had a 4L for years. Great driver, although the shifter was counter-intuitive, and the gearbox was on the FRONT of the engine.,...
Finally died when someone pushed me into the car in front. The Renault's bow just disintegrated in a pile of rust. I think the gearbox saved me - not a mark on the other car. :biggrin:

Did you own one, really? I have a picture of me in that car around here somewhere. I should dig it out and post it, you'd have a good laugh!!

[Yar Is Word]

D and D'er

[Phaeton]

I love the VW Thing. I guess theres no account for taste.

[IllusionX]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! :eyebulge::eyebulge:

That guy clearly doesn't understand the car!! :thumbdown:

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21449&stc=1&d=1239402066

Is it ugly? arguably
Is it slow? Hell yes
Does it fall apart? Well, it can :biggrin:
Is it a high-end car? Certainly not!!
... but ... it's a CULT car, a total classic!!! :respekt:
You don't destroy a 2CV!!! tsk, tsk, tsk :eek:



Did you own one, really? I have a picture of me in that car around here somewhere. I should dig it out and post it, you'd have a good laugh!!

Do you actually know what's written on the plate? In french, Poubelle means Trash... :biggrin:

[KCALB SIRAY]

D and D'er

This would be at the top of my all time fav's :headbang:

[TLyttle]

Those Citroen/Renault 2CVs are amazing cars. Apparently one of the specs for the design(!) was that the vehicle could take a crate of eggs across a plowed field without cracking a single egg. This gives away a bit in the handling department, and it is quite frightening to have one of these things come at you in a corner; you are SURE the thing is gonna flop over, but they seldom do...

[tomato]

Those Citroen/Renault 2CVs are amazing cars. Apparently one of the specs for the design(!) was that the vehicle could take a crate of eggs across a plowed field without cracking a single egg. This gives away a bit in the handling department, and it is quite frightening to have one of these things come at you in a corner; you are SURE the thing is gonna flop over, but they seldom do...

They don't. I've ridden in many so I can tell you first hand. When you take a turn, the wheels stay firmly planted while the rest of the car moves (that's with more than 2 people in the car) It's actually kind of fun, especially when you ride in the back.

Do you actually know what's written on the plate? In french, Poubelle means Trash... :biggrin:

I'm aware of that :biggrin:
The owner of that car has a good sense of humour :thumbsup:
plus he's in no hurry to get anywhere because in San Francisco there are tons of hill, and some of them are real steep. If memory serves, a 2CV climbs hills VERY SLOWLY;) not what you'd call a performance car! :laugh: but you still gotta love 'em

[IllusionX]

^ From my memory... there was this blue 2CV in Gumball 3000 rally... that thing did 70mph just fine :P

note that most super cars did the rally @ 160+mph :)

[RedRide]

I find the VW thing kind of scary. It was an update of a common Nazi military vehicle, with very little stylistic modification
The original beetle was also a Nazi design.

Personally, I kind of like the "Thing" as it's a no frills completely utilitarian vehicle. It was eventually discontunued due the the fact that it failed to meet newer saftey standards.

[tomato]

^ From my memory... there was this blue 2CV in Gumball 3000 rally... that thing did 70mph just fine :P

note that most super cars did the rally @ 160+mph :)

Are you sure you don't mean 70 Km/hr ? :wink:
I'm guessing that's a slightly modded 2CV :smile:

[DevilGirl]

I actually like the VW Thing. It kinda reminds me of an old military Wrangler, but funkier!

-----------

DeLorean DMC-12... Come on! Back to the Future, anyone? That car made history!! :biggrin:

-----------

Toyota RAV4... Can they even remotely be serious?? :mad:

-----------

"Jeep Compass
Introduced: 2007

Jeep is an automotive classic. So why the Compass? The signature round headlights look out of place, while the fake grill and mismatched panels are more evidence that the Compass' designers lacked a unified vision."

Umm, I guess they don't realize that it's a remake of the Liberty...

-----------

Ferrari Enzo... Umm, it's a Ferrari? Did they expect something else? :iono:

-----------

Plymouth Prowler... Now that is one that I can agree with!! Looks more like it belongs on the track than it does on the roads...

-----------

Toyota Prius... This one, umm, yeah. I think it definitely belongs there! :barf:

-----------

Chevrolet SSR... What were they thinking? They call this a truck? Wait, same company that made the El Camino... Nevermind... :thumbdown:

-----------

Just my humble opinions on these cars... Some I DRASTICALLY disagree with. A lot of others, yeah, they belong there...

[SilverBack]

Chevrolet SSR... What were they thinking? They call this a truck? Wait, same company that made the El Camino... Nevermind... :thumbdown:

Don't know about the El Camino. Sure the front and rear halves don't match, but I can't help but to look at one when I see it.

Plus the low front-end makes it a hunter's dream. You just hit the deer on the road and it flies over and lands in the bed. No getting out and shooting :thumbsup:

[bigbang]

what about the dodge magnum it looks like a hearse

[Yar Is Word]

another somebody's fav?

[tk-421]

That's even worse than the Ass-Tech! :barf:

[tomato]

another somebody's fav?

:barf:
:barf:

What were they thinking?!!! :eek: :eek:

[DevilGirl]

:barf:
:barf:

What were they thinking?!!! :eek: :eek:

That's just it.... I don't think they were thinking!!! Or maybe they were trying to do some spinoff of the Cube? :iono:

[KCALB SIRAY]

DeLorean DMC-12... Come on! Back to the Future, anyone? That car made history!! :biggrin:

So did the owner of the companyhttp://media.bigoo.ws/content/smile/party/party_21.gif

Don't know about the El Camino. Sure the front and rear halves don't match, but I can't help but to look at one when I see it.

Plus the low front-end makes it a hunter's dream. You just hit the deer on the road and it flies over and lands in the bed. No getting out and shooting :thumbsup:

The 1969 El Camino SS 396 was a great looking muscle/truck/car. The Ford Ranchero in this year ranks up there as well on my greats list.

what about the dodge magnum it looks like a hearse

This car had some cool design ideas installed on it. The rear hatch was hinged about a foot inward of the rear edge of the car to allow easy lifting in parking lots and not hitting the car behind you.

[Astroman]

God I hate this one, the isuzu axiom
http://www.4x4review.com/Portals/1/OldImages/vehicles/isuzu/2003-Isuzu-Axiom.jpg

[Astroman]

This one is also terrible, Fiat Multipla
http://www.city-data.com/forum/attachments/automotive/30004d1225739938-talking-ugly-cars-2003multipla.jpg

[eht13]

^ Wow, that is bad. It looks like a photoshopped pic where the top half came from a larger picture than the bottom half did. :laugh:

[SailDesign]

Do you actually know what's written on the plate? In french, Poubelle means Trash... :biggrin:

Trash CAN.... :biggrin:

[SailDesign]

Did you own one, really? I have a picture of me in that car around here somewhere. I should dig it out and post it, you'd have a good laugh!!

Sho'nuff did. Traded a half-dead single-cylinder Kawasaki 200 mo-bike for it, and then drove it for 50k miles before she was "killed". All sorts of lovely things in there - like the glass (I kid you not) overflow receptacle for the radiator. We used to take out the passenger seat and put kid #2 in his carry-cot on the floor there. He liked to watch the pedals work, and is now a complete and total motor-head. Go figure!

[2+2]

The 1969 El Camino SS 396 was a great looking muscle/truck/car. The Ford Ranchero in this year ranks up there as well on my greats list.

+1

[TLyttle]

yeah, the stuff you find in used cars... My buddy bought a Corolla wagon that used to belong to a young family, and there were melted crayons all over the place, hence that car was forever the "Crayolla"...

[Yaris Hilton]

The Thing came along at a time when Volkswagen Beetle based dune buggies were insanely popular. Earlier versions of Crashie. It was inspired by the WWII German Army "Kubelwagen."

There's a red 1959 El Camino for sale on the side of the Volunteer Parkway in Bristol, Tennessee if anybody wants one. Doesn't look bad from the road.

Chevy was playing catch-up copying Ford's Ranchero that had been around since the 1957 model year. El Camino was a "me-too" knockoff. Like the Camaro was of the Mustang.

[Yaris Hilton]

And for the real (pre-Nazi) origin of the Volkswagen, look here:
http://www.ganz-volkswagen.org/