a few I've never heard of but I can't really argue that any of the cars listed shouldn't be on the list ....
The Top 20 Dumbest Cars Of All Time
The Top 20 Dumbest Cars Of All Time
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The Top 20 Dumbest Cars Of All Time
- Thread starter JEBar
- Start date
RUCRAYZE
Elio Addict
13. Bricklin SV1
Memo to the world: When an auto executive starts a new car company and proposes to name the car after himself, run like a stag in the opposite direction, lock your check book and credit cards in a safe and ask your best friend to keep the combination away from you no matter how much you beg for it.
This scenario never turns out well. But Malcolm Bricklin had a little bit of a track record in co-founding the original import business in the U.S. for Subarus
Could this be an omen ??? Bold -me
TCBronson
Elio Addict
Collectibles?
This is my favorite
The horseless Horse
The horseless Horse
Lil4X
Elio Addict
We have to remember that we are viewing these offerings through a lens of history. Most weren't so bad at the time they were first sold. Certainly there were better vehicles available, but with a few notable exceptions, some only reflected their times. Notably, the Pinto was a truly miserable car, later to be found a dangerous one, thanks to the location/protection of the gas filler. Like the K-cars and the Vega, it was a stop-gap offering in an exploding (I use the term advisedly) small car market. Stuck in the manufacturing technology of the '30's, the US really didn't know how to design and manufacture small cars. The Corvair was a brilliant first attempt, but it was killed off by a sensation-seeking lawyer who knew nothing about cars. Once bitten, the market was twice shy about making such a large re-investment in technology.
There are several examples of the abortive introductions of post-war European cars to the US. Not only the Dauphine, but Citroen, Fiat, even Austin and a few non-sporting British vehicles of the '50's - these cars were calibrated to European country lanes and crowded, narrow city streets. They fell apart on American highways, unable to maintain top speed for more than a few minutes. Remember the Isetta and Messerschmidt rising from the ashes of their German factories? All of these vehicles were built for a European economy in tatters, they were cheap, built from available materials, and like many Chrysler Corp. vehicles of the '60's, styled to be "unique" (used as a synonym for "ugly"). Even the early import Hondas and Toyopets could leak oil like an Alfa, but without the performance. They were "appliances" rather than automobiles - at least in the enthusiasts' sense.
Only Volvo and Volkswagen fielded decent cars in the US at the time, building on their individual strengths of reliability and manufacturing expertise on basic platforms. Styling gaffes were many, but they became symbolic of the marques - a neat trick in late '50's marketing. Many manufacturers would try to duplicate the "cult car" idiom, but practically all others eventually failed.
The '64 Mustang became the marketing success of the '60's, but few realized it was just a re-bodied Falcon from the outset. Style over substance, again. By the late '60's, the 2Gen Mustang began to break away from the "economy car" curse and field some sporty models before the "more is better" syndrome set in, bringing with it the overstuffed 390 CID models that suffered from the "road hugging weight" of the '50's. Bigger motor = bigger everything else. By the time the Mustang released it's belt a few notches, we'd arrived at the Gran Torino. Then after gas went over 50¢ per gallon, Ford executed a massive "mea culpa", coming back with the "Mustang II" that rather flew in the face of every good intention of the original Mustang. It was a sheep in wolf's clothing; there was no way it could be hot-rodded and still driven on the street. The Mach series died a horrible death in the showrooms as 8 mpg was no longer environmentally (or financially) acceptable.
Along the way there were doubtful engineering exercises, styling gaffes, and marketing missteps, probably the most recent of which was the Aztek that was intended in one form to be a couples' RV. Fitted with a tent over the tailgate and a few sops to outdoor living, it was the answer to a question nobody asked. No matter how many "Rugged" "Outdoor", and all kinds of macho appellations were applied, it was a minivan. Anything beyond that was pretension.
A press tour in late September of '01 had a number of automotive "experts" on a wagon train through Colorado. I was sitting in a diner when a string of a dozen or so Aztecs pulled into the parking lot and unloaded the most sheepish looking group of automotive journalists I ever saw. Through the windows of the diner, as the motley multicolored caravan of Azteks paraded in, the customers involuntarily uttered a simultaneous "Eeeeeewwww" - which had a marketing rep been present, should have ended the Aztek on the spot.
There are several examples of the abortive introductions of post-war European cars to the US. Not only the Dauphine, but Citroen, Fiat, even Austin and a few non-sporting British vehicles of the '50's - these cars were calibrated to European country lanes and crowded, narrow city streets. They fell apart on American highways, unable to maintain top speed for more than a few minutes. Remember the Isetta and Messerschmidt rising from the ashes of their German factories? All of these vehicles were built for a European economy in tatters, they were cheap, built from available materials, and like many Chrysler Corp. vehicles of the '60's, styled to be "unique" (used as a synonym for "ugly"). Even the early import Hondas and Toyopets could leak oil like an Alfa, but without the performance. They were "appliances" rather than automobiles - at least in the enthusiasts' sense.
Only Volvo and Volkswagen fielded decent cars in the US at the time, building on their individual strengths of reliability and manufacturing expertise on basic platforms. Styling gaffes were many, but they became symbolic of the marques - a neat trick in late '50's marketing. Many manufacturers would try to duplicate the "cult car" idiom, but practically all others eventually failed.
The '64 Mustang became the marketing success of the '60's, but few realized it was just a re-bodied Falcon from the outset. Style over substance, again. By the late '60's, the 2Gen Mustang began to break away from the "economy car" curse and field some sporty models before the "more is better" syndrome set in, bringing with it the overstuffed 390 CID models that suffered from the "road hugging weight" of the '50's. Bigger motor = bigger everything else. By the time the Mustang released it's belt a few notches, we'd arrived at the Gran Torino. Then after gas went over 50¢ per gallon, Ford executed a massive "mea culpa", coming back with the "Mustang II" that rather flew in the face of every good intention of the original Mustang. It was a sheep in wolf's clothing; there was no way it could be hot-rodded and still driven on the street. The Mach series died a horrible death in the showrooms as 8 mpg was no longer environmentally (or financially) acceptable.
Along the way there were doubtful engineering exercises, styling gaffes, and marketing missteps, probably the most recent of which was the Aztek that was intended in one form to be a couples' RV. Fitted with a tent over the tailgate and a few sops to outdoor living, it was the answer to a question nobody asked. No matter how many "Rugged" "Outdoor", and all kinds of macho appellations were applied, it was a minivan. Anything beyond that was pretension.
A press tour in late September of '01 had a number of automotive "experts" on a wagon train through Colorado. I was sitting in a diner when a string of a dozen or so Aztecs pulled into the parking lot and unloaded the most sheepish looking group of automotive journalists I ever saw. Through the windows of the diner, as the motley multicolored caravan of Azteks paraded in, the customers involuntarily uttered a simultaneous "Eeeeeewwww" - which had a marketing rep been present, should have ended the Aztek on the spot.
TCBronson
Elio Addict
RUCRAYZE
Elio Addict
My Saab, 3 cylinder 2 stroke was a blast! well engineered- even had a pull up shade in front of the radiator for those cold northern temps.
Hotscoots
Elio Addict
While Ralph Nader has made a name for himself by dooming the American Porsche ( Corvair) , he is also responsible for the discontinuance of the "Suicide Door " . Folks wonder why everyone hates lawyers
Sethodine
Elio Addict
Haha, I actually really like the Aztek, and always wanted one. Unfortunately, my wife is one of the people who cringes whenever she sees one