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The Ugliest Cars Ever?


MarkV

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What I find interesting is the the so called "experts" in design of the new car magazines.When a car company "strays" of the beaten path of an egg car and adds something "extra",they do not look well on it all.they question the need of a crease at a belt line,port holes,extra chrome,whatever.There has to be something besides the emblem to tell what kind of car is it.when the 2005 Chrysler 300 came out there was "experts" saying it wouldn't sell,HA!yeah right.

Jeff Mealer

Mt. Juliet,TN

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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: supersix</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ugly is "in" now. We have boxes (Scion), Playskool toys (Element), and military vehicles (Hummer, among others) and small cars that look like they were hit at both ends and pushed up in the middle. They don't get much uglier! </div></div>

Don't forget about Tonka Trucks, i.e. Toyota FJ Cruiser

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Guest Dr. Strangelove

Toyota products, such as the Lexus small SUV (300?) and Prius. Misguided California styling ques abound where the tail lights are not red, rather clear and look like headlights. Sometimes as you glance at the cars in an intersection as you go through it, there is one of these cars and for a brief moment, you panic as you perceive the rear of the car to be the front. I've felt the adreneline and pucker factor associated with a crash due to quickly mis-judging what end of the car I'm facing. Did I mention they are butt ugly too!

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Guest Skyking

How about Toyota Echo. It looks like the rear wheels are trying to catch up with the front ones. grin.gifgrin.gifAnd if you look at the drivers, they look like their cars. grin.gif

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The problem with most ugly car or worst car lists is it is a matter of someone's opinion, and I often find than many of the cars on the list are ones I wouldn't mind owning. But then I collect Crosleys so we know what my opinions are worth.

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No new cars are ugly. In order to be ugly or beautiful, they must have some sort of styling and character, which they do not. New cars are just bland.

As for ugly cars, how about the AMC Matador Barcelona. It's easy to pick out small inexpensive ugly cars, but this was supposed to be a personal luxury coupe. It looks like a Javelin, a Gremlin, and a Pacer had a 3 way, and the offspring was a Baby Huey Barcelona.

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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> As for ugly cars, how about the AMC Matador Barcelona. <span style="font-weight: bold">It's easy to pick out small inexpensive ugly cars, but this was supposed to be a personal luxury coupe.</span> It looks like a Javelin, a Gremlin, and a Pacer had a 3 way, and the offspring was a Baby Huey Barcelona.

</div></div>

I agree. For a car to be truly ugly it has to have attempted beauty and failed. The Matador is a perfect example. Patrick Foster's book <span style="font-style: italic">The Last of the Independents</span> lays AMC's demise right on it's doorstep, I think correctly. It's hard to believe that the same people who came up with the Javelin did that one, even as a facelift (as the 4-door was, the 2-door was a new design meant to be stylish). There's nothing on the 4 door that's an improvement from the previous model, and the 2-door just didn't work and looks almost child-like.

The Aztec I think is the all-time champ, although it's probably too soon to really appreciate it now. That thing, especially in the first model year before all the cladding came off, is definitely in the same vein as the Matador...especially the "exclusive" versions like the Barcelona or the Pierre Cardin versions of the 2-door. It went all out to make a visual statement, a risk few cars attempt, and fell on it's face hard. Too bad the designers didn't have a cash-strapped empolyer to blame like Dick Teague did at AMC.

Another good one is the Datsun F10 from the mid-1970s. Nissan was generally an understated company by Japanese standards (240Z, 510, 210, Datsun truck, etc.), but this thing swung for the fences and missed big time.

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Guest Skyking

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Peter Gariepy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Then again, looking that the pict of your Metropolitan kinda reminds me of the same thing. smile.gif

</div></div>

Hey Hey! grin.gif

Another funny car, Volkswagon Thing. What were they thinking?

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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Another good one is the Datsun F10 from the mid-1970s. Nissan was generally an understated company by Japanese standards (240Z, 510, 210, Datsun truck, etc.), but this thing swung for the fences and missed big time. </div></div>

An old timer told me how the Datsun got it's name. wink.gif

Seems that the Japanese engineers were at a loss for a name for their newly created car. At a world auto trade show they met up with the German engineers and let them study the plans. The Germans kept the plans for several days and after looking them over the Japanese came back and said "What do you think???" The Germans replied, " Dat sun Car!" laugh.gif

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Guest aussie610

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Skyking</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Peter Gariepy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Then again, looking that the pict of your Metropolitan kinda reminds me of the same thing. smile.gif

</div></div>

Hey Hey! grin.gif

Another funny car, Volkswagon Thing. What were they thinking? </div></div>

It was designed as a military vehicle, but was rejected by the military, so they sold it to the public. Ever seen a Moke. Same thing, but using a Mini as a base...

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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: R W Burgess</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Most youngsters call their Scions "Toasters" as some sort of badge of authority! confused.giffrown.gif Wayne </div></div>

Maybe it's because if they have a wreck in one they are "toast". smirk.gif

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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: aussie610</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It was designed as a military vehicle, but was rejected by the military, so they sold it to the public. Ever seen a Moke. Same thing, but using a Mini as a base... </div></div>

I don't think the Thing was rejected by the German military. It was indeed used throughout WWII, but it was called the Kubelwagen (sp?).

The Thing and the Moke made no attempt to be a pretty vehicle. They were pure function. Can anyone say that the Willys MB was a good looking vehicle? Today's Wrangler isn't much better, but we are just so used to them.

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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Steve Braverman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">In describing the original military Jeep, the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art said, "...the earlier Jeep avoided all sense of styling or streamlining..." </div></div>

Yes, but it somehow still made it to the list of 6 honorees for design excellence based solely on the 1952 facelift. I suggest you read the home page for the exhibit. smile.gif

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Dave,

I admit that I didn't read any further than the one page on the Jeep.

What an interesting group of vehicles the MoMa decided to display. My wife is an art teacher, and has asked me several times to got to the MoMa. Now I guess I have a good reason to go.

I still think that the VW Thing and Mini Moke are beautiful in their own way smile.gif At least as beautiful as a Jeep!

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  • 5 months later...

Glad to see that although I saw Pacers mentioned in this thread, they didn't seem to come up as one of the ugliest. I guess it depends on your point of view. I just bought one that my son and I are playing with, and it certainly shocks people with how unusual it is. I have a '51 Pontiac Catalina, '66 Bonneville convertible, and have driven all kinds of interesting cars. I think the Pacer might draw more looks from more people than anything else I've ever driven or ridden in. I do agree about the Matador above as the ugliest--WOW!

How fun! I'll try to post a photo of our Pacer.

post-55312-143137993906_thumb.jpg

post-55312-143137993909_thumb.jpg

post-55312-143137993914_thumb.jpg

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